Glossary of Terms
energy inequality: the systemic disparity in the metabolic cost of living. It describes how individuals with chronic illness or marginalized identities must expend more ATP (cellular energy) on basic survival and navigation than those with social/financial buffers
Social Baseline Theory (SBT): the neurobiological principle that the human brain "expects" access to social relationships to distribute metabolic load. Without these "Safety Signals," the brain perceives the environment as more "expensive," leading to chronic autonomic stress
metabolic autonomy: the ability to exercise agency and choice because your biological systems are sufficiently regulated. It argues that tools (like service dogs or sensory anchors) are not "crutches" but "subsidies" that restore a person's power to self-direct
neuro-immunological crash: a state where pro-inflammatory cytokines overwhelm the body's regulatory systems, leading to ANS (autonomic nervous system) dysregulation and forced inactivity
allostasis: the process of achieving stability through natural bodily attunements in response to environmental stimuli (e.g. changes in heart rate when changing posture like standing up or sitting down)
allostatic overload: the cumulative wear and tear on the body when the ANS is constantly forced to adapt to chronic pain or hypervigilance
endogenous co-regulation: the process where one mammal’s stable nervous system (the dog) helps pull another’s (the handler’s) back into a state of equilibrium through proximity, heart-rate variability, and Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT)
vagal break: the parasympathetic nervous system’s ability to slow down heart rate and the metabolic fire of neuroinflammation and cortical hyperexcitability
biopsychosocial gatekeeping: refers to the practice of using outdated medical or social standards to deny someone access to tools (like service dogs) based on their perceived "functionality" or wealth
semantic gatekeeping: the refusal to acknowledge the evolving, scientific, or nuanced definitions of disability-related terms. This is often used to exclude individuals whose biological needs do not fit a traditional or "wealth-subsidized" model of disability
interoception: the sense of the internal state of the body (heart rate, hunger, pain)
interoception overload: the sense of an overactive or overwhelming internal sensation of the body’s signals (racing heart rate, intense hunger and/or pain)
interoception blindness: the inability for a person to accurately make sense of their internal bodily signals due to a disconnection between conscious thought and awareness of what internal signals are indicating
neuro-cosmopolitanism: coined by disability activist Nick Walker; idea that a “normal” or “correct” nervous system/brain doesn’t exist because these are dynamic systems adaptable to different stimuli and circumstances
