In the 1960’s Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek to bring his vision of hope and harmony for mankind to life. The world of Star Trek was filled with technological advances that helped humans live better lives by eradicating conflict, famine, poverty and disease. A device called a “communicator” would allow two-way long distance communication without the need for wires. Is this the predecessor to our current cellular phone? Then in Season 1, Episode 9 called “Dagger of the Mind,” “disturbed” individuals seated beneath a strobing light would magically evolve from a violent state to a calm and functional state. Does this technology that treats mental illness even have a modern day equivalent? The answer is yes!
TMS an emerging non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain without the need for medications or anesthesia.
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or dTMS is a medical device based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that is used to treat depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). dTMS has been demonstrated in clinical studies to be effective and tolerable for patients with depression and OCD who have not successfully responded to other forms of treatment.
With dTMS, an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to the scalp is used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The painless magnetic pulses modulate brain network activity in the region of your brain involved in mood regulation, depression, and anxiety. While the exact mechanism of how dTMS is still unclear, it’s thought to normalize activity in different regions of the brain.
The side effects of dTMS are generally mild to moderate and typically decrease over time with additional sessions. They may include:
Serious side effects are rare with dTMS and may include, seizures, mania (particularly in people with bipolar disorder), hearing loss (if there is inadequate ear protection during treatment).
We have provided TMS treatment to patients since February 2018 and the results we have seen with this technology has been impressive. Most of our patients start to notice improvement in their symptoms around the third week of treatment and the most common and significant improvements patients report include:
– E.M.
"Their entire team is FABULOUS. They have always treated me with dignity and respect. I have watched them with other clients as well and I see their genuine compassion for everyone that walks thru the door. I initially went to them because I moved to CO in late 2017 and they were the first place that had an opening. I needed a psychiatrist to keep me on my Rx. I was surprised when Dr Park spent more than 15 mins going over my past Rx history with me, as has been my experience for many years. Not only did we discuss Rx, he then spent another 45 mins talking to me as a counselor. I had never had a psychiatrist/counselor combo before and was amazed at how effective it is when your Dr hears more about what's going in your life than just the effects of your current Rx. This treatment model is not practiced by someone that doesn't care about his patients. He could offer the basics that most psychiatrists offer and still bill insurance the same amount but he wants his patients to succeed and is invested in their progress. He also doesn't believe in keeping someone in therapy forever. Even if it means less income for him, when you stabilize to the point that you have better things to do than spend 30 mins with him, it's a sign that you may be ready to engage in therapy less often and he will tell you that. Dr Park has been a life and marriage saver for me and he is amazingly efficient. He gets done in 1-2 sessions what would take 6 months for another counselor because he doesn't dance around the issues. To do this, he may be more blunt with you than you might have experienced before and that may be off putting to some. If you are ready to do the hard work to make your life enjoyable again, Dr Park is your man! He also got me hooked up with TMS. If you are someone that has struggled with depression for a long time and taken Rx that hasn't been effective, talk to someone about TMS. It's a game changer. It may sound like hokey fake science. It's not. It works and works fast. THANK YOU!"