De-Stressing Should Not Cause Distress.

• Author: Sherwood, Sarah
• Position: MIND & BODY

"We are combining [an] 18th-century practice--one that has survived into the 21st century for a reason--with new technology, and that is exciting, and timely."

AMERICANS are experiencing record rates of stress and anxiety as mass shootings, war, political strife, and a continuing pandemic take their toll. For some, the repercussions have been serious. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year. NIMH also reports that an estimated 31.1% of adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives.

Even more concerning is the jump in anxiety rates among youth: children are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. Even before the pandemic, rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among youth were on the rise. The pandemic exacerbated those issues, disrupting learning and routines, forming and maintaining relationships, and increasing isolation, for both youth and adults. Forty percent of teenagers state that they struggle with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, which is consistent with what parents and caregivers are reporting about their children's mental well-being.

A new White House program is providing more than $140,000,000 in grants to states and school districts to increase the number of qualified mental health professionals delivering mental health services to students with demonstrated need.

David Spiegel, professor and associate chair of psychiatry at Stanford University, as well as professor and director of The Stanford Center on Stress and Health, has been observing the American mental health dilemma for decades. He has published more than 400 scientific articles, contributed to numerous books, has written more than a dozen of his own, and was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the coauthor of what is considered the definitive textbook on hypnosis, Trance and Treatment.

Spiegel has never seen anything like the impact that the recent events have had on people's mental health. "We have had many periods of crisis here in the U.S. and worldwide, but the pandemic is an equal-opportunity stressor, forcing us to realize that we can all benefit from learning better ways to enhance our emotional health," he says. "At the same time, there are now quite a few resources coming out of research and clinical experience that may help. I want to use what I have learned in 50 years to teach others...