Interventional Psychiatry in Denver: TMS, Ketamine, and Spravato Explained
What happens when therapy isn’t enough, and medication after medication has failed to deliver real relief? For millions of people living with treatment-resistant depression, OCD, PTSD, and anxiety, that question used to have a discouraging answer. Today, it doesn’t.
A rapidly growing field called interventional psychiatry is changing what’s possible in mental health care — offering evidence-based, FDA-cleared treatments that work through entirely different mechanisms than traditional antidepressants. These aren’t experimental last resorts. They’re clinically validated tools that are transforming outcomes for people who have all but given up on feeling better.
At Peak Interactive Wellness in Denver, we offer a comprehensive suite of interventional psychiatric treatments — including one-day TMS using the Ampa One system, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), and Spravato® (esketamine) — fully integrated with our holistic psychiatry approach. This post explains what interventional psychiatry is, how each treatment works, and how to know if one of them might be right for you.
What Is Interventional Psychiatry?
Interventional psychiatry is a subspecialty focused on treatments that directly modulate brain activity or neurochemistry through targeted biological interventions — rather than relying solely on oral medications or talk therapy. The treatments in this field share several defining characteristics:
- A direct mechanism of action on brain circuits known to be dysregulated in mental health conditions
- FDA clearance or approval based on rigorous clinical trial data
- Effectiveness in treatment-resistant populations — people who haven’t responded adequately to standard care
- A structured, protocol-driven treatment course administered in a clinical setting
Interventional psychiatry sits alongside — not instead of — medication management and therapy. At Peak Interactive Wellness, it’s integrated into a broader holistic psychiatry philosophy: understand the whole person first, then apply the right tools.
Why Interventional Psychiatry Is Growing
Mental health treatment has historically relied on a trial-and-error approach to medication. The average person with major depression tries 3.5 different antidepressants before finding one that works — and approximately 30% never achieve adequate relief from medication alone. Interventional psychiatry addresses this gap with treatments that:
- Work through neuroplastic mechanisms that oral medications cannot replicate
- Produce results significantly faster than traditional antidepressants
- Have strong evidence in populations that have failed standard treatment
- They are increasingly covered by insurance, including Medicaid (at this time, only Spravato is covered by Medicaid and commercial insurance).
TMS at Peak Interactive Wellness: One-Day Treatment with the Ampa One System
Why Our TMS Is Different
Most TMS clinics require patients to come in five days a week for four to six weeks — 20 to 36 separate appointments before treatment is complete. For patients who are already struggling, that schedule is often the reason they never start. Who has time for that!?
At Peak Interactive Wellness, we’ve invested in the Ampa One system — a next-generation TMS platform that delivers a full treatment course in a single day. This isn’t a shortened or compromised protocol. It’s a scientifically advanced approach that produces superior outcomes to traditional multi-week TMS, backed by clinical data showing an 87% response rate and 72% remission rate at three months.
That’s not a typo. One day of treatment. Life-changing results. And we offer it in-office or in-home (yes, your home!)
What Is TMS?
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive brain stimulation treatment that uses precisely targeted magnetic pulses to activate specific neural circuits involved in mood regulation, attention, and resilience. It requires no anesthesia, no sedation, and no recovery time. Patients sit in a comfortable chair, remain fully awake throughout the entire process, and can drive themselves home afterward.
The science behind TMS is rooted in neuroplasticity — the brain’s remarkable ability to rewire and strengthen its own circuits through repeated stimulation. In depression, the brain circuits responsible for emotional regulation, self-control, and resilience become underactive and weakened over time. TMS reactivates them. With enough stimulation delivered through a structured protocol, the brain gradually rebuilds these pathways — and symptoms lift.
The Ampa One system targets the left posterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) — the brain region most strongly implicated in mood regulation and emotional resilience — using personalized, precision targeting techniques including image-guided or network-mapping approaches that ensure every pulse reaches exactly where it’s needed.
How the Ampa One-Day Protocol Works
The Ampa One system uses intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) — an accelerated TMS protocol that delivers the therapeutic effect of traditional rTMS sessions in a fraction of the time. Rather than spreading treatment across weeks, the Ampa protocol delivers 20 iTBS sessions in a single day, with short breaks between sessions to allow for neural consolidation.
What makes Ampa’s one-day approach uniquely powerful is its combination of two innovations working together:
1. Accelerated iTBS Delivery Each iTBS session is brief — approximately 3 minutes of active stimulation. Twenty sessions across a single day means the cumulative therapeutic dose is delivered in hours rather than weeks, while structured inter-session intervals allow the brain to begin consolidating neuroplastic changes between rounds.
2. Medication-Assisted Neuroplasticity Before TMS begins, patients receive a pharmacological agent — such as D-cycloserine — that primes the brain’s plasticity mechanisms, making neurons more receptive to the stimulation they’re about to receive. This combination of neuroplasticity-enhancing medication with precision TMS is what sets the Ampa protocol apart from standard accelerated TMS and accounts for the exceptional response and remission rates seen in clinical data.
What to Expect on Your Ampa TMS Day
Before Your Appointment Your TMS journey begins with a comprehensive evaluation to confirm candidacy. Our provider conducts motor threshold mapping — a brief process that calibrates the precise stimulation intensity for your individual neurophysiology. You’ll also receive the neuroplasticity-priming medication before sessions begin.
Your Treatment Day: You arrive at our clinic and settle into a comfortable chair (or we arrive at you). The Ampa One coil is positioned at the target site on your scalp. Over the course of the day, you complete 20 iTBS sessions with rest intervals between each. Many patients read, listen to music, or simply rest during breaks. The tapping sensation on your scalp is typically well-tolerated, and most patients describe it as becoming less noticeable as the day progresses.
After Treatment You can drive yourself home. Most patients feel tired after their treatment day — this is normal and expected. Maximum therapeutic effects typically develop over 1 to 6 weeks following your single treatment day, as the neuroplastic changes initiated during treatment continue to consolidate and strengthen.
Follow-Up Care Our team monitors your progress during the weeks following treatment and coordinates with your ongoing psychiatric care to maximize and sustain your results.
What the Ampa One System Treats
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Treatment-resistant depression (TRD)
- Postpartum Depression
- Emerging research supports use in OCD, PTSD, anxiety, and chronic pain
Ampa One-Day TMS vs. Traditional Multi-Week TMS
| Details | Ampa One-Day TMS | Traditional TMS |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Duration | Single day | 4–6 weeks, 5 days/week |
| Total Sessions | 20 sessions in one day | 20–36 sessions over weeks |
| Protocol | Accelerated iTBS + medication-assisted neuroplasticity | Standard rTMS or basic iTBS |
| Response Rate | ~87% (nonrandomized trials) | ~50–60% |
| Remission Rate at 3 Months | ~72% | ~30–35% |
| Time Off Work | One day | 4–6 weeks of daily appointments |
| Targeting | Personalized, image-guided precision targeting | Standard anatomical placement |
| Insurance | Not covered | Covered by most commerical plans (not Colorado Medicaid) |
| Investment | Starting at $3000 | Covered by most commercial plans (not Colorado Medicaid) |
Who Is a Candidate for Ampa TMS?
You may be a strong candidate if you:
- Have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma, or treatment-resistant depression
- Have tried at least one antidepressant without adequate relief
- Cannot commit to 4–6 weeks of daily TMS appointments
- Want faster results than traditional multi-week TMS
- Are looking for a non-medication treatment or want to reduce reliance on medications
- You haven’t tried and don’t want to try antidepressants
- Have no ferromagnetic metal implants near the head (cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, metal skull plates)
TMS: Pros and Considerations
Why patients choose Ampa TMS at Peak Interactive Wellness:
- Full treatment course in a single day — no weeks of daily appointments
- Among the highest response and remission rates of any TMS protocol available
- Non-invasive — no needles, anesthesia, or sedation
- No systemic side effects associated with antidepressant medications
- Can be performed alongside existing psychiatric medications
- Drive yourself home the same day
- Can be done in-home
Considerations:
- Most common side effects are mild headache and scalp discomfort, typically resolving within the treatment day
- Maximum effects develop over 1–6 weeks post-treatment — not immediate
- Not appropriate for patients with certain metallic implants near the head
- Not yet available at most psychiatric practices — Peak Interactive Wellness is among the first in Colorado to offer the Ampa system
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
What Is KAP?
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy combines ketamine’s neuroplastic effects with structured psychotherapy to produce both rapid symptom relief and deeper psychological healing. Ketamine works by blocking NMDA receptors in the brain’s glutamate system, triggering rapid synaptic changes that can lift depression within hours and create a window of heightened neuroplasticity during which therapeutic work becomes unusually productive.
At Peak Interactive Wellness, KAP is offered as a three-phase program: preparation sessions before the first ketamine experience, guided ketamine sessions with a provider present throughout, and integration sessions afterward to process insights and anchor them into lasting change.
What KAP Treats
- Treatment-resistant depression
- PTSD and complex trauma
- Severe anxiety
- Patients who feel “stuck” despite years of traditional therapy
What Makes KAP Different from Standalone Ketamine
Standalone ketamine therapy uses ketamine’s biochemical effects for rapid symptom relief. KAP goes further — using the altered state of consciousness ketamine creates as a therapeutic tool to access psychological material that is normally too defended to approach directly. Research suggests that the combination of ketamine with psychotherapy produces more durable outcomes than ketamine alone, because the neuroplastic window ketamine opens is actively used for deep therapeutic work.
→ For a full breakdown of the difference between ketamine therapy and KAP, see our dedicated post.
Spravato® (Esketamine)
What Is Spravato?
Spravato (esketamine) is an FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and major depressive disorder with acute suicidal ideation. Like ketamine, it acts on the glutamate/NMDA receptor system rather than the serotonin system — producing faster relief and working in patients who have not responded to multiple traditional antidepressants.
Spravato is administered in our certified clinical setting under supervision. Each session lasts approximately two hours, including an observation period required by the FDA’s REMS program. Treatment begins with twice-weekly sessions for four weeks, then tapers to a maintenance schedule.
Peak Interactive Wellness is a REMS-certified Spravato treatment center and one of the few Denver clinics that accepts insurance for Spravato — including Colorado Medicaid.
Spravato vs. Ketamine vs. TMS: Choosing the Right Path
| Details | Ampa One-Day TMS | Spravato® | Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA Status | FDA-cleared for TRD/MDD | FDA-approved for TRD and MDD with SI | Off-label (legal and widely used) |
| Time Commitment | One day | Multiple sessions over weeks–months | Multiple sessions over weeks |
| Insurance Coverage | Most major insurers for the 36-day protocol; not covered for One-Day TMS | Broadly covered including Medicaid | Most major insurers for the 36-day protocol are not covered for One-Day TMS |
| Best For | TRD, patients who need one-day convenience | TRD, acute suicidal ideation | Trauma, deep psychological healing, exploration |
| Mechanism | Neuroplasticity via magnetic stimulation | Glutamate/NMDA receptor modulation | Glutamate/NMDA + guided psychotherapy |
How These Treatments Work Together
One of the defining strengths of interventional psychiatry — and of Peak Interactive Wellness specifically — is that these treatments aren’t siloed. They can be combined strategically:
- A patient needing the fastest possible path to relief with minimal schedule disruption is an ideal candidate for Ampa One-Day TMS
- A patient with severe depression and significant suicidal ideation may benefit from Spravato for rapid stabilization, then Ampa TMS to consolidate long-term remission
- A patient with significant trauma alongside depression might pair KAP for deep psychological work with TMS for structural circuit-level repair
- A patient already stable on medication seeking to reduce pharmaceutical burden might find TMS offers the cleanest non-medication path forward
Our providers evaluate each patient’s complete picture — diagnosis, treatment history, insurance, schedule, and holistic psychiatry findings — and design the combination that makes the most sense.
Am I a Candidate for Interventional Psychiatry?
You may be a strong candidate if:
- You’ve tried 2 or more antidepressants without adequate relief in your current episode
- Therapy alone hasn’t been sufficient — you’ve done the work, but symptoms persist
- Medication side effects are significantly affecting your quality of life
- You want to avoid or reduce medication and are looking for non-pharmacological options
- You have OCD or PTSD that hasn’t responded to first-line treatments
- You need faster results than traditional antidepressants can offer
- Your schedule won’t allow for 4–6 weeks of daily appointments — making one-day TMS an ideal fit
- You want to try something new or something different for your mental health
Why Choose Peak Interactive Wellness for Interventional Psychiatry?
We are not a single-service TMS center or a standalone ketamine clinic. Peak Interactive Wellness is a full-spectrum psychiatry practice — which means every interventional treatment is integrated into a comprehensive plan that includes medication management, holistic medicine insights, and whole-person care.
What sets us apart:
- Ampa One-Day TMS — among the first practices in Colorado to offer this next-generation system
- TMS, KAP, and Spravato all available under one roof — patients never need to be referred out
- Functional medicine integration — labs, hormones, and root-cause factors evaluated alongside interventional treatment
- Insurance accepted — Colorado Medicaid, Cigna, Aetna, Anthem BCBS, and UnitedHealthcare
- REMS-certified Spravato provider
- Two Denver-area locations — RiNo District and Greenwood Village — plus telehealth across Colorado and even in-home care!
- 4.9-star rating from over 375 Colorado patient reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
What is interventional psychiatry? Interventional psychiatry is a subspecialty focused on treatments that directly modulate brain activity or neurochemistry — such as TMS, ketamine, and esketamine — for people who haven’t responded adequately to traditional medications or therapy. These treatments have FDA clearance or approval based on rigorous clinical evidence and are distinct from both pharmaceutical and talk therapy approaches.
What is the Ampa One system, and how is it different from traditional TMS? The Ampa One system is a next-generation TMS platform that delivers a full treatment course in a single day using accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) combined with medication-assisted neuroplasticity. Traditional TMS requires daily appointments for 4–6 weeks. Clinical data on the Ampa protocol shows an 87% response rate and 72% remission rate at three months — significantly higher than standard TMS outcomes.
Is one-day TMS as effective as multi-week TMS? Based on available clinical data, the Ampa one-day protocol shows superior response and remission rates compared to traditional multi-week TMS. The combination of accelerated iTBS delivery and neuroplasticity-priming medication produces outcomes that exceed standard protocols while compressing treatment from weeks into a single day.
Is TMS safe? TMS has an excellent safety profile and has been in clinical use since 2008, with over 3 million patients treated worldwide. It is non-invasive, requires no anesthesia, and is not associated with the systemic side effects seen with antidepressant medications. The most common side effects are mild scalp discomfort and headache, which typically resolve within the first week of treatment or on the treatment day itself.
Can I do TMS and medication at the same time? Yes. TMS is routinely performed alongside existing psychiatric medications and can enhance their effectiveness in some patients. Your provider will review your current medications as part of the candidacy evaluation.
How is TMS different from ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)? TMS and ECT are both brain stimulation treatments, but they are very different in practice. ECT requires general anesthesia, induces a therapeutic seizure, and can cause temporary memory impairment. TMS is non-invasive, requires no anesthesia, does not induce a seizure, and has no known impact on memory. TMS is typically considered well before ECT in the treatment sequence for resistant depression.
How do I know whether TMS, Spravato, or KAP is right for me? The best choice depends on your diagnosis, treatment history, insurance coverage, schedule availability, and goals. Our team conducts a thorough evaluation and makes a personalized recommendation — often considering whether a combination approach makes sense. The best first step is scheduling a consultation with our team.
Interventional psychiatry has fundamentally changed what’s possible for people with treatment-resistant mental health conditions. If standard approaches haven’t given you the relief you deserve, there are more options available than most people realize — and many of them are available right here in Denver.
Peak Interactive Wellness | 3455 Ringsby Court, Suite 140, Denver, CO 80216 | 6530 S. Yosemite St., Suite 330, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 | 720-460-9084
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified provider to determine if interventional psychiatric treatment is appropriate for you. Response and remission rate data referenced from Ampa Health nonrandomized clinical trials.
