Do I have trauma?

“Do I have trauma reactions?” I can help you answer this frequently asked question through thorough self-report and interview-based assessments. Symptoms of trauma can include:

• Feeling as though you are re-experiencing the trauma (nightmare and/or flashbacks)
• Being easily startled by a sudden noise or a certain sound or activated by a particular smell
• Avoidance of anything that is a reminder of the incident
• Negative emotions such as anger or having an emotionless “flat” response to situations.

I am one of a few Johns Hopkins Certified Trauma Clinicians (CTC). In addition, I am trained on two top trauma therapies as identified by the American Psychological Association:

EMDR treatment:

What is EMDR therapy? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a powerful method of psychotherapy that is accepted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and the United Kingdom Department of Health. Studies consistently find that EMDR for PTSD can effectively decrease/eliminate symptoms of trauma for the majority of clients. EMDR affects the way the brain processes information helping a client file away past experiences instead of reliving them. Following a successful EMDR session a client no longer relives the images, sounds and feelings triggered by trauma. For more information go to: www.emdria.org.

Pro-Longed Exposure Therapy:

In this treatment clients are exposed to imagery of their traumatic memories, as well as real-life situations related to the traumatic event, in a step-by-step, controllable way. Through these exposures, clients learn to confront the trauma and think differently about the event. This leads to a marked decrease in levels of anxiety and other PTSD symptoms. Pro-Longed Exposure Therapy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense, The University of Pennsylvania, and the National Center for PTSD.

Trauma and substance abuse often go hand-in-hand. Those wrestling with anxiety, irritability and sleep problems ignited by trauma often seek relief with alcohol and other drugs. Often, the result is guilt, shame and relapse. It is a vicious cycle I’ve seen while working in drug treatment facilities doing group, individual and family therapy. My experience as an addictions counselor and trauma clinician can help you move from relapse to recovery.

In Washington, D.C. Prasad Counseling paired with Veterans Moving Forward to use specially trained dogs when working with veterans facing psychological challenges.