First in a multi-part series on the principles of Buddhist psychotherapy. Part 1 is on the concept of "the middle path."

Believe it or not, you have already experienced hypnosis. With New Yorkers, it happens on the subway. Have you ever been so focused on your phone or lost in your thoughts that you almost miss your stop (or actually do)? That is hypnosis: a state of mental absorption so heightened that you briefly stop paying attention to your surroundings. Daydreaming and movies are also examples. People who drive regularly might experience “highway hypnosis,” where they get lost in their tho