Introduction

Mental health. It’s the way your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect your life. Good mental health leads to positive self-image and in turn, satisfying relationships with friends and others. Having good mental health helps you make good decisions and deal with life’s challenges at home, work, or school.

It is not uncommon for teenagers to develop problems with their mental health. National statistics indicate that one in every five teens has some type of mental health problem in any given year. The problems range from mild to severe. Sadly, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens.

Unfortunately, most young people with mental health problems don’t get any treatment for them. Research shows that effective treatments are available that can help members of all racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.

Despite having a bad reputation and a negative connotation, hypnosis is in fact a positive process that has been used for thousands of years. Many people aren’t aware that many of the commonly accepted ideas about hypnosis aren’t even true. It is important to ask what is hypnosis and learn the facts so that you can make educated decisions and not spread false information.

First, I want to suggest to you that all hypnosis is fundamentally self hypnosis. This idea is not new from me, for one of the real pioneers of modern hypnosis, Dr. Milton Ericcson made this statement many years ago. The fact is, hypnosis is based on suggestibility and you must be willing to accept the suggestions or their is no so-called trance state to follow. Now, that is not to say that gifted hypnotists are not able to disarm defenses one might have, but it is to say that YOU are the key to a successful hypnotic session. The common fear of hypnosis, that someone else has control over you, has no place in a self-hypnosis session, for you are both the hypnotist and the subject–and just to be clear, the fear is mislaid and false to fact.

Many people these days report feelings of uncontrollable anxiety, as well as depression. In fact, anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental conditions facing individuals today. From a broader social point of view, it is an interesting phenomenon.

In today’s connected world Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to switch off from the stresses of the workplace. One hundred and twenty five years after the first Labor Day, the role of work in American lives has changed dramatically. This year, many Americans will work, either at their workplace or by answering e-mail, phone calls or faxes while at home or on vacation. According to a 2006 APA survey work is the number one cause of stress for Americans and almost one-third of Americans have trouble balancing their work and family lives.