Client Feedback
I came to see Nivedita after struggling for a number of months with OCD and anxiety. This is something that I have sought treatment for before but has always returned. After a few sessions together, Nivedita recommended that I get assessed for ADHD. I went back to my psychiatrist and completed the ADHD assessment and was diagnosed with ADHD. I started taking Ritalin (together with the therapy sessions with Nivedita) and started to feel much much better. For the first time in my life I have felt ‘normal’ and much more balanced, stable and happy.
I have throughout my life (in childhood and teenage years) been assessed for many issues such as OCD, depression, sleep problem and dyslexia. It was a real lightbulb moment to understand that all these had stemmed from the undiagnosed and untreated ADHD. With Nivedita I have worked on a number of treatments – therapy, breathwork, Ritalin, working with a yoga and meditation coach and a also dietician to further understand how better to treat ADHD.
I am so grateful for the diagnosis and treatment and feel it has been a life changing few months. Many specialists and doctors have assessed me over my life but ADHD had never been diagnoses (it is often over looked in girls). I would highly recommend working with Nivedita – she has a wealth of knowledge and experience and was able to diagnose and then successfully treat my ADHD.
Miss Nivedita has successfully applied PNI Therapy in a number of cases for patients combating cancer, chronic pain, and autoimmune disease. In particular, she has developed a Cancer Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation program and is ready to work with any clinician as a partner for the well-being of their clients. PNI Therapy is a hopeful solution, which helps patients achieve medical and emotional healing in an effective and permanent manner. I have no hesitation recommending this excellent healer, Miss Nivedita, to any doctor or patient alike, who believes that true healing starts from the heart.
I met Nivedita soon after I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. I wanted to try Adjuvant Therapy (an add-on therapy) in conjunction with the usual treatments for cancer, and I knew that Nivedita has successfully worked with cancer patients before. Nivedita immediately changed my diet plan and we started working using PNI (Psychoneuroimmune Therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Though EMDR is usually used for trauma patients, Nivedita has successfully applied it to help a number of cancer patients in the past. She also recommended other treatments like Chinese acupuncture and lymphatic drainage.
The combination of PNI and EMDR really helped! Sessions with Nivedita made me feel calm and stress-free. She taught me visualization techniques along with Yoga Nidra that I could practice all by myself, at home, and because of these techniques I truly overcame my fears regarding my chemotherapy sessions. I can safely say that I had no pain, no fear, and no anxiety going into the chemotherapy sessions. I felt calm within myself as I was able to accept things as they came my way. Even when I started my radiation sessions, I felt no pain!
I believe the techniques Nivedita uses genuinely alter your thinking patterns. I was able to undergo my treatments with a sense of confidence. In fact, my friends were surprised when I told them that I feel great. I have no discomfort, I am positive, I sleep well, I eat well, and I don’t feel tired all the time. The best part is that everything I’ve learned from Nivedita is easy to understand and easy to follow. She spends a lot of time explaining everything which makes the whole process extremely transparent and comprehensible. I am 100% sure that my sessions with Nivedita created an everlasting impact on my mind and the way I think. Nivedita prepared me for what was coming and her techniques even boosted my immunity levels. I have had almost no side effects from the chemotherapy and radiation, and I attribute this to Nivedita and her holistic approach towards healing.
This has been an inward journey, and I feel I have evolved spiritually. Now, I can go through this journey with a smile on my face and with lots of positive energy. I am blessed and grateful to have found such a wonderful person like Nivedita. I am so happy I found her. Everything she says and does really matters because I have seen the difference her techniques and approach have made in my life. I don’t think it would have been this smooth without her.
I saw Nivedita at Inner Compass for EMDR therapy to help with my grief-related trauma during the year following my partner’s death from bowel cancer at the age of 39. Doing that work with her is, I believe, the main reason that I am, today, able to function well in my day-to-day life, without being paralysed by intense, easily-triggered, flashbacks.
Over the year, we used the technique to revisit the most traumatic moments of my partners’ three-year illness and subsequent death; as well as to prepare for upcoming potentially overwhelming situations (such as the scattering of his ashes). Going through the process worked every time – often within a single session – to dramatically shift the feelings of panic, fear and searing pain associated with those memories and situations.
From what I’ve read, EMDR is a powerful process in itself. However, I think Nivedita’s particular experience and skill is what made it so effective for me. As I am based in the UK, I have recently, for the sake of convenience, tried out several well-regarded EMDR therapists here. I’ve noticed that the depth and healing effect of these sessions is far below those I had with Nivedita. I believe this is due to several factors. Firstly, Nivedita’s long background in specialised trauma work, which, I believe, allows her to firmly hold a safe space for clients’ disturbing emotions and to know when – and when not – to push further. Secondly, her knowledge of yogic breathing and meditative techniques, which were particularly helpful for regaining emotional stability. And finally, her ability to quickly synthesise and analyse disparate pieces of information: which allowed her to help me form new, more hopeful narratives from the forgotten memories and events uncovered during the EMDR process (which she then ‘installed’ for me, using the eye movement technique).
For anyone feeling paralysed by grief-related trauma, I would highly recommend engaging in EMDR therapy with Nivedita.
I am relatively young still, 39 years old and out of the blue, had a heart attack. I don’t have any of the traditional risk markers for heart attack, and so it was a genuine surprise for us.
Through my recovery, it was recommended that we see someone to work through the trauma.
‘We hadn’t heard a lot about EMDR previously, and so the expectations that we had going into it were only based on what Nivedita had explained to us. And so, it sounded like something that I would get a lot from.
If I’m completely honest, I was probably a little bit sceptical. I’m naturally a bit of a sceptic because of my profession.
The EMDR sessions, without a doubt for me, have changed my life- the way that I recall the traumatic events or the day. It’s completely removed the emotion and the trauma that I feel when I recollect them.
Early days I remember doing this, and I would break down in tears. But now it’s something that I tell like it’s a story.
If anyone was recommended EMDR because they’ve been through anything traumatic or something troubling, I can say that it’s helped me tremendously, and so I would highly recommend that if it’s something that would be helpful for them.
I came across Nivedita through a deep search for help when my daughter was going through a rough patch of anxiety- and our support as parents was no longer enough. Nivedita helped tremendously to understand, first of all, the source of my daughter’s concerns but mostly providing answers and coping techniques to navigate through those difficult times. I am glad that my daughter has progressed so much in only a few months and is on the way to becoming her usual happy self again. I will certainly encourage anyone in a similar situation to seek help. We are thankful to have found Nivedita and her invaluable support.
I would like to recommend Nivedita’s services to any parent whose teenage child is dealing with issues like anxiety. When my daughter started Secondary School she struggled badly with bouts of anxiety and as much as I tried, I was unable to help her in any way. Looking for a solution, I contacted Nivedita. The first few sessions were designed to help her figure the reasons behind my daughter’s behavior. In the next few sessions, Nivedita showed and taught my daughter a number of techniques that allowed my child to overcome her fears and have better control over her emotions. Right now, she is much happier, and her attitude and approach towards studying has improved. Thank you, Nivedita.
I started seeing Nivedita due to some unusual and unexpected work-related anxiety. Nivedita helped me immensely with short-term anxiety, using a mixture of Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In one of her techniques, I visualize stressful meetings in advance, using EMDR. This method clears out any blockages, which can become obstacles in my professional growth. Furthermore, while addressing these issues, Nivedita helped me understand why and how I have developed a state of mind where I choose to avoid conflicts instead of facing them head-on.
We are continuing to work together using Gestalt Therapy, to help me uncover my own emotions, and to re-frame and then constructively tackle a damaging relationship I have with a family member. Nivedita takes a frank and direct approach, combining different techniques in a responsive way. She is clear about what she is doing and why, and after every session, I feel that I have left her office with a significant realization about myself and my relationships, or with a very practical technique, which can be used to heal emotionally. She is insightful and she regularly helps me dig down and pinpoint a particular emotion or motivation. Working with her continues to be immensely beneficial for my emotional life.
I have known Ms. Nivedita Rawal for the last decade. She has been handling my cases ranging from the most complex to life transitional issues with the utmost care, sensitivity, humility, and the strictest confidence. She is a compassionate caregiver. She has expertise in individualized as well as group care techniques. She is able to handle complex cases with the most advanced counseling techniques. She is a perfect blend of the art of listening and counseling with the latest methods of scientific care. She can handle the most difficult cases of addiction and substance abuse, as well as family and couples counseling, suicidal tendencies, and mental breakdowns. I wish her all the success in her future endeavors.
My association with Dr. Nivedita Ramanujam began almost three years ago. She has contributed significantly to my emotional, mental, and financial health. Our initial sessions were about my inability to get along with my various bosses. She helped me identify my tendency of developing a spontaneous negative reaction to all authority.
She guided me to practice the following successfully:
(A) Delay your reaction,
(B) Instead of rebutting criticism, coolly probe and enquire what the other person might actually be looking for,
(C) Always remember that all professional relationships are commercial and hence not to bear any grudges or take things personally.
These approaches helped me a lot to form better relationships with all my clients.
Secondly, she helped me and my wife bond more closely. She made us realize (individually) that the two of us have very different personality types. And that our disagreements are a consequence of these differences rather than any inherent incompatibilities. Because of this, we came to a realization why we failed to understand each other’s behaviour at times. Now, we have become more understanding and have more realistic expectations from each other. Also, we discovered several things about one other which we had not been able to tell each other directly.
Dr. Ramanujam also helped me realize what my strengths and weaknesses are and helped diagnose my financial health as well, making me feel reasonably reassured to take a major risk in my career, which ultimately paid off very well. She drove away my demons of apprehension and successfully wrestled with my despondency.
She made me forge better bonds with my siblings by making me realize how important they actually are in my life. With her help, I recognized that I was looking at them or judging their actions from a very short-sighted perspective. I have become a happier and more forgiving person now.
Each visit to Dr. Ramanujam makes me a richer person with better insights into life. One Dr. Ramanujam in life is worth several well-meaning and wise friends! Dr. Ramanujam has a natural instinct and aptitude for her job, and that, combined with her compassionate and wise way of thinking, makes her a really amazing therapist!
I met Nivedita for therapy sessions in April 2019. My major concern was the issue of breathlessness due to anxiety, stress, and deep-rooted trauma. She was everything I had hoped for in a therapist! At the end of every session, I felt physically rejuvenated and at the same time, psychologically more balanced, calm, and happier, even though going through some of these sessions wasn’t easy at all. Nivedita is not only a great therapist but a very special human being – kind, compassionate, and I always felt very safe and in good hands. I highly recommend reaching for her help if you need to. It was a hard but wonderful experience, much needed too, and even with daily work, I continue on the road to recovery. I feel more in control of my emotions. Also, I am more self-aware than ever before.
I am a Licensed Psychologist/Health Service Provider in private practice in Dallas, Texas. I am a member of the faculty for the Certificate Program offered by the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy. This is a nine-month distance learning intensive in which participants meet in person for an extended retreat at the beginning and end of the program. During the intervening nine months, participants are exposed to video presentations and reading materials exploring the use of mindfulness-based interventions in psychotherapy. In addition, participants are given the Buddhist psychological context for and provided the resources to deepen and strengthen a daily meditation practice. Course presenters include Ron Siegel, Chris Germer, Zindal Segal, Jack Engler, and many other prominent contributors from the field of mindfulness; they meet with course participants in live online webinars. The course covers many clinical areas including depression, anxiety, addiction, disorder eating, and trauma.
Ms. Rawal Raj enrolled in and completed the Certificate Program for 2014-2015. One dimension of this course is that participants meet in small groups or Sections to discuss the application of mindfulness in various clinical circumstances and settings. I had the privilege of having Ms. Rawal Raj in the Section I facilitated and had the opportunity to deeply assess her capacity as a therapist over nine months. She reliably demonstrated an impressive combination of keen clinical acumen and deep respect and care for the patients and circumstances discussed throughout the year. She also revealed the capacity to be a strong “team player” both in her willingness to share her own perspective and in her sincere curiosity about how others work with their patients. She impressed me with her strong commitment to alleviate the suffering of those she sees in her professional capacity.
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Inner Compass Psychotherapy and Trauma Practice
Suite 1902, 19/F, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace,
Car Po Commercial Building, Central, Hong Kong
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