TMS

Recently, I've embarked on a new kind of therapy designed to help people suffering from severe depression who don't respond to medications. It is called TMS which stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

TMS is a painless treatment for depression which uses brief, MRI-strength magnetic pulses to stimulate parts of the brain associated with the symptoms of the illness. Unlike medications, which act throughout the entire body, TMS does not cause any side effects such as weight gain, dry mouth, or sexual dysfunction.

I learned about TMS from two members of a support group I've been attending for the past seven years, who've had this treatment. Unfortunately, they both mentioned that it didn't have much of an impact on them. But it seems to have helped me so far since my symptoms of depression have diminished considerably.

So far, I've had thirty-six treatments over a period of approximately seven weeks. Each one lasts about twenty minutes and is painless. The only sensation I feel is a gentle tapping on the top of my head which one person I know described as a woodpecker tapping on the top of one's head. Despite some initial slight discomfort, I soon got so used to the procedure, so that I hardly noticed it at all. And as promised, there were no side effects.

Before starting TMS, I was interviewed by a doctor who has employed this kind of therapy for approximately twenty-five years and was honored with multiple awards for his work. He directs a clinic in St. Paul called Psych Recovery. After asking me a series of preliminary questions about my psychological history and symptoms, he had me sit in a comfortable recliner-type chair. He then placed electrodes on my head and checked my responses to various magnetic stimuli. He wanted to find out what worked for me. He also had me move my wrist back and forth to see how much stimulation would be most effective.

The only thing I noticed during my twenty-minute TMS sessions was a slight tremor of my

right hand. The actual treatments were administered by three different psych techs. The main one I saw most often was a young man in his forties whose father was born in Laos. We hit it off right away, so that I looked forward to each session with him. I found him easy to talk to. We ended up chatting about everything from mutual travels to favorite restaurants and foods, I found out that he visited countries from all over the world and that Halloween was his favorite holiday. He also liked to binge-watch movies. During one session, for example, he described the lavish Halloween party that he hosted at his home for which he wore an elaborate costume. He also recommended a Laotian restaurant near Loring Park that I ended up dining at. I surprised myself how easy it was for me to chat with him. During my treatment he also showed me various David Attenborough nature videos.

Before each treatment session, I waited in a room with a very distinctive decor. It was decorated with various bicycle wheels and paper cranes that hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered with all kinds of positive slogans. Here is a sampling of just a few: No grit, no pearl; Stars can't shine without darkness; Mental illness does not discriminate, and .

Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch.

Yes, I'm very glad that I embarked on this new kind of treatment which seems to be helping me a lot since I've had no recurrence of depression since I began. I really like the doctor who developed this treatment as well as the psych techs who have administered it.