TMS has been available in Australia since the late 1990s, however there is very little public information about what this therapeutic technique involves, and what to expect if you are interested in undergoing treatment.
At neurocare, we believe it is important for you to understand what is involved in a TMS therapy session from the very start, so you are confident in the care you are receiving and get best possible outcomes from your treatment.
TMS at neurocare Australia
When you come for TMS therapy you can expect to be greeted by our service team on arrival, with a comfortable wait area to relax in before your appointment. During your first session your clinician will spend some time getting your comfortable with the technology and explaining how your individual TMS program will work.
At the start of each session your clinician will take you into a treatment room and seat you in a comfortable recliner chair while they prepare the TMS system. This involves positioning the TMS coil over your forehead, in order to deliver a light pulse of stimulation to brain regions involved in the regulation of mood. Once the stimulation begins, you may experience a tapping or twitching sensation on the scalp, this may feel unusual, but is painless and free of side effects.
At neurocare, we combine your TMS sessions with evidence based psychotherapy, or “talk” therapy. This integrated approach maximises the brain’s natural ability for change and recovery, with over two-thirds of individuals experiencing long-term positive effects.
Take a look at this short video for an overview of the process.
Session durations and frequency
A typical TMS session lasts 50 minutes, including 20 minutes of TMS stimulation, and Psychotherapy with a dedicated mental health professional. For the best results, TMS sessions are recommended at least twice per week and antidepressant effects are usually noticed with the first 5 sessions. An average of 20 – 30 sessions are usually needed to consolidate the full antidepressant effects.
A full course of treatment can be completed within 1 -2 months, making TMS a fast-working treatment program for patients looking for an alternative for medications.
Find out more about the research behind neurocare’s TMS programs
