Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects about 8% of adults, many of whom don’t respond well to medications. If you struggle with PTSD, the team at MindSet offer an effective option: personalized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (PrTMS®), a customized treatment that improves brain function in areas affected by PTSD. To learn more about the brain arrhythmias associated with PTSD and how they can be overcome to improve symptoms, call the office in San Diego, California, or schedule an appointment online.
PTSD develops after a traumatic or life-threatening event. Many patients are directly involved in the event. However, someone can have PTSD even if they only witness the event or learn about serious trauma that affected a family member or friend.
Events that often cause PTSD include:
Death of a close friend or family member can also trigger PTSD.
PTSD causes symptoms such as:
Many patients feel like they’re to blame because they should have been able to prevent the trauma.
After suffering trauma that causes PTSD, brainwave patterns are altered, reflecting changes in neuron activity. These electrical changes are directly related to PTSD symptoms.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has the proven ability to change brainwaves, restoring them to normal, and balancing neuron activity and improving PTSD symptoms. TMS uses a device that sends safe magnetic pulses into the brain. The pulses stimulate electrical activity, often producing long-term results.
PrTMS® improves on TMS, personalizing treatment to fit the brain’s unique brainwave patterns. The team at MindSet determines the intensity of the magnetic pulses and the precise area of the brain to target using:
The doctors at MindSet record brainwaves with an electroencephalogram (EEG), a process that only takes five minutes with their PeakLogic ComfortScan. Then EEG data is used to create a map of the brain’s electrical activity. The map shows the areas where there are brainwave arrhythmias.
Patients complete a questionnaire that provides information about their symptoms.
The questionnaire data and brainwave map are analyzed with their leading-edge software, PeakLogic Software. This is where treatment is fully personalized, allowing the team at MindSet to target the brain areas associated with disrupted brainwaves and determine the intensity of magnetic pulses that are needed to normalize electrical activity.
Throughout PrTMS® treatment, patients have additional EEGs so the team at MindSet can monitor their progress and adjust treatment intensity if needed. The initial treatment consists of 5 sessions every week for 6-8 weeks. During that time, most patients notice a difference in their symptoms in the first few weeks.
If you need relief from PTSD, call MindSet or schedule an appointment online.