Accelerated TMS
Bryn Mawr Mental Health and Wellness offers the Main Line's boutique 5-day TMS intensive — a full FDA-cleared course of transcranial magnetic stimulation, compressed into one private week and personally directed by a board-certified psychiatrist. One patient at a time. No waiting rooms full of strangers. No six-week disruption to your life.
Why we don't offer traditional six-week TMS
Most TMS practices deliver the treatment the way insurance reimburses it: one brief session a day, five days a week, for six to nine weeks. That schedule wasn't designed around the science or around you — it was designed around billing codes.
We made a deliberate choice to offer only the accelerated intensive format, built on the growing research base for accelerated TMS schedules — including the landmark work on compressed, multiple-session-per-day protocols — and delivered on an FDA-cleared device platform. The same FDA-cleared technology, delivered on an FDA-cleared accelerated schedule — one week instead of two months. Because our practice is independent of insurance, we can offer the most advanced protocol available today — not the one payers will catch up to in five years.
Traditional TMS vs. the 5-Day Intensive
| Traditional TMS | Our 5-Day Intensive | |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar time | 6–9 weeks | 5 consecutive days |
| Office visits | 36 separate trips | One treatment week |
| Workdays disrupted | 30+ partial days | Up to 5 |
| Time to expected response | Typically weeks 4–6 | Often within or shortly after the treatment week |
| Total commute + waiting time | Dozens of hours over two months | Essentially none — you settle in for the day |
| Total stimulation delivered | Standard FDA-cleared course delivered over 6–9 weeks | A complete FDA-cleared accelerated course. |
| Effectiveness | Well-established response and remission rates | Comparable symptom reduction and remission in accelerated-protocol research, with faster time to relief |
| Setting | High-volume clinic scheduling | Private boutique suite, one patient per week |
Research on accelerated TMS schedules is encouraging, with studies showing meaningful rates of response and remission and a faster time to relief than traditional schedules. We review this evidence with every patient honestly during consultation, including what is and isn't yet known.
Designed for people whose time is not negotiable
Our patients are executives, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, parents, and college students. They are high-functioning, well-informed, and often frustrated by the same two things: treatments that haven't worked, and a healthcare system that moves at the speed of insurance approval.
The intensive format exists for exactly this person. You block one week — much of it spent in a private suite where you can read, work remotely, or simply rest between brief sessions — and you leave with a complete course of treatment behind you instead of ahead of you.
A boutique setting, not a TMS clinic
We treat one intensive patient per week. There is no rotation of patients through a treatment room, no technicians you've never met, no physician signing charts from another building. Dr. Khorram evaluates you, personally maps your treatment target, checks in with you every day of your treatment week, and manages your follow-up herself. Discretion is part of the design: your treatment week is yours alone.
What is TMS — and who is it for?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, non-medication treatment that uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain circuits involved in mood regulation. It requires no anesthesia and no sedation; you drive yourself home. TMS has been FDA-cleared for depression since 2008, and the field is expanding quickly:
- FDA-cleared for adults with major depressive disorder, including accelerated TMS (aTMS) protocols that deliver 2 to 10 sessions daily, complete care in as few as 5 days, and support both rTMS and iTBS.
- FDA-cleared for adolescents ages 15–21 with depression on the MagVenture platform (2025) — meaningful for the many Main Line families and college students we serve.
- Researchers are actively studying TMS for additional conditions, including PTSD and chronic pain — signals of where interventional psychiatry is heading. We offer TMS for depression today and follow this research closely.
TMS is well suited to adults and adolescents 16 and older whose depression hasn't responded adequately to medication or therapy — or who simply prefer to treat depression without medication. More patients than ever are seeking exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
How is accelerated TMS different from regular TMS?
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FDA-cleared technology, delivered as five brief sessions per day over five consecutive days, twenty-five sessions in total, instead of one session a day for six-plus weeks. Research on accelerated schedules shows comparable symptom reduction and remission, with relief arriving substantially faster.
Is accelerated TMS FDA-cleared?
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Yes. TMS has been FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder since 2008. The FDA cleared MagVenture for accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation (aTMS) protocols to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. Key details include delivering 2 to 10 sessions daily, completing care in as few as 5 days, and supporting both rTMS and iTBS.
Does TMS hurt? Is it safe?
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Most people feel a tapping sensation; mild scalp discomfort or headache early in treatment typically fades. The most serious risk, seizure, is rare, and every patient is screened by Dr. Khorram before treatment. Hearing protection is worn in every session.
Can I work during my treatment week?
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Yes — between sessions you'll have rest intervals in a private suite, and many patients take calls or work remotely through the day. You can drive yourself home.
How is the treatment week scheduled?
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The protocol requires five consecutive days. We coordinate the exact start day with you when you're accepted into the program.
Do you accept insurance?
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No — we are a private-pay boutique practice, and accelerated protocols are generally not covered by insurance anywhere. That independence is what allows us to offer the most current protocol rather than the one insurance reimburses.
What if I don't respond?
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Not everyone does, and we'll say so plainly before you begin. Your symptoms are measured throughout, results are reviewed with you directly, and Dr. Khorram will discuss honest next steps — including whether a repeat course or a different approach makes sense.