E161 Dr. Casey Grover on Trauma and Addiction

Update: 2025-08-24

Description

Guest host Jazz (episode #41) talks with returning expert Dr. Casey Grover, an addiction medicine physician with both clinical expertise and lived experience of PTSD. Together, they explore the frequent intersection of trauma and addiction, breaking down how adverse childhood experiences, big “T” and little “t” traumas, and even intergenerational stress shape vulnerability to substance use. Dr. Grover discusses diagnostic criteria for PTSD, explains treatment approaches ranging from medications like prazosin and SSRIs to EMDR therapy and stellate ganglion blocks, and weighs in on newer options such as psychedelic-assisted therapy. The conversation also highlights the stigma around mental health in the medical community, the importance of trauma-informed care, and the healing potential of honesty and vulnerability. Resource links from episode:

Grover, Casey MD. Goodbye Emergency Medicine—I Wish I Could Say Thanks for the Memories. Emergency Medicine News 47(2):p 22, March 2025.

DOI: 10.1097/01.EEM.0001108624.36353.82

https://journals.lww.com/em-news/fulltext/2025/03000/goodbye_emergency_medicine_i_wish_i_could_say.14.aspx

DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/

Addiction Medicine Made Easy (Dr. Grover’s podcast)

https://addictionmedicinemadeeasy.com

MDCalc – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Calculator

https://www.mdcalc.com

Last Day Podcast – Episode with Dr. Gabor Maté

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/addiction-17-trauma-with-dr-gabor-mat%C3%A9/id1468896686?i=1000488387968

Book: What Happened to You? (Oprah & Bruce Perry)

https://www.oprahdaily.com/what-happened-to-you

Book: The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk)

https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score

GeneSight – Pharmacogenomic Testing

https://genesight.com

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy)

https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for PTSD – Information

https://www.stellateinstitute.com/sgb-for-ptsd

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