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

Chapter 471 The Story from Three Months Ago

The visitor clenched his fists, his fingers interlaced, as if recounting a story: "When I went to the courthouse back then, I was really shocked to see Teacher Nan..."

[His brows furrowed slightly.]

[Blinking frequency slows down, and gaze becomes fixed.]

[Leaning forward...]

[Nervous? Nervous with anticipation?]

Nan Zhuren's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "Yes, it was fortunate that you were there at that time, otherwise, something unexpected might have really happened."

The counselor explained casually, "I was working on a project at the courthouse with a colleague when I unexpectedly ran into you."

"But you know about the confidentiality agreement, so I have to pretend I don't know you in public. So even though I saw you at first and wanted to say hello, I held back and pretended not to know you."

After hearing Nan Zhuren's words, the visitor blinked, then chuckled twice, revealing a highly social laugh.

"...That's right."

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, loosened his tightly clasped hands, and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

Nan Zhuren suddenly felt that this was a good opportunity.

"Speaking of which, aren't you hot?" Nan Zhuren rested his hands on his knees, making a gesture as if to get up. "Should I turn the air conditioning down a bit?"

"Ah, no need..." The visitor waved his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then placed his hand on the brim of his baseball cap as if to lift it up.

Seeing this, Nan Zhuren deliberately slowed down the speed of his hands and feet, almost catching up with the frame-by-frame movement of the robot dancer.

After confirming that the visitor hadn't been faking it and had genuinely taken off his hat, he resumed his smooth movements, strode over to the air conditioner, lowered the temperature by one degree, and then raised it by one degree, making two "beep" sounds.

When he returned to his seat, the visitor had already taken off his mask and hat, unzipped his sun-protective clothing, and was combing his hair with his hands, slicking it back.

This was also the first time Nan Zhuren had clearly seen the visitor's appearance.

He has a very upright appearance, distinct features, clear lines, and fair skin.

While not quite good enough to make a living off her looks, she has a face that can leave a good first impression in social situations.

At this moment, the second consultation officially began.

……

First, the second consultation should review the content of the first consultation.

“Last time, you told me that you had problems with insomnia and difficulty concentrating, and that you would occasionally have certain things or images pop into your mind. I also learned that something very important happened to you about three months ago.”

When describing the symptoms, Nan Zhuren did not use words like "flashback," but instead used milder language.

Nan Zhuren spread his hands, indicating, "So, what has happened around you this week, and how have your thoughts changed?"

The visitor thought about it for a moment.

He wasn't very familiar with the consultation process, so he was currently thinking about the answer to Nan Zhuren's question in real time.

"As for things happening around me, there's nothing new or interesting, it's pretty much the same as before... If there's anything special, it's that time at the court, you probably already know the details, Teacher Nan."

The visitor looked up and twitched the corner of his mouth, and Nan Zhuren returned the smile.

“As for my thoughts… I was thinking that during this consultation, I could talk to you, Professor Nan, about what happened to me three months ago. I feel like I’m ready, yes, ready.” Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow, revealing an encouraging and joyful expression.

“But…” the visitor continued.

His gaze lowered, as if he dared not meet Nan Zhuren's eyes at this moment.

"I still want to solve my attention problem first. I feel it's really interfering with my life and makes me feel... uncomfortable, very... painful!"

In the last consultation, the client raised this idea, which led to a series of confrontations initiated by Nan Zhuren.

But this time, Nan Zhuren's first reaction upon hearing this request was—

"Of course, our consultation will first address those disobedient memories that occasionally pop up in your mind."

"In fact, this is also the theme I set for today's consultation—improving those issues that affect your quality of life."

The visitor blinked. "No, you didn't react like this when I made this request last time."

Why has it changed so much?
Nan Zhuren explained with a smile, "Just like I said last time, there is no universally applicable intervention method for conditions such as insomnia and difficulty concentrating."

Nan Zhuren pointed to the visitor, then to himself: "Different people have different causes for their problems, so the solutions will naturally be different as well."

“You are now willing to talk about what happened to you and are determined to change yourself. Only under this premise can we begin to address these issues.”

“After all, deep-seated problems are long-term,” Nan Zhuren said. “Before solving those problems, we need to improve your subjective life experience.”

Psychological counseling can also be divided into short-term goals, medium-term goals, and long-term goals.

The client's social phobia and avoidant personality disorder are deep-seated issues that cannot be resolved in one or two days, or even in one or two months.

Before addressing these deeper issues, the key is to improve the visitor's current quality of life.

The visitor smiled upon hearing this: "That's perfect. Those images that often pop into my head are mostly related to that major event that happened three months ago. I can tell you about them together now, teacher."

That kills two birds with one stone.

Nan Zhuren smiled and nodded: "Today I'm going to teach you a method to tame your attention in counseling, called the 'Mind-Body Landing Technique,' also known as the 'Grounding Technique.'"

"We will practice the specific steps during the next consultation, as you recall the incident. We aim to help you learn and apply these techniques in your daily life by the end of the consultation."

Seeing the counselor's smile, the visitor also felt encouraged.

After taking a deep breath, he tentatively asked, "Teacher, shall I begin?"

Nan Zhuren didn't speak, he just nodded.

There was a moment of silence in the consultation room, as if something was brewing.

After a long pause, the visitor said, "Teacher, my previous experience was rather... convoluted."

"After graduating from university, I worked for half a year, and then I happened to be selected for military service, so I enlisted. After I was discharged, I took the postgraduate entrance exam."

"Then three months ago, I fell victim to an online scam."

At this point, the visitor swallowed hard.

(End of this chapter)