Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 105 Together

Given Nan Zhuren's level of understanding, he naturally wouldn't really regard a "teacher" as a teacher.

In previous interactions with the other party.

The other party's strange way of speaking on the phone, the weird attitude of the big-nosed, small-eyed classmate towards me, the unusual case I suddenly acquired recently...

Combined with my memory of the accident and some vague encounters afterward.

All of this made it difficult for Nan Zhuren to categorize Lin Lilin as a "friendly" party.

Whether they are "enemies" or not requires further evaluation.

Therefore, when Lin Lilin invited Nan Zhuren to talk, Nan Zhuren agreed without hesitation.

After all, for someone with a psychology background, what assessment method is more straightforward than a face-to-face conversation?
However, there is a small problem.

The opposing party was also a scholar who had been deeply involved in the field of psychology for many years, and a renowned professor.

Psychology is the kind of discipline that fits the common perception that "the older you get, the more eccentric you become."

Therefore, in terms of objective professional knowledge and its application, Lin Lilin is definitely superior to Nan Zhuren. If Nan Zhuren were to rashly come to confront him, he might actually be suppressed.

Fortunately, Nan Zhuren had other methods.

Even before entering the office, he had already begun his "micro-expression analysis".

Nan Zhuren's previous friendly greetings and jokes were actually an attempt to establish an "expression baseline" for Lin Lilin, the psychology professor, before he could put up his guard against her!
[Deliberately relax your head and neck, allowing your expression to convey a sense of ease.]

[His body is clothed, so his muscle definition isn't visible; his overall body language is casual.]

However—remaining motionless for nearly a minute in such a "casual" manner seems somewhat "deliberate."

He has already begun working as a counselor.

Just from this one conversational gesture, it's clear that Lin Lilin's purpose in this conversation wasn't "a teacher showing concern for a student," but rather that he had ulterior motives.

In this situation, Lin Lilin also said that sentence:
"You are now on the defensive against me."

……

Nan Zhuren almost laughed out loud. In the past, only his visitors were defensive towards him. He never expected that today he would be the one being perceived as defensive.

At this point, it's best not to argue that "I didn't," otherwise you might be met with a smooth barrage of "You're denying it," "You're resisting," and "Listen to me."

Chatting with those psychoanalysts who study the subconscious can sometimes be just that disgusting.

Nan Zhuren chose to ease the tension with a joke: "Teacher, aren't you a 'cognitive behavioral' researcher? When did you switch to 'schizophrenia'?"

This statement slightly eased the atmosphere of the conversation away from the seriousness of a consultation, making it more relaxed.

"Although psychology is full of diverse schools of thought, there are essentially no barriers between them. We should learn from the strengths of all schools," Lin Lilin said, shaking his head.

It seems as if Nan Zhuren successfully steered the conversation off-topic, but the truth is not so simple.

Lin Lilin seemed to have used Tai Chi, his words seemingly retreating slightly to avoid Nan Zhuren's topic, but then he changed course and pushed back with even greater force.

“I’ve been very worried about your condition, Zhu Ren, and now it seems that my worries were justified.”

“You encountered an accident, especially during a consultation. For other counselors, this would be enough to destroy their career and cause lifelong psychological trauma.”

“A normal person would definitely have problems if they encountered this kind of thing; and a person who doesn’t have problems when they encounter this kind of thing is not a normal person.”

Lin Lilin spoke earnestly.

"As for Zhu Ren, as your teacher, I know you best, and you are undoubtedly the former. You are very strong, I know that, but I believe you can also understand that being overly strong at times like this is actually harmful." "When facing injury, we cannot cover up the wound and pretend nothing is wrong, but must follow science to tear open the scar, remove the necrotic tissue, apply herbal medicine, and let the body and time heal itself."

"Think about it, would you have chosen such a radical intervention when facing a client in the past?"

……

This statement is quite fatal.

In behavioral science, there is a therapy called "flooding," which is like "throwing obsessive-compulsive disorder into a garbage dump" or "pushing down a neat stack of blocks in front of obsessive-compulsive disorder." The principle of this therapy is to allow the client to confront their trauma to the greatest extent possible, thereby achieving healing.

But after tearing open the wound, the next steps must be to remove the rotten flesh and suture the wound.

Lin Lilin, however, did not.

He used Nan Zhuren's past traumas as a weapon, trying to pierce through the armor Nan Zhuren had prepared for himself and tear open the wound beneath the layers of protection.

This is a rather vicious verbal weapon.

Honestly, although Nan Zhuren didn't feel anything psychologically, it was as if he was listening to someone else's story.

However, within her body, there seemed to be a phenomenon of somatization, with extreme reactions of anger, irritability, and sadness occurring before Nan Zhuren's thoughts could even process them.

Fortunately-

[Emotional readjustment]

A slight feeling of fatigue quickly turned into a calm indifference, as if nothing had happened.

But Lin Lilin was unaware of all this.

All he saw was Nan Zhuren's fist clenched on the table, his teeth slightly clenched, and the muscles in his head and neck, exposed to his view, suddenly tightened, as if he was trying his best to restrain himself.

Lin Lilin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

His expression quickly returned to normal, and he continued, "Zhu Ren, I originally wanted you to start over as a counseling assistant and do systematic desensitization; but I didn't expect you to immediately return to the counseling room and start counseling again, which surprised me."

"Your foundation is more solid than I imagined, and your talent and aptitude are stronger than I imagined."

Lin Lilin offered a "positive concern" as a way to ease the tension, while also hoping to regain a positive relationship with Nan Zhuren.

"Later I passed on a new client case to Howard. I repeatedly told him not to give this client to you, but I didn't expect him to do it anyway."

The teacher sighed deeply, then her speech involuntarily quickened: "This visitor is too early for you, but since he's already in your hands, it might not be a bad thing. You should do your best."

“I am also your supervisor. You can tell me how far the consultation has progressed.”

"I can also offer suggestions regarding the subsequent consultation plan!"

[The body leans forward, and the nostrils and pupils contract; these are all signs of focused attention.]

The frequency of blinking has also increased.

This was the key point he emphasized when starting today's meeting.

What does he hope to achieve with me through this visitor?

Nan Zhuren pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"Teacher, about this visitor—"

(End of this chapter)