When patients ask why we chose Deep TMS by Brainsway specifically, rather than a generic TMS system, I tell them the same thing I tell colleagues: the coil design isn't a minor spec sheet detail. It's the reason I'm comfortable recommending this technology to my own patients across all four of our San Antonio and Boerne locations.
Why the Coil Matters
Standard TMS systems typically use a figure-8 coil that targets a relatively focused, shallow region of the brain. Brainsway's Deep TMS uses an H-coil design instead, engineered to reach deeper and broader brain structures. For depression specifically, that means more directly engaging the neural circuits we're actually trying to influence, rather than a narrower slice of them.
This isn't just a preference on my part. Deep TMS carries FDA clearance not only for depression, but for OCD, PTSD-related symptoms, and smoking cessation as well, a broader label than most standard TMS systems hold. When I'm treating a patient with depression and a co-occurring condition like OCD, having one platform cleared for both matters clinically, not just administratively.
What Standardizing Across Locations Actually Means
Running the same Brainsway system at our Boerne, Stone Oak, Westover, and Medical Center locations means a patient gets an identical treatment protocol and identical equipment no matter which of our clinics is most convenient for them. It also means our whole clinical team, not just one provider, trains on and is accountable to the same standard of care. I don't have to caveat my recommendation based on which location a patient happens to visit.
What a Course Actually Looks Like
In practice, a course is 5 sessions per week for 6-9 weeks, each session lasting 19-37 minutes. The first session includes a calibration process where we determine your motor threshold, the minimum magnetic intensity needed to activate motor neurons, so your treatment is precisely dosed for your brain specifically, not a population average. You're awake throughout, there's no anesthesia involved, and you can return to normal activities immediately afterward. No systemic medication side effects, because nothing is entering your bloodstream.
Who I Actually Recommend It For
TMS isn't a first-line treatment in my practice. It's for patients who haven't gotten enough relief from standard antidepressants and want a non-invasive, drug-free option, or who can't tolerate medication side effects and are looking for an alternative approach entirely. I'm particularly glad to have Deep TMS's broader clearance available for veterans and patients with PTSD-related symptoms, where the technology's applicability extends beyond depression alone, and it's covered by TRICARE for eligible veterans at all four of our San Antonio and Boerne locations.
If you're weighing whether TMS makes sense for your situation, I'd rather talk it through directly than have you guess from a brochure. That's true of any interventional option, honestly, TMS, ketamine, or Spravato. Reach out and we'll figure out the right fit together.
