Mindfulness alongside TMS: worth trying?

Meditation and TMS overlap on the same brain circuitry in some interesting ways, and there's early evidence that combining them may improve outcomes. Mindfulness meditation activates the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — the same region standard TMS targets for depression — and appears to reduce activity in the brain's default mode network, which is tied to rumination and is overactive in depression. The most notable evidence: a 2021 study in Brain Stimulation randomized depression patients to TMS plus mindfulness meditation instruction during sessions, versus TMS plus neutral audio. The mindfulness group showed meaningfully higher response rates — 68% versus 45% — and faster improvement. A follow-up study found that patients actively engaging their attention during stimulation showed greater connectivity changes on brain imaging than those who simply rested. You don't need meditation experience to try this. During a session, with the coil positioned and your eyes closed, you can focus attention on the sensations in your forehead, practice noticing thoughts without engaging them, and gently return attention when your mind wanders. Between sessions, even 10-20 minutes of daily practice may extend the effect. This research is still early — we don't yet know the ideal duration or which meditation style works best for which condition. But meditation is free, has no side effects, and carries its own benefits regardless of how it interacts with TMS. https://tmslist.com/blog/tms-and-meditation-mindfulness/ Has anyone tried meditating during their actual TMS sessions? What did your clinic say when you asked about it? This is general information, not medical advice.