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TMS Anxiety Protocol Week 1.

Hillary here, thanks for reading my entry blog post about my log I am going to be posting weekly! I am excited to share my journey with you all here and hope that you’ll follow along! If you have any specific questions for me, feel free to send them via email through our website and I would be happy to answer them! Without further ado…

Week 1 recount of TMS treatment with the Anxiety Protocol with Brainsway:

Day 1: Going into the first day of treatment my nerves were very high. After all, I’ve been coaching patients through their mental health journey with TMS treatments and I longed for it to be my turn; now it is! I had /have anxiety about getting a treatment for anxiety. You would think after being a TMS Tech at the center here I would be well versed in everything, which I am, but when it comes to yourself its a whole different ball game. Going into treatment as a patient and not a tech is MUCH different. I was nervous, anxious and filled with so many “what if’s?” What if this treatment doesn’t work for me? What if I am one of the percentage of people whom it doesn’t work for? But knowing that I could be part of the large percentage of people it works for, makes it all worth it. Trying to keep a positive outlook on HOPING to feel better, for me, is key.

The first appointment doctor was in to set up my treatment and find my “prescription.” The mapping to find my motor threshold was anything less than comfortable, but tolerable. You have to sit as straight up as possible and resist tension while doctor pushes the cap down onto your head and sends small electromagnetic pulses to find the best location for treatment. Once we found the correct spot, we went on to discover my lowest possible threshold. It’s a weird feeling when your body can’t control small movements in your fingers and face. It’s a strange little twitch. Kind of like when you go to the doctor and they check your reflexes with the rubber tool, that’s the best way I can describe it.

Once everything was set, I braced for treatment to start. The Anxiety protocol is much different than the Depression protocol for TMS. The “thumping” aka. electromagnetic waves for the Anxiety protocol is like a metronome that musicians use. The sound of the waves plus the “air conditioning” that is coming out of the cap is very relaxing. As I sat in the chair for the first few minutes, it truly felt like it wasn’t ever going to end. but as it went on, I felt my body relaxing and my mind zoning on the somewhat relaxing soothe from the air conditioned cap, along with the constant tapping of the electromagnetic waves. Knowing this all will hopefully be worth it and I will feel better after 36 days of treatment, or sooner…I am so lucky to be on this journey to better mental health for myself, and those around me. Here’s to becoming the best version of myself I can truly be.

Day 1 Post-Treatment thoughts:

I didn’t notice anything huge for after effects of treatment. No headache, a little sore on my head for maybe 20 minutes post treatment, then nothing! Notably felt relaxed after treatment and content which is kind of generally unheard of for me to notice that I actually feel relaxed. Looking forward to treatment tomorrow!

Day 2: Went into treatment feeling very optimistic. I didn’t take any ibprofin like I did the first day and I could really tell it felt more strong and somewhat uncomfortable than yesterday when I took 4 ibprofin but I couldn’t even come close to saying it hurts. It’s more of annoying and slightly uncomfortable during treatment with the constant “knocks” on your head. For the Anxiety protocol, it’s much different than for depression. It constantly sends the electromagnetic waves into your brain every two seconds, and the sound resembles a tick-tock-tick-tock. I was surprised by today how it felt without taking any prepratory medications as this was something I was worried about. I don’t plan to take them every day in the future since I don’t seem to need them.

Treatment seems to go MUCH faster when you talk through your treatment or have something to distract you, like a game on your phone, or watching a TV show. I suggest to anyone who is doing TMS to talk to your tech dyring treatment because it really makes the time go by in a blink. Especially if you are doing the anxiety protocol, 11 minutes longer than the major depressive disorder protocol.

Day 2 Post-Treatment thoughts:

I noticed after treatment that my mind just felt “lighter” like there’s almost a weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s a good feeling, I hope it sticks. We will see how the rest of the week goes. No noticed sensitivity on my head after treatment!

Day 3:

I noticed yesterday and today I woke up in a good mood. Which is really unheard of for me. I normally wake up in a bad mood, not wanting to take up or to get out of bed. That’s a HUGE win in my book. Today, treatment felt like it was hitting a higher spot than the previous two treatments, but that’s normal. I also noticed it was much easier to talk through treatment today and be able to not “think” about it as much as while it was going on like the past two days. I also didn’t notice an iron taste in my mouth like during the first two treatments.

Day 3 Post-Treatment thoughts:

I felt really groggy for about an hour or so, after that, I felt very motivated and energized to do anything I wanted to which usually my anxiety prevents me from doing so. Went grocery shopping which caused some anxiety, but it typically does so that doesn’t really surprise me.

It’s not 11:20PM-8 hours post treatment and I feel relaxed and have lots of energy and not ready to fall into my bed for the night like I typically do. I felt the same last night, too! Incredible.

Day 4: Feeling like I am a “normal” person. Did not wake up filled with anxiety about the day and tasks I need to complete. Actually wanting to do things. Treatment was easy today. I noticed that some days treatment seems stronger and others it doesn’t so knowing that sleep and how much or less really makes a difference to sensitivity. Also feeling a bit different during treatment, means my brain is reacting in some way.

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TMS Anxiety Protocol Daily Log.

Hello world! My name is Hillary and I have struggled with Anxiety and Depression for as long as I can remember. I’ve been diagnosed with both, but my Anxiety effects everything I do, everyday and I knew doing TMS with Brainsway for the Anxiety Protocol would be better to start with on my TMS journey. So here we go! I am going to be sharing my daily thoughts, feelings, and symptoms I am noticing while doing the Anxiety Protocol.

I am going to be sharing once a week, but break it down day by day so that you are able to really feel like you are following along with me through treatment. I am a firm believer that Mental Health needs to be in the spotlight more, and that through sharing my thoughts here with the world, we can help normalize getting help for mental health issues we struggle with on a daily basis.

I will start by giving you a little introduction as to what makes me anxious, and my triggers for anxiety. Ahh, Anxiety. Such a lovely thing, right? Knowing now what anxiety is, I think I even should have been diagnosed as a kid. I could never sit still, always racing thoughts, and worries about what others thought about me. Still, to this day, those same worries are with me. I can’t ever sit still. I always am fidgeting, always needing to be doing something, anything. It’s sad to say, but Anxiety seems to almost just be a part of me because I have struggled for so long with it. Anxiety for me is being in a room of people I know (or don’t know for that matter) and feeling like you are suffocating because of the stress of someone talking at you, someone looking at you, or someone judging you. I am a pretty confident person, but when you put me in a room with a bunch of people that all seems to fade away as my body temperature rises and my face turns red. My body fills with anxiety and its hard to control. Social anxiety is terrible, and I don’t wish it upon anyone. Pretty much any situation that I am not comfortable in gives me anxiety. Going to the grocery store, going to target (I mean really who does target give anxiety to?) Anxiety for me, is all of those things, but it’s also a-lot of other things. Constant worry of literally anything and everything. My mind always goes to worst case scenario in every situation but I am always prepared if a fight breaks out in the gas station, or always knowing where the closest spot to get away from is. Anxiety for me presents itself daily. I have anxiety about writing a to do list, so I just don’t write it and make note in my head of things I need to do, and then just end up not doing them because doing simple tasks, even checking the mail or doing the dishes seems hard. I have anxiety about staying up too late knowing I will be exhausted the next day while also knowing I want to stay up late and have fun playing PlayStation. I have anxiety about my friends being upset with me, and them thinking I am upset with them about silly things. I look too deeply into all words people say and words that I say to others. I second guess if I said the right thing, and what I would say in that situation if I could do over. I am in a constant anxiety battle with myself, judging the way I am and the way I interact with my world. I am constantly worrying I am a bad mother to my beautiful 9 year old. Anxiety tells me I am a bad wife because I can’t complete normal tasks like a “normal” person can. Anxiety pretty much tells me I am a crappy human.

While all of this may sound harsh, its my reality. Someone that has struggled for so long with anxiety is really good at masking it. I am really good at masking it, so good that sometimes people are shocked when I tell them I struggle with Anxiety, and sometimes people don’t even believe me that I have anxiety because I am so good at hiding such a huge thing that constantly takes over my brain and body. Anxiety is debilitating in my life.

So, that’s what led me to TMS. I have tried numerous medications that haven’t ever really worked the way they are intended to. I have tried therapy, I have tried meditation (please don’t tell someone with anxiety to meditate its exhausting), I’ve tried yoga, going outside, finding new hobbies, everything that I can possibly think of to help my anxiety, including a long list of prescription meds with no real help.

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to try TMS on the Anxiety Protocol. Truly, this is a last resort kind of thing to hopefully not have to continue living life feeling like Anxiety is pouring out of every last pore of my body. Here’s to HOPE!

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TMS therapy Treatment For Depression

Do You Know the Difference Between Anxiety and Depression

Two most commonly discussed mental health problems that people know at least by terms is anxiety and depression. Despite the fact that they are used as almost synonyms in regular conversations, these two are different mental disorders. But the confusion is right for layman because many people with anxiety also develop depression and vice versa. Roughly, about half the number of people with depression are also diagnosed with anxiety disorder. This is why it is essential to get accurate diagnosis in order to treat them correctly. So, before the condition gets any worse, look out for the TMS therapy Near Me to understand and get proper diagnosis of the condition.

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Many people with depression suffer from what is called “anxious distress”. Such people often feel tense, restless, and have concentrating issues because they worry a lot. They are often afraid of the thought that something bad might happen as there’s little confidence on them. When the conditions worsen, individuals can even become suicidal. Understandably, it is necessary to speak to a mental health professional who can evaluate the various disorders.

For people suffering from major depression, the symptoms include but not limited to lack of interest, change in appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, diminished energy and feeling of guilt or worthlessness. The symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder are mostly like excessive worry, restlessness, frequent fatigue, difficulty in concentration, disturbing sleep, muscle tension and more. It is essential for anyone who would face these symptoms for more than six months to get a proper diagnosis. This is because it is not always generalized anxiety disorder but can also be separation anxiety, panic disorder, or phobias of some sort.

If you compare, the symptoms are pretty similar and sometimes overlap. Sleep problems, difficulty in concentrating, and fatigue are the symptoms that can be seen in a person with either anxiety or depression. Irritability is also a very important and common manifestation.

That being said, there are many distinguishing features. For instance, people with depression generally move slowly, and their reactions can also be seen flattened or dulled. However, those who have anxiety may tend to be more keyed up and will have more racing thoughts. Presence of fear specially about the future is common with anxiety; however, depressed people have lesser chance to be fraught with worry about upcoming times.

Mental health test

There is still a certain sense of inhibition when it comes to checking the mental health. The feeling of anxiety seems normal before there is any big event in our lives but it is essential to get to a doctor to get full check up of the physical and psychological symptoms that explain the condition better.

If you have anxiety, depression, OCD or other medical conditions, your doctor will recommend medication, or therapy, and sometimes a combination of both or a combination of the two. However, there has been a lot of development in the treatment procedures and Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Deep TMS) is one of the popular invasive treatments.

Learn more about them at Tmscentercentennial.com

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment For Depression

What Depression Looks Like and Why You Need TMS

Treatment For Depression

TMS, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is a non-invasive form of neuromodulation that is used in the treatment of different psychiatric disorders such as including depression, anxiety and OCD. The process is rapidly growing as the procedure is not associated with the common side effects of weight gain, sleepiness, sexual problems, or memory loss like the other psychotic medications. Being invasive, TMS therapy does not involve surgery or sedation of any kind as well.

So, if you know any of your close person suffering from psychotic complications, look up for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Near Me and get a proper advice from the experts.

Treatment For Depression

How does TMS work?

TMS stimulates specific areas of the brain that help repairing and protecting a number of psychiatric symptoms. Although they are mostly related to severe depression, it is used for other mental conditions as well. The patient is put on a insulated helmet and TMS sends a series of electric currents that induce a local magnetic field. These currents are sent in rapid succession, which pass transcrainially to induce a secondary electric current in a predetermined part of the brain.

Through ongoing research and development, it has been seen that TMS represents the next-generation of treatment options for major Depression and OCD.

Let us discuss what exactly is depression and its symptoms so that you know when to ask for help.

What is depression?

Feeling low is a normal part of life, however, when you cannot get over feeling of hopelessness and despair, you might have depression. Unlike the popular belief, depression is not just sadness but affects the way how you think, feel, and function in regular activities. Even the simplest of the things can seem overwhelming which is why you can hear many defining the state as “living in a black hole”. The conditions worsen when untreated.

Signs and symptoms of depression

Although the scope and manifestation varies from person to person, there are some common signs and symptoms. It’s important for not just you but your family members to understand the life’s normal lows.

  • Feelings of hopelessness
  • Loss of interest in the regular activities
  • Appetite or weight loss or gain
  • Change in sleep pattern such as insomnia or oversleeping
  • Anger or irritability
  • Loss of energy
  • Constant self-loathing, sense of worthlessness or guilt
  • Huge change in behavior, getting involved in substance abuse, compulsive gambling, or other reckless activities
  • Trouble in concentration
  • Unexplained aches and pains

Depression and other psychotic complications

Depression and anxiety are often seen and studied to stem from the same biological vulnerability. If you have any of these two, it will make the other condition worse. You need to seek medical attention for both conditions.

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression, looks similar to depression. There are extensive research and development going on about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation that might prove helpful in understanding how to treat these shift in moods, and behavior. Because it looks so similar to depression, most of the time it remains misdiagnosed.

There is a major risk factor for suicide in depression. It can feel like the only way to escape the pain and can have the worst consequence if people around fails to see issue.

If you thing you need to talk to someone, if you feel exhausted from being the stronger you, you have come to the right place. You have all the reasons and rhymes to be at a better position in life. Check the Tmscentercentennial.com website and get an appointment to meet the expert.

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TMS therapy

Balancing the Mental Well-Being This Quarantine

Depression Treatment Centers

In the coming times, when someone who hasn’t experienced clinical depression ever asks what it feels like, there’ little need to resort to florid comparisons. All of us are going through this Covid-19 pandemic hit and any reference to this time at any point in the future can be an exemplary situation.

That being said, people with depression and related mental health conditions, the quarantine has escalated the distress. The time has called for double crisis, with physical and mental health complications. It needs little special saying that people with psychiatric challenges are facing arguably the hardest time of their lives. If you live with any such person or are associated with people with depression in some way, you might be looking for TMS therapy near me. Because for mental health conditions, it is not just the acknowledgment but also treatment which becomes imperative.

The peril is getting stronger when people without any such psychiatric conditions are also looking for doses of antidepressant and anxiolytic medication to cope up with the quarantine time.

Depression Treatment Centers

Quarantine is one of the oldest medical technologies. You can find its mention in times when folks used to traverse oceans for business on ships. Simply said, it meant isolation of the sick. The idea is to protect those who are not ill. It is often one of the most necessary practices for patients with highly contagious infections or incurable conditions. But, for all such cases, there have been elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has affected adversely. While there is much talk about the economic and other socio-political aspects, mental health, like every time, is not getting the due concern. With the sudden disruption our schedules and getting normal with the concept of social distancing, stress has seen a different dimension altogether. And, what goes beyond saying is it called in for the perfect storm for depression and anxiety.

With so much of changes all around, it is normal for people to find themselves ruminating, and feeling hopeless. Depression is defined as a “common but serious mood disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities such as sleeping, eating, and working”. People with acute depressions can suffer from persistent sadness, anxiety and a sense of emptiness. It is often associated with phases of irritability, guilt feeling and pessimism.

The economic downturn along with the isolation is elevating chance of depression. It is not unnatural to think at this stage that the condition might be turning into a national trauma.

Those who are already struggling with the condition can opt for Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Deep TMS). It has been recognized and is researched upon to become the next-generation treatment option for major depression and anxiety. Looking for deep tms therapy near me and getting the treatment can help get out of the situation easily.

Here are some tips you can try to adjust your mindset

• Keep a schedule

Create a routine for your daily chores. Unstructured time can result in rumination and passivity- both of which are responsible for clinical depression. Try creating a set of goals for the week or making some longer-term goals.

Structuring your time can also help you cope up with the financial loss, if any.

• Be productive

Focus in the moments of happiness in this quarantine. Make a list of activities you would love to get engaged. Go outside to exercise, read the books you always wanted to finish, watch the movies you’ve been planning to or get creative about cooking.

• Connect with others

Self-isolation doesn’t mean you cannot have a virtual connection. Have regular telephonic conversation with the friends and family members to freshen up.

• Reframe your perspective

It’s okay to feel upset but do not stop yourself from acknowledging the same. Instead, use these difficult times as an opportunity to think about your life, understand what you value the most and get a hang of thinking positively.

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BrainsWay dTMS

BrainsWay dTMS Free of Side Effects

BrainsWay dTMS

Antidepressants may or may not succeed in improving depression, but they will have some side effects for sure. On the other hand, BrainsWay’s dTMS is not only effective, but also free of side effects.

The common approach for treating depression is antidepressant medication along with psychotherapy. The doctor will prescribe medicines that will work to balance certain chemicals in the brain. They treat the symptoms of depression by improving the mood, alleviating anxiety, increasing concentration, etc.

TMS Center Centennial

However, these antidepressants are a mixed blessing. First of all, they can only relieve the symptoms and fail to treat the underlying cause of the depression. The general effect is an overall altering of the emotions so that the situation does not seem as overwhelming.

Moreover, most antidepressants come with their own baggage of side effects. While they may differ from one type of medicine to another, patients commonly report an increase in weight and reduced sexual desire. Apart from this drowsiness/insomnia, headaches, nausea, digestive problems, dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, irritability and jitteriness are commonly associated with antidepressants. The effects also tend to vary from person to person depending on the type of mental issues, genetic makeup, etc.

At times, doctors do change the medication to combat the severity of side effects. However, the switch has to be done carefully as per medical guidance only. Still some of the undesirable effects may still linger.

In contrast, there are alternative treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) that is considered a last resort when regular medications and therapies fail to treat major depressive disorder and other associated mental illness.

BrainsWay’s dTMS is an advanced therapy that does not involve any drugs at all. A helmet shaped device is placed over the patient’s head and the coil inside transmits electromagnetic pulses that stimulate specific nerve cells in the brain that control the mood.

As BrainsWay at any TMS therapy near me is entirely non-medicative, it is free of the systemic side effects that are commonly associated with regular treatments.

TMS Center Centennial is one of the established depression treatment centers that offers TMS therapy near Centennial with excellent results!

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

OCD – What It Is and How It Can Be Treated?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a behavioral health condition that manifests as anxious thoughts, sensations and behaviors. Apart from traditional medical treatments, brain stimulation proves effective.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is usually overlooked or considered a source of great hilarity. A person who seems to do the same things again and again or even has the same thoughts repeatedly becomes a laughing stock for everyone around.

However, these irrational obsessions or compulsions are actually beyond the person’s control to the extent that they can affect normal life as well. The compulsive behavior could be anything like someone washing their hands over and over, checking locks or switches all the time, counting everything they see, wanting things to be arranged in a certain format, fear of touching things because they may be contaminated, wanting to clean everything and so on. Similarly, obsessive thoughts range from constant worrying about oneself or others, suspicions about others’ behavior or intentions and baseless fears to constant awareness of body sensations and the like.

This is medically classified as a genuine neurological condition. People suffering from OCD may be aware that the thoughts or actions are excessive or unreasonable, but still feel compelled to think or behave in the same pattern. It becomes impulsive and they are beyond logic or reasoning. It is almost as if the mental condition is driving their life and they are forced to act or think in that manner.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

What to do?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental disorder that requires medical assistance. If left untreated, it will interfere with the person’s work and life and can even drive him or her to suicide.

A psychiatrist will try to diagnose the condition through physical examination and blood tests. A psychological evaluation plays a crucial role as discussing the thoughts, feelings and behavior patterns will enable the medical professional to evaluate the type and extent of the OCD.

While there is no prescribed cure for OCD, counseling and medications are the most common approach. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help bring a gradual change in the thought process while antidepressants can help control the obsessions or compulsions. Additionally, there are intensive outpatient and residential treatment programs at mental health treatment centers for chronic cases.

Apart from the above, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is gaining traction as an effective treatment for OCD when traditional treatments fail to deliver satisfactory results. In fact, direct TMS is an FDA-approved, non-invasive and safe procedure that is widely used to treat depression, PTSD and anxiety disorders. Brainsway’s dTMS has recently been approved for treatment of OCD as well.

Medical health centers that provide Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation near Centennial use an electromagnetic field to soothe the hyper-connected pathways in the brain that are responsible for the anxious thoughts and behaviors.

A helmet shaped device containing magnetic coils is placed over the patient’s head which delivers magnetic pulses deep into the brain. Improvement is gradual and the symptoms either go away or become manageable in about 30 sessions or less.

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TMS therapy

What Makes dTMS Treatment Different?

dTMS Treatment

While rTMS is an efficient line of therapy, Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation manages to be more effective and successful primarily because of its broader and deeper reach into the brain.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation has emerged as a path-breaking procedure among the various alternative treatments for mental illnesses for patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication and counseling. It is entirely non-invasive and non-medicative as it only uses an electromagnetic field to stimulate specific nerve cells in the brain that control the mood and other operations.

TMS Center Centennial is a renowned TMS therapy near me for depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other major depressive disorders.

The TMS treatment is primarily of two types depending on how the magnetic pulses are delivered – rTMS involves repetitive pulsing with increasing strength while dTMS works on a continuous strength with a steady electromagnetic pulse throughout the treatment.

dTMS is basically an improvement over the older rTMS treatment. The former delivers better results primarily because the pulses are able to penetrate deeper into the brain. In fact, while the rTMS coil can reach a maximum of 3cms into the skull and can stimulate only the prefrontal cortex alone, dTMS coils are known to safely penetrate up to 4cms. The broader reach ensures that more neurons are activated in the brain which automatically improves the chances of stimulating the right target!

The results are visible pretty soon with a perceptible improvement in focus, concentration and sleep. The patients start feeling better and can become ‘normal’ very soon.

Medical studies also uphold the superior response rate of dTMS treatment. After six weeks (30 sessions) of treatment, the efficacy of rTMS is about 58% with around 37% of the patients achieving remission while in dTMS treatment, 75% patients responded positively to the treatment and 51% managed to achieve remission.   Anyone interested in finding out more about dTMS can locate a TMS therapy near me on the website Tmscentercentennial.com. It offers the unique breakthrough BrainsWay patented treatment that is FDA approved to be more effective and free of side effects.

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