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TMS for Anxiety

TMS for Anxiety Treatment

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain involved in mood and emotional regulation. For individuals with anxiety disorders, TMS can help rebalance overactive or underactive brain circuits, leading to a reduction in symptoms and improved emotional wellbeing.
 

How TMS Works for Anxiety

TMS targets areas of the brain associated with anxiety, including the prefrontal cortex and deeper emotional centres. It influences how these areas communicate and function, helping to restore healthier brain activity patterns.

1. Promotes Neuroplasticity

TMS encourages the brain’s natural ability to change and adapt — known as neuroplasticity. By delivering gentle magnetic pulses to targeted areas, TMS helps “retrain” brain circuits involved in fear, stress, and emotional regulation. Potentially leading to lasting improvements in how the brain responds to anxiety triggers.

2. Regulates Key Neural Circuits

Anxiety is often linked to overactivity in brain regions that process fear and threat. TMS can calm these areas while stimulating those involved in emotional control and rational thinking. This helps reduce excessive emotional reactivity and improves stress resilience.

3. Modulates Neurotransmitters

TMS has been shown to influence the activity of important neurotransmitters, such as:

  • Serotonin – involved in mood regulation
  • Dopamine – linked to motivation and pleasure
  • GABA – the brain’s natural calming chemical

By balancing these chemical messengers, TMS can support a more stable and positive emotional state.

4. Normalises Brain Activity

Functional brain scans (e.g., qEEG) often show abnormal patterns of brain activity in people with anxiety — such as increased activity in the amygdala and reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. TMS helps regulate these patterns, moving brain function closer to that seen in individuals without anxiety disorders.
 

Key Benefits of TMS for Anxiety

Many people choose TMS as an alternative to medication or when traditional therapies haven’t been effective. Benefits include:

1. Non-Invasive and Drug-Free

TMS doesn’t require surgery or implanted devices. It’s completely non-invasive and doesn’t involve medication, making it a good choice for those who prefer to avoid drug-based treatments.

2. Targeted and Personalised

The treatment can be precisely targeted to the regions of the brain most involved in anxiety. This personalised approach may improve outcomes and reduce the likelihood of unwanted side effects.

3. Minimal Side Effects

TMS is generally well-tolerated, with few side effects — the most common being mild scalp discomfort or headache, which typically fades after the first few sessions.

4. No Systemic Impact

Unlike medication, TMS doesn’t travel through your bloodstream or affect other organs. This makes it suitable for individuals with other health conditions or sensitivities to medications.

5. Can Reduce Reliance on Medication

If you’ve experienced limited success with anxiety medications — or want to reduce your reliance on them — TMS may offer a safe and effective alternative.

6. Long-Lasting Results

While results vary from person to person, many experience sustained symptom relief following a course of TMS treatment. Some may benefit from occasional maintenance sessions to support long-term improvement.
 

What to Expect During Treatment

TMS sessions are conducted in a clinical setting and typically last around 20–40 minutes. You remain awake and alert throughout. A course of treatment usually involves multiple sessions over several weeks, depending on your individual needs.
 

Is TMS Right for You?

TMS may be a suitable option if:

  • You have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder
  • You’ve found limited relief from medications or therapy
  • You’re looking for a non-invasive, drug-free treatment option

Check Your Eligibility

You can commence your eligibility process by following our simple three-step treatment method outlined here.

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Anxiety means continuous and excessive worry about everyday or long-term events. The stressful thoughts are unable to be controlled by a person and they, in turn, control the person leading to anxiety. Anxiety is part of our lives, but not all the time. Any person will feel anxious from time to time but that feeling goes away. That feeling of unconsciousness becomes anxiety when it becomes part of life and won’t go away. This leads to poor work and personal life performance.

The feeling of unease, worry or fear constitutes the general definition of anxiety. It could be severe or it could be mild.

Who gets anxiety

NHS figures show that GAD is a common mental health condition, estimated to affect up to 5% of the UK population.

Slightly more women are affected than men, and the condition is more common in people from the ages of 35 to 59.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Anxiety presents with a spectrum of symptoms encompassing both physiological and psychological manifestations, which can differ among individuals. Typical symptoms include:

  • Vertigo
  • Cardiac palpitations
  • Agitation
  • Insomnia
  • Impaired focus
  • Profuse perspiration
  • Dyspnea
  • Abdominal discomfort
  • Nausea
  • Muscle rigidity

Check Your Eligibility 

You can commence your eligibility process by adhering to our three-step treatment method outlined here.

Evidence Based Treatment
  1. Low-frequency parietal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces fear and anxiety

    The findings indicate that decreasing excitability in the IPS during shock threat effectively lowers physiological arousal associated with fear and anxiety. This supports earlier research that identified increased excitability in this area when facing threats. Furthermore, these outcomes imply that 1 Hz stimulation of the parietal region could be a promising approach for treating clinical anxiety, underscoring the need for further investigation in patients with anxiety. Published 2020 Source.

  2. Transcranial magnetic stimulation in anxiety and trauma‐related disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

    Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been assessed for its therapeutic potential in individuals with major depressive disorder, demonstrating effectiveness. Nonetheless, the research exploring TMS’s efficacy in treating other neuropsychiatric conditions, including anxiety and trauma-related disorders, remains sparse. This review encompasses an examination of existing literature on the application of TMS for anxiety and trauma-related disorders.

    The findings from our meta-analysis indicate that TMS holds promise as a viable treatment option for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Published 2019 Source.

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