Trauma changes how a person thinks, feels, and relates to others. Long after an event ends, distressing memories can remain vivid. Creating anxiety, nightmares, emotional avoidance, or a constant sense of being on guard. For many people, it leads to a lifetime of quiet suffering.
Trauma is deeply personal, with no single cause. Conya Spencer, LAC, an EMDR specialist at Family Service Agency (FSA), describes trauma simply: "a bad experience that gets stuck in the brain."
Are you troubled by painful memories you cannot seem to escape?
Effective, evidence-based care is available. Spencer and the team of counselors and therapists at Family Service Agency have specialized training to help clients work through traumatic experiences and reclaim a sense of safety. Two gold-standard approaches offered at FSA in North Little Rock are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
EMDR Therapy at FSA
EMDR is a well-researched treatment for post-traumatic stress. During a session, a client briefly focuses on an aspect of a traumatic memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation, which is typically guided side-to-side eye movements or gentle tapping.
"I love using EMDR because it doesn't require a client to relive the trauma in detail," Spencer explains. "Fear of reliving the event keeps many people from seeking help in the first place. EMDR simply allows the brain to finish processing what it couldn't at the time."
When an event overwhelms the nervous system, the memory fails to file properly. Later, everyday triggers, a sound, a smell, a familiar street, or an argument, can reignite the original emotional and physical distress.
"A memory stays stuck when the nervous system remains flooded," Spencer says. "I’ve watched clients carry a memory for 20 years, then walk out after a few sessions and say it finally feels like it belongs in the past."
The goal is not to erase memories, but to strip them of their charge. After successful treatment, the experience remains something that happened but no longer feels like something that is actively happening.
Cognitive Processing Therapy at FSA
FSA clinicians are also trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an evidence-based branch of cognitive behavioral therapy designed specifically for trauma and widely utilized in VA healthcare settings.
Trauma often alters core beliefs, convincing individuals that an event was their fault, that no one is safe, or that they will never regain control. In CPT, the therapist helps the client identify these unhelpful beliefs, examine the evidence, and establish more balanced ways of thinking.
Like EMDR, CPT does not require graphic details. Instead, it examines how the event reshaped beliefs about oneself, others, and the world.
"It’s effective because it challenges clients to shift how they interpret the impact of the trauma," Victor Werner, LPC, CEO of Family Service Agency, says. "Within 10 to 12 sessions, I have seen clients fully regain their power."
Trauma Can Affect Anyone
Trauma stems from many experiences: childhood abuse or neglect, domestic violence, assault, military combat, accidents, medical emergencies, or the sudden loss of a loved one.
Common trauma responses include:
Unwanted, intrusive memories or flashbacks
Nightmares and sleep disruption
Anxiety, panic, or feeling constantly on alert
Avoiding specific places, people, or conversations
Emotional numbness or persistent irritability
Difficulty trusting others, accompanied by guilt or shame
Trouble concentrating on daily tasks
Experiencing these symptoms does not indicate weakness; it is the nervous system’s instinctive attempt to shield you from harm.
Trauma Therapy in Central Arkansas
Many people delay treatment because they fear being forced to recount their worst moments. Both EMDR and CPT provide structured, compassionate pathways to heal without reliving trauma in detail.
For more than 75 years, Family Service Agency has supported individuals and families across Central Arkansas through difficult circumstances. Trauma may be part of your story, but it does not have to write the rest of it. FSA can help free you from trauma.
If painful memories interfere with your health, relationships, or work, reach out today. Contact Family Service Agency to learn more about EMDR, CPT, and comprehensive behavioral health services in North Little Rock. Visit fsainc.org to schedule an appointment with a therapist tailored to your needs.