Dr. Kris Peterson  and Zach Zimmerman opened Touchstone TMS in 2019 with the mission of offering relief to those suffering from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A specialty provider of FDA-approved psychiatric therapies for treatment-resistant depression, and other mental health disorders, Touchstone TMS offers both transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and SPRAVATO^TM esketamine therapies for patients who have struggled to achieve remission from medications alone.

TMS is non-invasive and involves no sedation - it takes about 15 minutes - it is painless and clients can drive to and from appointments. It usually takes about 30 to 40 treatments to result in 70 percent response rates.

Five employees at Touchstone shared how TMS changed their lives. In the interests of confidentially, only first names were used.

Annie had been living with depression and anxiety since her early teens.

"I felt like doctors never really listened to what I was telling them about how I was feeling," and "then throw some random medication at me without discussing proper dosing or possible side effects."

Annie's mother encouraged her to meet with a doctor to see if she would be a good candidate for TMS.

"I can honestly say that the first round of TMS had saved my life," continued Annie. "One day my little sister mentioned that she noticed me smiling and laughing more. That's when I realized that it was actually working."

Jessie struggled with anxiety, depression, mental acuity and remaining positive after dealing with the effects of COVID-19.  

"I felt like I could not properly process what I had been through ... it was as if I was wearing a blindfold I wanted to take off but did not know how to," she explained.

After her TMS treatment, Jessie said she found herself being able to think clearly rather than spiraling into self-doubt and worry.

"TMS gave me the tools to understand that while I may never be 100 percent free of my mental challenges, I can process and cope with things in a healthy way that allows me to grow and learn about myself as a person."

Attracted to helping others, Nina began working at Touchstone TMS because she wants to help provide patients with a renewed sense of purpose. 

In high school, she struggled with being extroverted in public but introverted at home, and at times she felt like she was living a double life. College brought a sense of relief - friendships and activities kept her negative thoughts at bay.

After graduation Nina began work at Touchstone TMS; however, after a while she found herself stuck in a negative mindset, ruminating over small inconveniences and letting them bother her.

"During this time, I realized that since I had seen TMS help so many people, it might help me too," she said. "I scheduled a consultation and started treatment a month later, and I began to see results within the first week."

She added that as she began to eat healthier and to exercise more, her mental health reached a stable baseline that allowed her to feel happy.

"TMS has genuinely transformed aspects of my life that I didn't realize I was struggling with, such as depression, anxiety and ADHD," she said.

Going through a hard time in her life characterized by depression and anxiety, Lisa sought TMS treatment because she too had seen the positive benefits it had on other patients.

After four months of TMS treatments, her life significantly improved. "Life is too beautiful to miss out! And I was tired of being stuck in a dark, low place."

And finally, anxiety, PTSD and OCD led Mandi to use medications that provided some relief.

But it came at a cost of terrible side effects," she said. "I would then have to take more medications to counteract the side effects of the original medications." This led her to undergo TMS treatments.

She added that she has not taken medications in over two years because TMS has given her the ability to not have to use medications.

"TMS has changed the lives of so many people, " concluded Mandi. "We hear this on a weekly basis, and we see it daily through our patients."

To learn more about Touchstone TMS and its four locations, visit www.touchstonetms.com; email info@touchstonetms.com; or call 253-393-9099.

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