TMS Testimonials: Real Stories from the People We Treat

When you’re in the depths of mental illness, it’s hard to believe that healing is possible. It’s even harder to imagine what healing could look like. If this is where you are, you’re not alone. More importantly, you’re not out of options.

At Serenity Mental Health Centers, we meet people every day who have nearly given up. People living with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder who’ve cycled through psychiatrist after psychiatrist and medication after medication without the results they need. But they walk through our doors one more time, and everything starts to change.

This article is a window into what that change looks like. These are the stories of real patients who received Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy, often combined with structured gratitude therapy, medication management, or ketamine, and found themselves again.

TMS Therapy: Rewiring the Brain

TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) is a medication-free treatment that uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate underactive areas of the brain, like the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for mood regulation, motivation, and decision-making. Unlike medication, which circulates throughout the body, TMS is targeted and precise. It improves:

• Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to rewire itself)
• Neurotransmitter balance (like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine)
• Emotional regulation and executive function
• Overall mental wellness

At Serenity, TMS is FDA-approved for major depressive disorder, OCD, and smoking cessation, and is used off-label for conditions like PTSD, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. It’s especially effective for patients who haven’t responded to traditional medications, or who are tired of the side effects that come with them.

We offer TMS alongside medication management, structured gratitude therapy, and ketamine infusion therapy, depending on the individual needs of each patient. The results speak for themselves.

Jenny: “TMS gave me back the version of myself I thought I had lost forever.”

Jenny came to Serenity after decades of battling depression and anxiety. She was a mom, a professional, and someone who knew how to mask it all. But inside, she was falling apart.

“I was tired of pretending I was okay. I wasn’t okay. I had been on eight medications. I was in therapy. And I still felt like I was under water.”

When Jenny began TMS, she was skeptical. But Serenity’s team walked her through every step. By week two, something shifted.

“I laughed. I didn’t plan to. I didn’t fake it. It just happened. That was the first moment I realized something in me was waking up.”

By the end of her treatment, Jenny wasn’t just managing; she was living. Jenny was playing with her kids again, cooking, making plans, and smiling for the first time in a long time.

“TMS gave me my life back. And it gave my kids their mom back.”

April: “TMS helped me leave the house again.”

April had agoraphobia, depression, and severe anxiety. She wouldn’t leave her home more than once a week. She was terrified of going out, even to her first appointment at Serenity.

But Serenity made it manageable. Her care team built her schedule slowly, encouraging her gently, and never pushing past what she could handle.

“They didn’t treat me like I was weak. They treated me like someone who was about to get stronger.”

TMS slowly calmed the overactive circuits in her brain that triggered her panic. Gratitude journaling helped her reframe the little victories, like walking out the front door or sitting in the waiting room. By the end of her sessions, April was grocery shopping, meeting friends, and living a life she never thought she’d get back.

“It still blows my mind. I thought I would always be stuck. But TMS helped me get unstuck—for good.”

Bethany: “I could finally let a thought pass without chasing it.”

Bethany came in with severe OCD and anxiety. Her brain felt like it was on fire. Intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and exhaustion followed her everywhere. She had tried CBT, ERP, and medication, but nothing gave her lasting relief.

With TMS, she found a new path. By targeting the orbitofrontal cortex and supplementary motor area, Serenity’s TMS protocol helped quiet the compulsive loops in her brain. She also began structured gratitude therapy, which helped her work through her fear-based thought patterns and retrain her response to uncertainty.

“It wasn’t that the thoughts disappeared. But I didn’t feel hijacked by them anymore. I had the space to breathe again.”

Brooke: “I always felt like I was missing from my own life.”

Brooke had lived with depression and anxiety for nearly a decade. Physically, she was exhausted. Emotionally, she was numb.

“My body hurt. My brain hurt. I cried a lot. I didn’t feel like a good mom.”

TMS and ketamine therapy changed everything for Brooke. From day one of treatment, Brooke noticed the fog lifting.

“I started to feel again. And not just sad—I felt hope. I felt happiness.”

Her transformation was not only visible to her but to everyone around her. She was present with her children, reconnected with her husband, and felt like herself again.

Michael and Jennifer: “We decided to get better together.”

Michael was dealing with social anxiety and depression. Jennifer was struggling to connect with him, their marriage was strained, and their lives felt heavy. They came to Serenity as a couple, and both started treatment (Michael with TMS and Jennifer with therapy and medication management).

“He was so closed off before,” Jennifer said. “But something started shifting. He opened up. He smiled again.”

TMS helped regulate Michael’s anxiety responses and improved his ability to process and express emotion. For Jennifer, having her husband engaged in treatment alongside her brought renewed hope.

“We’re stronger now—not just as individuals, but as a couple. It saved more than just our mental health. It saved our relationship.”

Jovana: “I was overwhelmed, addicted, and angry. Now I’m healing.”

Jovana had ADD, depression, anxiety, and a long history of addiction. She felt constantly irritated, unable to focus, and emotionally flooded. With Serenity, she began a combined treatment plan of TMS, ketamine, and gratitude therapy. The change was dramatic.

“TMS helped my brain calm down. Gratitude helped my mind find peace. I’ve never had this kind of clarity.”

For Jovana, the combination of therapies wasn’t just a patch; it was the beginning of a real, lasting transformation.

Luis: “I didn’t know it was possible to feel this calm.”

After military service, Luis had PTSD that made daily life feel like a battlefield. Loud noises, crowds, even driving could send him into fight-or-flight. Medication dulled his symptoms, but also dulled him.

TMS was different. It helped regulate his limbic system, calming his overactive amygdala without sedating him. For the first time in years, Luis felt steady and present.

“I still have my past. But it doesn’t control me anymore.”

Becca: “I was so used to depression that I didn’t even realize what being okay felt like.”

Becca described her life before TMS as gray. She wasn’t suicidal... but she wasn’t living.

“I had accepted numbness. I didn’t even remember what joy felt like.”

But within weeks of starting TMS, she noticed things: colors seemed brighter, music made her emotional, and even food tasted better.

“It wasn’t just the depression lifting, it was life returning.”

What Makes Serenity Different

Every patient above didn’t just receive TMS. They received a treatment plan customized to them. Serenity combines:

• World-class psychiatrists and TMS technicians
• Gratitude-based therapy and journaling support
• Medication management tailored to symptoms
• Ketamine for severe or acute cases
• Compassion, time, and belief in each person’s potential to heal

We offer early morning and evening hours, same-week starts, nationally recognized protocols, and most importantly, a team that shows up fully just like we ask our patients to.

Healing Is Not a Myth

These stories are not miracles; they’re what happens when cutting-edge neuroscience meets compassionate care.

• When we target the brain where it's stuck.
• When we build new emotional patterns through structured gratitude.
• When we meet people with real support, on their timeline, in their language, without shame.

That’s what we do at Serenity, and that’s what these patients proved is possible.

Your Story Deserves a New Chapter, Too

If you're reading this and wondering if TMS could help you, if gratitude therapy might reframe your world, if there’s still something that can work… The answer is: yes.

We’ve helped thousands of people find relief, you’re not too far gone, and you’re not broken. You’re just waiting for the right support, and we’re ready to give it.

Schedule a consultation with Serenity Mental Health Centers today and start the story where you finally find your way back to yourself.