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TMS therapy at Emerge Therapies
TMS THERAPY · WOBURN & DANVERS, MA

When medication hasn't lifted your depression, there's another way.

TMS is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment that uses gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain linked to mood. No anesthesia, no downtime, and you can drive yourself home. Start with a free telehealth consultation, with no pressure or obligation.

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FDA-Cleared Non-Invasive
IS THIS YOU?

Reasons people try TMS.

TMS is for people who've given medication a real try and are ready for a different approach. Tap any of these to learn more.

I've tried antidepressants without enough relief
TMS is FDA-cleared for adults with depression who haven't improved with antidepressant medication.
Medication side effects have been hard on me
TMS doesn't circulate through your body like a pill. The most common side effect is mild scalp discomfort or headache.
I don't want anesthesia or sedation
TMS requires no anesthesia. You sit comfortably and stay awake and alert the whole time.
I need to keep up with my daily routine
There's no downtime. You can drive yourself home and get back to your day right after each session.
I want something backed by research
TMS has been FDA-cleared for depression since 2008 and has been studied in thousands of patients.
I'm ready to commit to a treatment plan
A typical TMS course is short daily sessions, five days a week, over several weeks.
A QUICK SELF-CHECK

Could TMS be worth exploring?

This isn't a diagnosis, just three questions to help you think it through before your consultation.

1. Have you tried at least one antidepressant without lasting relief?
2. Would you prefer a treatment that doesn't add another medication?
3. Would you be open to starting with a telehealth evaluation from home?

That's worth a conversation.

Based on what you shared, it may be worth talking through your options with our clinical team. A free consultation is a no-pressure way to find out if TMS, or something else, is the right next step.

Schedule a Consultation
HOW TMS HELPS

Relief without another pill.

FDA-cleared for adults with depression who haven't found relief from antidepressant medication.

Non-invasive and well tolerated, with no anesthesia and no medication side effects throughout the body.

No downtime. You stay awake during each session and can drive yourself home right after.

Schedule a Consultation
How TMS therapy helps patients at Emerge Therapies
OUR TREATMENT

A full course of TMS, completed in one day.

We offer one TMS protocol: AMPA ONE-D, short for the Optimized Neuroplasticity-Enhanced Depression protocol. Traditional TMS means going to a clinic every weekday for several weeks. ONE-D compresses that entire course into a single treatment day of about 9.5 to 10 hours.

Treatment is delivered in a series of short sessions with time to rest in between, so you can finish your course in one visit while the benefits build over the weeks that follow.

20

short TMS sessions across your treatment day

30 min

between sessions, with time to rest

1 day

to complete a full course of treatment

Accelerated theta-burst stimulation

Each session uses intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), a faster form of TMS that delivers the same stimulation as a standard session in about three minutes. The pulses are aimed at the area of the brain involved in regulating mood, which tends to be underactive in depression.

Neuroplasticity-priming medication

Before your first session, you take a single dose of physician-prescribed medications meant to help your brain respond more fully to each round of stimulation. These are used off-label as part of the protocol, and are prescribed only after a full medical and psychiatric evaluation.

What the early research shows

In a published case series of 32 adults with treatment-resistant depression, 87.5% responded and 71.2% reached remission six weeks after a single ONE-D treatment day. Because it was a small study without a comparison group, these results are preliminary. The chart below sets them beside published rates for other treatments for context, not as a head-to-head comparison.

Read the published study →
Response rate (≥50% symptom reduction) Remission rate (near symptom-free)

1st Medication Trial

SSRI/SNRI, STAR*D Level 1 (n=2,876 general MDD)

Response rate: 47%
Remission rate: 33%

Psychotherapy (CBT)

Meta-analysis of 409 RCTs, 52,702 patients (Cuijpers 2023)

Response rate: 42%
Remission rate: 36%

2nd Medication Trial

Switch after 1st failure, STAR*D Level 2 (treatment-resistant)

Response rate: 25%
Remission rate: 21%

3rd Medication Trial

After two prior failures, STAR*D Level 3

Response rate: 17%
Remission rate: 14%

4th Medication Trial

After three prior failures, STAR*D Level 4

Response rate: 10%
Remission rate: 13%

Standard rTMS (4–6 weeks)

Meta-analysis of 29 RCTs, HF-rTMS, treatment-resistant MDD (Berlim 2014)

Response rate: 29%
Remission rate: 19%

AMPA ONE-D (1 day) Our protocol

Case series, 32 adults with treatment-resistant depression, measured 6 weeks after treatment

Preliminary · no comparison group
Response rate: 87.5%
Remission rate: 71.2%

These results come from different studies with different patient groups, designs, and follow-up periods. They are shown side by side for context only and should not be read as a direct comparison.

Sources: Rush AJ, et al. STAR*D, American Journal of Psychiatry, 2006. Cuijpers P, et al. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression: a meta-analysis of 409 trials, World Psychiatry, 2023. Berlim MT, et al. High-frequency rTMS for major depression: a meta-analysis of randomized, sham-controlled trials, Psychological Medicine, 2014. ONE-D case series (n=32): sciencedirect.com.

Individual results vary. ONE-D is not appropriate for everyone, and eligibility is determined during your medical and psychiatric evaluation.

THE RESEARCH

What clinical studies found.

TMS has been FDA-cleared for depression for over 15 years. Here's what research in real-world clinics shows.

58%

of patients who hadn't improved with antidepressants responded to TMS, in a study across 42 US clinics.1

37%

reached remission by the end of treatment, meaning their symptoms were largely resolved.1

62.5%

of patients who responded continued to meet response criteria through a full year of follow-up.2

2008

The year the FDA first cleared TMS for adults with major depression.3

1. Carpenter LL, et al. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for Major Depression: A Multisite, Naturalistic, Observational Study of Acute Treatment Outcomes in Clinical Practice. Depression and Anxiety, 2012. sciencedaily.com
2. Dunner DL, et al. A Multisite, Naturalistic, Observational Study of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Patients With Pharmacoresistant Major Depressive Disorder: Durability of Benefit Over a 1-Year Follow-Up Period. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2014. psychiatrist.com
3. Study Looks at Use of TMS to Treat Depression. The Carlat Psychiatry Report, 2012. thecarlatreport.com
Individual results vary. These figures reflect clinical study populations and may not predict individual outcomes.
WHY EMERGE

Physician-led. Judgment-free.

Emerge was founded by board-certified Emergency Physicians who bring medical rigor and genuine compassion to every consultation. We won't tell you what treatment you need. We'll help you figure out what might actually be right for you, and stay with you through the whole process, not just the prescription.

Learn More
Dr. Liam Mahoney

Dr. Liam Mahoney

Co-Founder, Board-Certified Emergency Physician

Boston-based physician with extensive clinical experience in Emergency Medicine across Eastern Massachusetts.

Dr. Joseph Benedict

Dr. Joseph Benedict

Co-Founder, Board-Certified Emergency Physician

MPH and MD from the University of Washington, now practicing Emergency Medicine throughout New England.

FROM OUR PATIENTS

Trusted by people who've been where you are.

"

Since my initial intake with Beth, I have nothing but praise for the staff. The level of professionalism and attentiveness has been such a delight. Melissa, Paula and Luke have been amazing throughout the whole process. The treatment has helped me so much in relation to my depression and anxiety. Still have some off days which are a lot more controllable. Keep up the good work and positive vibes.

SCOTTIE
"

The best place and treatment I have ever tried. I have tried every antidepressant out there and nothing has made a difference. My girlfriend and family have noticed a huge change in me. The staff at Emerge are so friendly and nice I can't recommend this place enough. Paula is the best! She is so caring and friendly.

ROB
"

I'm truly excited about the beautiful new office and the incredible team that works there. Every person I've encountered has been kind, compassionate, and full of grace—beautiful spirits genuinely dedicated to supporting you on your journey toward peace, healing, and mental wellness. I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone seeking care and support.

ARYANNA
OUR LOCATIONS

TMS therapy is offered at both of our Massachusetts clinics.

Woburn, MA Danvers, MA
GET STARTED

Three simple steps.

01

Schedule a Consultation

Fill out the form below, at no cost and no obligation.

02

Telehealth Evaluation

Talk through your history with our clinical team from home.

03

Begin Treatment

Start TMS at our Woburn or Danvers location.

Schedule Your Consultation

Fill out the form below and a member of our team will follow up to help you get started.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Your TMS questions, answered.

TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, is a non-invasive treatment that uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. There's no surgery and nothing is implanted. It began in the 1980s as a research tool for studying how the brain works, and was later found to help with depression and other conditions.
A TMS device sends electrical energy to a treatment coil, which turns it into magnetic pulses. Your provider rests the coil against your scalp over the brain region being targeted, and the pulses pass painlessly through the skull to gently activate the nerve cells underneath. The magnetic field is similar in strength to an MRI scanner's, but concentrated on a small area.
Strong enough to activate brain tissue, and precise enough to reach a specific spot. Before treatment begins, your provider typically finds your personal dose by placing the coil over the part of the brain that controls movement and noting the lowest intensity that causes a small twitch in your hand. That reading helps set a stimulation level that's effective for you.
The coil is positioned over brain regions that help us regulate our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Those regions tend to be less active in depression and other mental health conditions. During treatment, the coil delivers repeated magnetic pulses to those areas, and the benefits build over multiple sessions.
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to form new connections and adapt throughout life. Repeated stimulation from TMS encourages those changes, which can help the circuits involved in mood regulation work better over time.
TMS is FDA-cleared to treat major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults, including depression that hasn't improved with medication. Researchers are also studying its use for anxiety and PTSD, but those aren't FDA-cleared uses yet. We'll talk through whether TMS is a good fit for you during your consultation.
Yes. TMS was first FDA-cleared in 2008 for adults with major depression who haven't improved with antidepressant medication.
Most people feel a tapping sensation on the scalp during sessions. The most common side effects are mild scalp discomfort or headache, which usually ease over the first week or two.
With the ONE-D protocol, your full course of TMS is delivered in a single day: 20 short sessions about 30 minutes apart over roughly 9.5 to 10 hours. The benefits build over the following weeks, and we schedule a follow-up to check in on your progress.
Yes. TMS requires no anesthesia, so you can drive yourself home and return to your normal routine right away.
No. TMS is cash pay only. The ONE day treatment operates on a private-pay basis. No prior authorization delays, no insurance denials, and no treatment decisions made by non-clinicians. Because ONE-D compresses an entire TMS course into a single day, the total investment is all-inclusive and clear from the start. Exact fees are discussed at your consultation.
Emerge Therapy patient feeling supported

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