We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam Thammahong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?

It is common advice for someone to talk to a therapist if someone has an issue they cannot resolve on their own. Talking to a therapist might help someone reflect on their past experiences to better understand their emotions, behaviors, and beliefs to better equip themselves for future events. Talk therapy involves the cognitive and emotional aspects of the issue and is considered “top-down processing.” This poses the question, “will talking through my issues and trauma heal me?”

There are different types of psychotherapy that offer a range of approaches to a client’s health to interpret contextual clues from previous experiences and expectations. Though this type of processing is helpful, it is important to not view it as inherently superior to other therapies. Psychotherapy does offer us incredible insight into top-down processing and how we make sense of the world, but it cannot be the only way we release our traumas.

Our brains are constantly balancing our ability to predict and the errors we make with those predictions. This determines how much of our experience is rooted in the outside world or our own brains (1. P.65 How Emotions Are Made). Our brains use our experiences to keep us alive and well, by calculating our body’s needs through prediction creation. These predictions are the root of where our emotions come from. This type of processing is largely subconscious and can be adjusted consciously and subconsciously through prediction error. Though this is an indispensable aspect of human cognition, there is a lot of room for bias especially when we encounter ambiguous or incomplete information. Through memory research, there are many implications for eyewitness testimonies in the court of law due to our inability to accurately recall past experiences (2.). Corrections of our prediction error are dependent on pattern recognition, self-reflection, a decrease in stressful stimuli, and somatic repetition. As we learn and grow as adults, we may be able to navigate complex situations more efficiently and effectively by reducing stress and exposure to stressful environments, processing with a therapist, and somatic therapies.

When we take a look at “bottom-up processing” where we process sensory information and use clues to understand that information, we then begin to reconnect the mind-body connection. Somatic therapies, such as TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing exercises), EMDR, etc. foster integration of the mind and body. This integration looks like understanding and acknowledging feelings and emotions down to the integration at a cellular level.

This is where I would like to highlight the approach of combining top-down and bottom-up processing strategies to bridge the [brain-body] disconnect that is often so difficult to address with [talk] therapy alone (3.) Conventional advice focuses on one way to heal, but it is vital to embrace the interplay between top-down and bottom-up processing to provide a more holistic view on overcoming stress and trauma. In this light, we can step into the resilient beings we were meant to be.

Citations:
1: How Emotions Are Made by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett
2. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117625118
3. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.1015749/full

What should our readers know about your business?
My business NuTRE, was originally created to share TRE with a holistic perspective. TRE includes grounding, somatic exercises, and SUTT (Self-Induced Unclassified Therapeutic Tremors). The word ‘nutre’ is defined as: to feed; to nourish; to nurture, which was coincidentally perfect.

My approach to TRE includes a range of ways of grounding the client first through Tai Chi, Qi Gong, yoga, somatic movement, energy work, and sound. The approach is very person-centered work, where I simultaneously educate about the nervous system and reestablish or strengthen the connection of their mind, body, and soul. The main focus is to introduce new tools to clients to bring them into harmony within themselves, thus experiencing harmony in their external environment.

I have been in Phoenix for just under two years, where, like most businesses, I experienced a few setbacks. I experienced lost trust and alignment in a business relationship, which ultimately led me to look deeper into my core values as a person and business. It remains important to me to build from a strong foundation and collaborate with those who have shared goals and passions. Through these hardships, it is only brought me more incredible partnerships with more personal alignment.

Every experience on this journey has taught me lessons and brought immense joy and gratitude. As I continue to connect deeper with myself, I find myself in deeper connection with my community. Where I am able to hold myself more, I feel more held in return.

I want communities across the globe to experience what Nutre has to offer and for the tremor mechanism to further connect us all and regulate our nervous systems.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being more of a newer local, I really love a lot of the food options here in Phoenix. Lom Wong is incredible Thai food off of Portland street and I always love taking people to this spot. For Iced Vanilla Matchas or an americano that’s on point, it’s Moxie for me. For a fun and funky ice cream, head over to Lix. The ‘Liu Liu Lemon’ is the best lemon ice cream I have ever experienced. I would then find time for a hike around Piestewa Peak and go play pickleball with some friends at Chicken & Pickle in Glendale or at Encanto Park in the evenings.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes a village 🙂 I’d like to deeply thank the true and consistent support from my family, Maribeth, Chart, Evan. What an integral piece to this puzzle and profound impact you’ve made on me and Nutre! I will forever be grateful for you. I would also love to thank my clients. Being connected with you is one of the greatest gifts in my life. I Thank you.

Website: www.sam2nutre.com, www.clientsecure.nutre.me

Instagram: nutre.llc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nutre.llc/

Other: https://heal.me/practitioner/samantha-thammahong-tre-provider-yoga-instructor-sound-bath-practitioner

Image Credits
Maroon shirt: Walter Rachel, Chartreuse dress: MaryJane Ganibe

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