Owners of Neuro Wellness TMS Centers of America in Coral Springs looking to expand

Coral Springs, Florida – Seven years ago, Matt and Shelly Lahn looked to start a new business, something in the healthcare field where they could help many people feel better about themselves.

The couple was aware that about 20 percent U.S. adults experienced mental illness, or one in five adults, according to national studies.

Matt was a former commercial mortgage broker and Shelly specialized in running medical imaging centers and had a thriving business called Medical Concierge Company.

So they put their skills together to open a clinic treating people suffering from disorders related to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other psychiatric conditions.

Neuro Wellness TMS Centers of America opened in Davie — and later moved to Coral Springs in 2018 – focused on what they considered groundbreaking treatment.

The treatment uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which is non-invasive and relies on alternating magnetic pulses to target parts of the brain linked to depression or other neuropsychiatric disorders.

The center also offers a variety of other services including psychotherapy and ketamine infusion therapy and SPRAVATO™.

“Shelly and I get up every morning because we want to help people,” Matt said in a recent interview. “We’re passionate about this. We know a lot of people impacted by depression. For us, it was the perfect fit.”

With the growing demand for TMS treatment, the couple, who have a 12-year-old son, are planning to expand their center into other cities, Matt said.

Neuro Wellness TMS Centers of America on Sample Road offers treatments customized to help patients overcome their ailments, he said.

Covered by all major insurance companies, the center uses Nexstim SmartFocus® TMS, the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared, neuro-navigated TMS available in the nation, according to the center.

Matt explains, until recently, mental health treatment has lacked major medical improvements for decades.

“There’s been less advances in mental health than in many other components of healthcare. Look at where we’ve come with cardiac surgery, for instance,” he said. “And in mental health, there’s been medications but not really significant advances until TMS.”

Both certified life coaches, Matt and Shelly said their TMS treatment has changed the lives of many patients, some literally in front of their eyes.

“I love seeing a depressed person who can barely function turn into somebody who comes in a few weeks later and they’re walking different, carrying themselves differently, and going to the store without an anxiety attack,” Shelly said.

Matt chimed in: “They may not have driven a car in years and now they are driving here. There’s nothing more gratifying when you see someone walk into the door and you can tell they’ve been through a lot. But six weeks later, you see them and you have to do a double-take. It’s not the same person.”

Shelly added: “And they’re wearing makeup and dressing nicer.”

Because of Covid-19 and patients wearing masks, Shelly said she can see the pain of depression in people’s eyes.

“I can see their sadness,” she said. “But I can also see the change in people’s eyes as they get better.”

Like so much in healthcare, TMS doesn’t resolve psychiatric conditions for everyone, Matt said. For some, it’s less effective.

The treatment also has side effects including, for some, moderate scalp discomfort, according to the center.

The 11-person staff doesn’t just offer treatment to patients, Shelly said. They go further.

Shelly said she provides social services for patients in need of food, housing, and other essentials, connecting them with government and nonprofit agencies.

“For us, we want to see our patients get better,” Matt said. “Our primary motivation is always to take care of our patients and give them what they need to get better.”