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

Chapter 24 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Please continue reading)

"You should be able to tell that these two visitors are just giving you practice."

Upon hearing this, Nan Zhuren politely expressed his gratitude: "It is indeed very effective for training."

"I will continue to arrange visitors for you. I still need to discover something from your work."

Nan Zhuren expressed his gratitude in advance, saying, "I couldn't have asked for that more."

To complete tasks in the dream world, you need to accumulate consultation time.

Moreover, Nan Zhuren's current living situation is precisely when he needs consulting fees, so he couldn't be happier.

On the surface, it seems that the supervisor is assigning more clients to the counselors, which is putting them under more pressure and requiring them to work overtime. However, as long as the salary is distributed according to the work done, and more work is paid more, no one has any objections.

Weng Pingting continued, "The purpose of letting you 'practice' is naturally to enable you to properly prepare a case study."

Nan Zhuren nodded repeatedly: "It's only natural."

"So your first client, and the one most likely to become your case study—I think her name is Chen Ting, right?"

"How is she now?" Weng Pingting paused. "She was transferred here with a diagnosis of depression, but I'd like to hear your assessment."

As the superior supervisor, this is to check on Nan Zhuren's consultation status.

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath: "My judgment..."

She actually has some kind of stress disorder.

……

Weng Pingting had already learned in advance that Chen Ting was faking her depression.

However, Nan Zhuren still concluded that Chen Ting "needs to continue receiving consultations," which piqued Weng Pingting's curiosity.

This also gave her the idea to learn more about it.

Upon hearing Nan Zhuren's words, Weng Pingting subconsciously raised an eyebrow and uttered a single word: "PTSD?"

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to a mental disorder that occurs after an individual has experienced an unusually threatening or catastrophic event or situation, and may have a delayed onset or long-term persistence. It usually develops after a period of incubation without obvious symptoms following the traumatic event.

The main symptoms include: "repeatedly recalling traumatic experiences", "avoidance of stimuli related to traumatic events", "emotional numbness", "increased vigilance", etc., and in severe cases, medication is required as part of the treatment.

High-risk groups include victims of natural disasters, veterans, and victims of crime, among others.

……

Weng Pingting frowned as she tried to recall what Chen Ting looked like the last time she saw her.

Nan Zhuren quickly waved his hand: "It's not PTSD, at least not to that extent."

Psychological counseling and psychotherapy have extremely fine classifications based on the severity of the client's condition.

Different questionnaires, manuals, and textbooks may have different levels of detail, but generally they can be divided into the following levels:
[Mental health], [Mental abnormality], [Mental illness], [Mental disorder].

According to Nan Zhuren's assessment, Chen Ting only had some symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, but it did not mean that she actually had that level of problem.

“To be honest, she’s at most at the level of ‘psychological abnormality,’ not exactly a ‘disorder,’ much less a ‘disease,’” Nan Zhuren added. Weng Pingting nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “Then what kind of stress-related ‘abnormal’ problems do you think she has?”

Nan Zhuren recalled for a moment and slowly said, "When she first met me, she showed a certain aversion to me. At first, I thought she was averse to 'psychological counseling,' but later I realized that her aversion was actually directed at my 'male' identity."

Weng Pingting examined Nan Zhuren's features and facial lines: "This is indeed somewhat abnormal."

"After collecting some information, I found that she may have experienced a traumatic event with a certain man as the main object, which led to [generalization], and she began to dislike people, things, or situations that are similar to the other man in certain traits."

“For example, my 'male' identity,” Nan Zhuren added. “Besides that, she also has a strong aversion to 'school,' and I don’t know if it’s related to that.”

Weng Pingting raised an eyebrow: "You don't know?"

Nan Zhuren shrugged: "My focus during the first consultation was on building a counseling relationship. Gaining her trust and seeing her real problems was already a success. Other information gathering can wait until later."

Weng Pingting nodded, accepting Nan Zhuren's explanation.

"Of course, if all of the above are just my speculations."

Nan Zhuren suddenly pretended to be recalling something, his eyes serious.

"What truly convinced me that Chen Ting really needed further counseling was her subsequent reaction..."

"After I told her my theory, she made a clear recall gesture within a short period of time. At that moment, her face clearly showed fear!"

Upon hearing this, Weng Pingting's expression turned serious: "Fear?"

Nan Zhuren nodded affirmatively, "Fear."

"You can tell from her expression that she's recalling something, and that she's afraid?"

Nan Zhuren said, "That's right."

Weng Pingting pressed further, "What kind of expression was it?"

Nan Zhuren recalled: "Her eyes were big and bright, but at that moment they suddenly lost focus and stopped responding to some of my movements and words."

"Then her entire face began to move, her eyebrows tightened at the inner corners, obvious wrinkles appeared above the bridge of her nose, her pupils dilated and trembled, and her lower eyelids contracted."

"At the same time, she leaned back into the back of the sofa so that her whole body was enveloped, and her thighs and arms also contracted noticeably, assuming a defensive posture."

Nan Zhuren's description was so detailed that an image of a terrified girl immediately appeared in Weng Pingting's mind.

Her expression turned serious, not only because of the potential seriousness of the case, but also because of Nan Zhuren, who had made this series of judgments.

Weng Pingting didn't expect that this was not the end of it.

“That’s not all,” Nan Zhuren added. “Her memories and her fears are not the key issue.”

"The key is that she recalled things too quickly, as if the memory had directly invaded her mind through the trigger of a certain keyword."

"And the fear that followed came too quickly, as if it had been trained, as if it had become an instinct!"

(End of this chapter)