By: Catherine Crosbie
My Insomnia Experience
I remember having sleepless night after sleepless night as early as puberty. Over the years, I learned this pattern of poor sleep was called insomnia and it ran in my family. I would have occasional stretches of better sleep, but as I got older, my baseline became one of difficulty falling and staying asleep. During my 20s and 30s, I was lucky to get 5-6 hours of sleep, even if it was broken up. It wasn’t enough, especially in the earlier years when the brain is still developing.
Those who’ve experienced insomnia know how debilitating it is. You go through the day exhausted. It takes longer to process information and be productive. You’re easily distracted. You get sick easily and it’s hard to get better. Sometimes you’re just too tired to socialize, enjoy the presence of your family, or do things you like. You snap at people. The days contain less joy. Small problems feel like big problems. The list goes on.
I remember being in my 20s and asking my family doctor for sleeping pills because operating a vehicle didn’t feel safe. I also look back at some of my athletic pursuits and think, “No wonder I wasn’t able to push past that plateau – in the absence of restorative sleep, my muscles couldn’t properly rest or repair.” Sometimes I think about how my young adulthood might have been different if I had had a solution to insomnia.
Solutions To Insomnia
Approximately 10-30% of adults worldwide have insomnia. Good sleep hygiene matters. Meditation and mindfulness help. Short-term sufferers may benefit from the occasional use of sleeping pills, but there are drawbacks. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an undertaking, but can help. The unfortunate reality is that after all of this, many people still struggle to get a decent night’s sleep.
Exomind TMS turned out to be a real solution to my insomnia. TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which is a drug-free psychiatric therapy that’s been around since the 1980s. TMS isn’t part of mainstream medicine, so many physicians don’t even know about it.
This is me, Catherine!
It sends gentle magnetic pulses to a part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC). No drugs. No downtime. Just a few easy, painless, 20-minute treatments. It doesn’t push anything into the brain. It just enhances neural connections over time.
Since Exomind is optimized TMS, it offers shorter treatment schedules that produce results faster than traditional TMS. It’s powerful enough to change the brain, but safe and convenient enough to fit into real life.
My Exomind TMS Experience
As part of a new venture, my company acquired the Exomind TMS device in 2025. I had started working with a psychiatrist, Dr. Christine McClelland, and the idea was to treat a range of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. I knew that there was emerging evidence for Exomind TMS as a solution to insomnia, but I couldn’t have imagined how much this therapy would change my life.
I did Exomind TMS therapy in the fall of 2025. After my first couple of treatments, I noticed improved mental clarity. After the next couple of treatments, I noticed improved emotional balance. Shortly after my sixth treatment, not only was I falling asleep easily at night, but I was staying asleep and waking up in the morning feeling rested and restored. It was such a foreign, welcome experience.
Also, since my body was going through the natural repair process during overnight sleep, my chronic pain became far less intense and much more manageable. I felt like a new person. I continue to enjoy these benefits.
Now, I have the capacity to be intentional about how I show up in the world, and I feel good about it. I don’t get distracted easily, and being productive is my baseline. I haven’t had many colds or flus since doing Exomind TMS. I have energy to engage with my kids and see friends. I’m a naturally happy person, and I’m more resilient in the face of setbacks. I’m more comfortable in my body.
We hear similar stories from our patients doing Exomind TMS. My medical director and I are on a mission to make this amazing tool better known and more widely utilized.
Is Exomind TMS A Solution For You?
Body Works Med Spa & Wellness is the only provider of Exomind TMS in Atlantic Canada. We’re making this therapy more accessible, so while physician referrals are encouraged, we also accept self-referrals, and there are no wait times. But let’s be honest – even as a tax-deductible therapy, cost is still a barrier for some people. It’s worth considering, what’s the cost of not doing Exomind TMS?
While Exomind TMS can be a solution to insomnia, it may help with other conditions, too. We invite questions and comments. If you suffer from insomnia or another condition and wish to collect more information, please call 902-405-0858, email info@bodyworksmedspa.ca, or click here to book a free consultation online. We’d be happy to chat.
