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

Chapter 430 Problems and Interventions

Nan Zhuren thought for a moment.

He first gave a summary: "It is definitely an anxiety-related issue, triggered by social factors."

"Optimistically speaking, it's social anxiety disorder."

“But I suspect…” Nan Zhuren hesitated for a moment, “that he’s already starting to dabble in social phobia.”

Bai Qinghua's expression became slightly serious.

What Nan Zhuren is talking about is no small matter.

Bai Qinghua was waiting for Nan Zhuren to state his reasons.

Nan Zhuren organized his thoughts.

He first briefly recounted the two stories the visitor had told him.

These include "the unforgettable public argument" and "not being able to hand the girl an umbrella because of concerns about boundaries."

And the corresponding feelings and reactions of the visitors.

Just listening to it, Bai Qinghua's brows furrowed slightly.

At this point, there's no need for further explanation; Bai Qinghua can figure it out himself.

Similarly, Chonghui and Shi Qianqian also felt something.

However, Nan Zhuren was much more organized than them—at least much more organized than his senior brothers and sisters.

Nan Zhuren listed them one by one: "The moment I saw the visitor, his clothing already revealed a lot of problems."

"Out-of-season long sleeves, face masks and hats that cover the face are a kind of physical 'coverage' and it is 'full-body cover'."

“He repeatedly recalls past events in his spare time, which is clearly a kind of ‘rumination’ – with this phenomenon, he cannot easily extricate himself from the past situation.”

Nan Zhuren sighed.

"When I came to these two characteristics, my alarm bells went off. The client's problem was already in the category of mental illness."

"Moreover, it is a mental illness related to anxiety."

This is an extremely high-end session, a case study level, not your average consulting.

"The next step is to determine exactly what the problem is."

Nan Zhuren said, "After the conflict with someone, I specifically asked him whether the image he recalled was the 'opponent' or the 'onlookers'."

"The answer is 'onlookers'—this is a fear of being judged by others."

Even though the onlookers didn't say anything to him on the spot, he made a negative assumption, thinking that it would make others think that he was also a bad person.

Nan Zhuren sighed: "By the time we get here, we can basically confirm that it's social anxiety."

"Later, he didn't hand the girl an umbrella in the rain because he was worried that the difference between men and women would be seen as a lack of 'boundaries'."

“Similar to the above, this is also a fear of others’ gaze and evaluation, and even a fear that leads to avoiding social behaviors like ‘offering an umbrella’,” Nan Zhuren summarized. “[Anticipatory anxiety] triggers [behavioral inhibition].

This series of listings also made Chonghui and Shi Qianqian's thoughts clearer.

At the same time, it made their brows furrow even deeper.

It was precisely because they had a clear understanding of the situation that they were able to realize the seriousness of the matter.

But the most serious issue hasn't been revealed yet. "What really alarms me is that he still experiences memory flashbacks," Nan Zhuren said worriedly. "According to him, he must have experienced a destructive life event. It was because of this destructive life event that he underwent this change."

“And certain scenes from that destructive event would suddenly appear when he had nothing to do.”

"This invasive flashback essentially eliminates the possibility of him healing on his own in a short period of time."

"When he recounted his memory flashbacks, even though he tried his best to control himself, there were still many micro-expressions related to fear—not anxiety, but fear!"

Bai Qinghua's expression also turned serious at this moment, and he nodded slightly.

The teacher uttered the first sentence Nan Zhuren had spoken since he began sharing his case: "So you think he might have a more severe form of social phobia, and not just social anxiety?"

This is far more serious than social anxiety.

Nan Zhuren nodded.

How long have these symptoms been going on for him?

“Five months,” Nan Zhuren replied. “According to the diagnostic criteria, symptoms must persist for more than six months to be classified as social phobia, but I think it’s pretty close.”

Bai Qinghua expressed his approval.

Standards are standards, but in practice, specific problems still need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

"The only problem now is that I don't know the specific destructive event that the client experienced—I even suspect it was a traumatic event."

Nan Zhuren looked regretful: "Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for the consultation, so I could only try to achieve some complete results for him based on this consultation."

"Actually, I really wanted to guide him to continue talking, after all, it wasn't easy to establish a counseling relationship this time."

“But if he is still reminiscing before the consultation ends, he will definitely be overly emotionally involved when he goes back, and may even lose control of his emotions. This is not as good as when he first came for consultation, at least at that time he was able to control himself to a limited extent.”

"So I ended the consultation with a rather harsh summary, explaining to him the cognitive problems he was currently experiencing, hoping to pull him out of his emotional state, and then abruptly ending the consultation."

Nan Zhuren looked melancholy as he spoke.

"Even if he doesn't consult me ​​again, I hope he will be more conscious of seeking other help, and that he will be less defensive and resistant compared to my experience this time."

Nan Zhuren said, "It's already good that he took the initiative to seek advice this time, but he was still too evasive in the process."

Bai Qinghua comforted him, saying, "Maybe he'll come back to you later."

Chonghui and Shi Qianqian nodded in agreement, admitting that they couldn't have conducted the consultation as systematically as Nan Zhuren.

Bai Qinghua thought for a moment and said, "If this visitor came to you, how would you probably want to intervene?"

Chonghui and Shi Qianqian pricked up their ears and stared at Nan Zhuren, thinking that with such detailed consultation, Nan Zhuren would definitely be able to come up with a concrete solution.

However, after deep thought, Nan Zhuren shook his head.

"uncertain."

"The core of the client's problem is a complex interplay of three factors: his own avoidant personality, a traumatic event five months ago, and now an anxiety disorder that he is unsure whether it qualifies as social phobia."

“The issues are all vague now, and the extent of them is unclear. I don’t know the reasons for his avoidant attachment, I don’t know his other social situations in life, and I don’t know what the traumatic event was.”

"Only after gaining a deep understanding can I prioritize and then develop an intervention plan."

Faced with this answer that is uncertain in every way.

Bai Qinghua smiled with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)