EMDR Therapy · Maryland & Virginia

You're not broken. You're hurt — and the hurt can be healed.

EMDR therapy with Megan Carraco, LCPC. Warm, research-informed care for people who have tried to talk it out and need something more.

Book a Free 15-Min Consultation
Or call direct (202) 753-9836
Licensed LCPC — MD & VA to confirm
EMDR training level — to confirm
Free 15-minute consultation
Telehealth / in-person — to confirm
Megan Carraco, MA, LCPC — EMDR therapist serving Maryland and Virginia
Megan Carraco, MA, LCPC
100% SecureEncrypted
State LicensedMD & VAto confirm
Psychology TodayVerified
HIPAA ProtectedConfidential
The past isn't staying in the past

The trauma still has the wheel.

Fireworks pop. Doors slam. Brakes screech. Just like that, your heart is pounding, your nervous system is jolted into high alert, your mind is racing in anticipation of danger that isn't there.

Intrusive thoughts torment you during the day. Nightmares keep you from sleeping at night. You're on edge, even when you know you're safe.

You can't concentrate at work. You're snapping at your partner and kids. New relationships flop because you can't trust anyone. And somewhere underneath it all, there's a voice telling you the problem must be you — that you're simply too inadequate, broken, and damaged for any of this to change.

If any of this sounds familiar
  • Intrusive memories that ambush you at random
  • Nightmares or restless sleep, for months or years
  • Jumpiness, hypervigilance, a body stuck on high alert
  • Snapping at the people you love most
  • Trouble trusting anyone, including yourself
  • A quiet certainty that something is wrong with you

Well, you're not — just hurt. Trauma is a wound that seldom heals properly on its own. That's why you're still in pain… and why it feels like the danger is still happening.

A woman sitting on the edge of a bed, held in contemplation
A man sitting on a rock by the water at golden hour
Why it works

Your brain reprocesses the memory — much the way it integrates new information during REM sleep.

A more powerful tool than talking alone

EMDR heals the trauma directly in your brain.

As you might know by now, talking about what happened doesn't always help. You've probably tried. You may have told the story so many times it feels worn out in your mouth — and still, your body reacts the same way.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is different. By moving your eyes back and forth — or using gentle taps or sounds — while you target a traumatic memory, your brain reprocesses that memory in much the same way it integrates new information during REM sleep.

EMDR doesn't erase the trauma from your memory. It takes away its power to control your mind, body, and emotions. The memory becomes something that happened — not something that is still happening.

  • BodyFeel safe in your own body again
  • SleepSleep through the night
  • TrustTrust the people around you — and yourself
  • ForwardMove without the past in the driver's seat
See If EMDR Is Right for You
What working together looks like

How EMDR unfolds, step by step.

No surprises. No dropping you into the deep end. Here's exactly how the work moves — in the order it moves.

01·

A free 15-minute consultation

We meet on a short call, no obligation. You tell me what's going on. I tell you honestly whether I think EMDR — or something else — is the right fit.

02·

History and resourcing

Before we touch any trauma, we build the ground underneath it: regulation skills, grounding, a sense of safety inside your own nervous system. This phase matters. We don't skip it.

03·

Reprocessing

With bilateral stimulation — eye movements, taps, or sounds — we target the memories that are still pulling the strings. Your brain does the healing work; I'm there to keep it safe and on track.

04·

Integration

We close each session by bringing you back to the present, and over time we integrate what's changed into your daily life. The goal isn't forgetting. It's freedom.

Start With a Free Consultation

How I practice

It's not just in your head.

Trauma lives in the nervous system — in the tension, the fatigue, the reactions that fire before you have time to think. We treat the body, not just the story.

Diagnoses don't define you.

You're not a chart. You're a person who has survived something. We work from that premise.

Research-informed, human-delivered.

I use evidence-based modalities — EMDR, somatic therapy, CBT, ERP — and I deliver them like a person who genuinely enjoys her clients. Because I do.

About Megan

Compassion, humor, and a little sass.

I'm Megan Carraco, a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) serving Maryland and Virginia. My training is in clinical and counseling psychology — undergraduate work at the University of Texas, graduate work at Southern Methodist University, plus research years at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH) and the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

I care about the research. I care more about you. A diagnosis is not who you are, and trauma is not a character flaw. My work is warm, honest, research-informed — and yes, occasionally a little irreverent. Healing doesn't have to be grim.

— Megan Carraco, MA, LCPC

Credentials & Training

  • MA, LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) — Maryland and Virginia licensure to confirm
  • EMDR training level — to confirm with Megan
  • Graduate training in clinical & counseling psychology — Southern Methodist University
  • Research experience — National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH) · ~10 years
  • Research experience — Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center · 2 years
  • Years in practice — to confirm
What clients say

The shift from THE thing to a thing.

These are the outcomes clients come back to describe: a story that used to run their whole life becoming a story from their life. (Named testimonials below are pending collection from Megan — format is set.)

[First Name] EMDR Client ● Pending from Megan
Testimonial slot — pending from Megan. Ideally an EMDR client who can speak to the shift from the trauma running their life to becoming something that happened. Named prose, 3–4 sentences, specific outcome.
[First Name] EMDR Client ● Pending from Megan
Testimonial slot — pending from Megan. Ideally a client who can speak to the body-level shift: sleeping through the night, unclenching, feeling safe.
[First Name] EMDR Client ● Pending from Megan
Testimonial slot — pending from Megan. Ideally a client who can speak to the tone of the work — warm, direct, occasionally funny. Named prose protects against the "EMDR sounds weird" objection by showing a real person liked it.
Honest answers

Things people ask before they call.

The short version of everything Megan wishes she could say on a first call — before the meter even starts running.

Book a Free Consultation
What actually happens in an EMDR session?

You stay fully awake, fully in control, and fully yourself. While we focus on a specific memory or belief, I guide your attention with gentle bilateral stimulation — eye movements, taps, or alternating sounds. Your brain does the reprocessing. You can stop at any point. Nothing gets forced.

How many sessions does EMDR take?

It depends on what we're working on and how long you've been carrying it. Some targeted issues resolve in a handful of focused sessions. Complex or long-standing trauma takes longer, because we have to build the foundation first. We'll talk about a realistic arc together on the consultation call.

I've tried talk therapy and it didn't work. Why would this be different?

Because talk therapy often works on the story of what happened, and EMDR works on the memory's grip in your nervous system. You can understand your trauma intellectually and still flinch when a door slams. EMDR targets the flinch.

Is EMDR safe? I've heard it can bring up intense memories.

EMDR is well-researched and, when done properly, safe for most people. "Properly" is the key word — we don't start reprocessing until you have the regulation tools to handle what comes up. That preparation phase isn't optional in my practice.

Do you take insurance?

Insurance and fees — to confirm with Megan. I'm happy to answer specific insurance and fee questions on the free consultation call.

Are sessions in-person or telehealth?

Format — telehealth / in-person / hybrid — to confirm. EMDR works well in both formats when the clinician is trained to deliver it remotely.

Who do you work with?

I see adults and teens in Maryland and Virginia, with specialties in trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, codependency, grief and loss, and narcissistic abuse recovery. Couples therapy yes/no — to confirm.

What if EMDR isn't the right fit for me?

Then we talk about what is. I also use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, and the Safe and Sound Protocol. On the consultation call, I'll tell you honestly what I think would help — even if that's a referral to someone else.

Take the first step

When you're ready, here's what's next.

No long forms. No cold sell. One short conversation, and then an honest answer about whether this is the right path — or a better one.

01

Reach out

Call (202) 753-9836 or fill out the form below. Whichever feels easier on the day.

02

Schedule your free 15-minute consultation

No pressure, no obligation. A real conversation, not a sales pitch.

03

Decide together

We talk about whether EMDR — or something else — is the right next step for you.

HIPAA Protected Encrypted & confidential
100% Secure Submission Your details stay with us
Psychology Today Verified Vetted, licensed practitioner
Limited free consults each week
Don't suffer needlessly

Don't suffer needlessly for another day.

Book your free 15-minute consultation with Megan. No pressure. No obligation. Just a conversation about whether EMDR — or something else — is the right next step.

Truly free — no card, no commitment. We'll discuss session fees on the call if EMDR turns out to be a fit. You'll hear back within one business day, or call direct at (202) 753-9836.

Request your free consultation

Takes under a minute. We'll reach out within one business day.

Your information is encrypted and protected under HIPAA privacy laws. We will never share your details.

Mock v1 · For review