TMS is non-invasive; it does not involve surgery, insertion of intravenous lines or anything else put into your body. It also does not require any anesthesia or sedation. TMS uses a small electromagnetic coil controlled by a computer program to deliver short, powerful bursts of magnetic energy focused precisely on the left side of the brain’s frontal cortex. The TMS magnetic fields are the same type and strength as those produced by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

A treatment coil is applied to the head above the targeted area of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is involved with mood regulation. TMS magnetic fields do not directly affect the whole brain; they only reach about 2-3 centimeters into the brain directly beneath the treatment coil. As TMS magnetic fields move into the brain, they produce very small electrical currents. The electrical currents activate cells within the brain, which are thought to release neurotransmitters. TMS is being used to reduce anxiety, hallucinations, and symptoms of PTSD by reducing brain activity in certain areas.