Mental health issues are common in the United States. In fact, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1 in 25 Americans live with a serious mental illness, such as anxiety, major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Although these diseases can be debilitating, many treatments are available for patients to make their lives more manageable. Individuals or their doctors can choose which kind of treatment to take depending on their needs. One of the emerging treatment options today is TMS psychotherapy.
TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a medication-free procedure that is mainly used to treat depression. It uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells and improve one’s symptoms.
Meanwhile, psychotherapy or talk therapy is a collaborative treatment involving an individual and a psychologist. It helps a person understand their emotions and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping mechanisms.
Combining TMS therapy with psychotherapy can produce more favorable outcomes than other methods.
What is Psychotherapy?
In this treatment, patients share with a psychologist their previous traumas and experiences to gain a better understanding of their mental health. The psychologist will then help the patient process and resolve the issues they struggle with.
It usually begins with some discussion about their background and concerns that prompted them to get support. After an initial assessment, they both agree on a treatment contract. This states the objectives of the treatment as well as the schedule and duration.
Psychotherapy aims to help people:
- Break free from their emotional distress
- Find a solution to their problems relating to grief, disappointment, family issues, and career dissatisfaction.
- Change their thought patterns and actions that keep them from being productive at work and enjoying their relationships.
Types of Psychotherapy
There are different types of psychotherapy. To help you find the best approach, the therapist will assess your situation. They may recommend TMS psychotherapy as they see fit.
Here are some of the most effective psychotherapy techniques:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In this approach, the patient and psychologist work together to identify unhealthy, negative behaviors and develop a strategy to better handle them.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This type of CBT teaches behavioral skills that can help you manage stress and emotions and improve your relationships.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This allows you to become more conscious and accepting of your thoughts and feelings and commit to making changes. It helps you adjust to situations quickly.
Psychodynamic and Psychoanalysis Therapies. It makes you aware of your unconscious thoughts and behaviors and gives you fresh insights into your motivations while addressing conflicts.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy. It focuses on improving the patient’s interpersonal relationships and social functioning to alleviate their stress.
Supportive Psychotherapy. Supportive therapy is a type of talk therapy in which patients are encouraged to express themselves. A therapist will listen to the patient and share valuable advice on how to handle their issues.
Benefits of Psychotherapy
Let’s have a look at how psychotherapy nurtures your mental health.
1. Helps You Deal with Depression and Anxiety
Psychotherapy treatment helps individuals dealing with anxiety and depression to heal in a comfortable, private setting. Together with the therapist, patients identify the underlying causes of their behavior and the potential solutions to address them. It enables them to respond healthily and make real progress towards their goals.
2. Know Your Thought Patterns
An individual can become so preoccupied with their thoughts that they act without thinking objectively. Without consciously looking at your thoughts, you are likely to have mood swings and impulsive behaviors.
In psychotherapy, the therapist helps you identify thought patterns and how they influence your decisions and actions. Recognizing these enables you to slow down and avoid acting impulsively, especially in ways that could damage your health and relationships.
3. Lets You Voice out Concerns That You Usually Keep to Yourself
Have you ever expressed something aloud unintentionally? Perhaps you voiced your feelings or offered an opinion that came from the subconscious part of your mind.
Most of the time, people are afraid to say something because of its possible repercussions. Speaking with a psychotherapist about your ideas can help you discover things that you could never have understood on your own.
Aside from getting insight into how you’re feeling, it also encourages you to convey your emotions in positive ways.
4. Provides a Space Where You Can Be Vulnerable
Another benefit of psychotherapy is it gives you a safe space where you can express yourself comfortably.
You’ll look forward to your meetings with your therapist as you work through the problems you’re facing in life.
Learning to be vulnerable takes time, but with the right therapist, it is possible. You can also implement it in all your relationships once you get used to it.
5. Communicate in a Healthy Manner
Psychotherapy trains you to communicate what you genuinely think and feel instead of reacting impulsively. Speaking with a therapist creates a buffer between a stimulus and your reaction to it.
For instance, when someone hurts you, your initial reaction may be to take revenge. Therapy allows you to examine why you’re reacting the way you do and figure out ways on how to act more sensibly.
What is TMS Psychotherapy Treatment?
TMS is a non-invasive technique that reawakens the parts of your brain that became less active due to mental health illness.
During therapy, an electromagnetic coil is positioned over your head. It produces rhythmic, low-magnitude magnetic pulses that go through your scalp and into your brain. It gently activates the dormant brain cells that contribute to your depression symptoms.
TMS stabilizes your brain’s chemical activity and restores normal brainwave patterns by fine-tuning the neural circuits that control your brain’s mood-regulation structure. Your symptoms should improve significantly or disappear completely as your brain activity normalizes throughout the course of the treatment.
According to a recent study, TMS psychotherapy shows a higher likelihood of remission among patients with major depressive disorder. If you do not respond well to traditional medication management, you can try this treatment.
Mental health illnesses can be disabling. Although there is a myriad of treatments available, some of these do not work effectively with other patients. In this case, you may leverage TMS therapy along with psychotherapy to improve treatment outcomes.
No one should suffer alone. Roots TMS provides a structured, therapeutic environment for people in need of healing. We provide patients with individualized plans to help them achieve a better quality of life. Our core mission is to bring you the best possible treatment experience. Contact us at 562-526-1791 or email us at info@rootstms.com to learn more about TMS psychotherapy and our other services.