#451: The Body Knows: Reclaiming Health Through Natural Living with Samphire Hayes
May 5, 2025
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In this dynamic discussion, Samphire Hayes, a psychotherapist and natural lifestyle coach, shares her inspiring journey from battling chronic pain to completing marathons. She emphasizes the transformative power of reconnecting with the body and nature through practices like mindfulness and natural movement. Samphire highlights the importance of holistic healing, addressing root causes, and the mind-body connection. Her methods promote self-empowerment and resilience, showcasing how embracing a natural lifestyle can lead to profound health transformations.
Samphire Hayes emphasizes the importance of adopting holistic practices like mindfulness and nutrition to address chronic pain effectively.
The podcast highlights the interconnectedness of mental and physical health, urging a trauma-informed approach to treating chronic conditions.
Sam's journey illustrates the transformative power of self-perception and personal empowerment in reclaiming health and resilience against chronic pain.
Deep dives
The Connection Between Mind and Body
The podcast emphasizes the critical relationship between the mind and body, particularly through the lens of psychosomatic responses. It highlights psychoneuroimmunology, showcasing the interconnections among the brain, psychology, immune response, and hormonal systems. The conversation points out the modern tendency to separate these disciplines despite the evidence that our thoughts and feelings can significantly impact our physical health. Traditional medicine often falls short in addressing these chronic pain conditions, leaving many individuals feeling frustrated and unsupported.
Personal Journey of Healing
The discussion centers around Sam Firehays, a psychotherapist and natural lifestyle coach, who shares her personal battle with chronic pain, beginning after her first pregnancy and exacerbating after her second. Despite seeking help from multiple specialists, she experienced a range of diagnoses including fibromyalgia and degenerative disc disease, ultimately facing a recommendation for spinal fusion surgery. Refusing the surgery, she delved into holistic approaches to healing, such as mindfulness practices and lifestyle changes, reflecting on how emotional traumas influenced her physical condition. This journey of self-discovery and empowerment led her to reclaim her health and find relief from her pain.
Transformative Practices for Pain Management
The podcast discusses various holistic strategies that contributed to Sam's recovery, including mindfulness, movement, and nutrition. Her journey involved incorporating practices such as ground sitting, which not only increased her core strength but also provided a transformative experience in physical comfort. Additionally, emphasizing the importance of diet, the conversation highlights how adopting a natural, wholesome diet substantially contributed to pain management and overall well-being. Sam advocates for gradual changes over time rather than drastic eliminations, enabling a sustainable path toward improved health.
Understanding the Role of Trauma
A significant theme in the podcast relates to the effect of unresolved trauma on both mental and physical health, evidenced by Sam's own experience with PTSD. The discussion references shared observations in the psychological community about how trauma can manifest as chronic pain, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to treatment. The narrative reveals a gap in traditional therapeutic practices, where trauma was often overlooked in favor of managing the symptoms of anxiety or pain. This insight reaffirms the necessity of integrating trauma-informed care in therapies to address the root causes of chronic conditions.
Empowerment through Self-Discovery
Sam illustrates how her journey to health involved fundamental shifts in self-perception and personal empowerment. Recognizing that her pain was not indicative of brokenness, but rather a call for self-care, allowed her to develop resilience and self-compassion. The conversation captures the essence of how her recovery is not solely about physical methods, but also about changing the internal narrative and embracing one's strength. Ultimately, the emphasis is placed on the possibility of healing through understanding oneself and engaging in practices that nourish both the body and mind.
Once bedbound with chronic pain and told she'd be disabled for life, Samphire Hayes transformed her health not through surgery, but by embracing natural, ancestral practices—like ground sitting, mindfulness, and movement. In this powerful conversation with Mark Groves, she shares how reconnecting with her body and nature helped her go from mobility aids to walking marathons. Now a psychotherapist and natural lifestyle coach, Samphire helps others break free from chronic pain by tuning into the body’s wisdom and healing from the inside out. Her story is a moving reminder that we’re not broken—we just need to listen.
Samphire Hayes is a psychotherapist and natural lifestyle coach who overcame over a decade of chronic pain and limited mobility—at times requiring a mobility scooter—to now go on to complete marathons and live an active, vibrant life. Her personal healing journey sparked a deep commitment to holistic health, emphasizing the importance of addressing root causes rather than symptoms, and recognizing the body as an interconnected system. Through practices such as natural movement, ground sitting, mindfulness, nature immersion, and whole-food nutrition, Sam reconnected with the wisdom of human biology and the healing power of nature. Today, she leads The Holistic Pain Clinic, where she supports clients with chronic pain using integrative, nature-based strategies that empower physical, mental, and emotional recovery, with a mission to inspire resilience, hope, and lasting well-being.
