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

Chapter 517 dissects "I" and then allows them to converse with each other.
The visitor responded quickly, entering a state of reflection after Nan Zhuren finished speaking the guiding words.

Nan Zhuren could tell that, although the visitor was supposed to be thinking, his current state was more like "daydreaming."

This is actually a good thing.

When faced with this stage, most adult clients either feel ashamed of their age and initially resist the therapist implicitly; or they simply go through the motions, their thinking remaining superficial, writing down whatever comes to mind on paper.

At present, the visitor is in a state of cognitive shock after Nan Zhuren pointed out the problem.

This state is when divergent thinking is most active. This state may make it temporarily impossible to concentrate on thinking about detailed things, but when thinking about simple problems, all sorts of answers will pop up one after another.

Especially since the visitor is still experiencing a cognitive shock regarding the "self," their divergent thinking will revolve around reflections on the "self."

After two minutes of contemplation, Nan Zhuren stared at the visitor in a daze for more than a minute.

Then, the other person's pupils regained focus, and their eyes began to move rapidly. After blinking several times, the visitor wrote down what they wanted to say to their "ideal self," and then quickly completed the content of their communication with their "real self" without stopping.

"Alright, teacher."

Nan Zhuren glanced at it.

The message a visitor should say to their ideal self is, "I'm drifting further and further away from you."

The message to your "real self" is, "You had the opportunity to avoid all of this."

OK, today's consultation, from beginning to end, can be considered the first step of the "empty chair technique"—"anchoring conflict".

……

Looking at these two sentences, Nan Zhuren pointed to the two sofas in front of the visitor, or rather, the two "selves" of the visitor, and said, "Okay, now say these two sentences to the two 'yous' in front of you respectively—do you remember which one is which?"

The visitor nodded, indicating that he could distinguish between them, and then said to Nan Zhuren, "I want to say to this 'ideal self' on the left, I'm getting further and further away from him..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Zhuren quickly responded by gesturing for a pause.

Nan Zhuren said, "Don't talk to me, talk to 'you'."

This is very important.

The visitor pursed his lips, finally turned to the gray cushion on the left side of the sofa, and said, "I'm getting further and further away from him."

His tone was flat, as if he were stating an answer in class.

Nan Zhuren corrected again: "No, it's not 'he,' replace 'he' with 'you.'"

Upon hearing this, the visitor pursed his lips again. He adjusted his posture on the sofa, his hand unconsciously gripping the blanket a couple of times.

After waiting for two breaths, he slowly spoke: "...I'm getting further and further away from you."

Nan Zhuren nodded slightly in his heart. Very good.

He offered direct encouragement and support: "Yes, that's it. Now we're officially getting into this technology."

The visitor exhaled, then picked up another piece of paper and said to the green cushion on the sofa to his right, which represented his "real self," "You had the opportunity to avoid all of this."

Phase one has been officially completed.

The words the visitor spoke to his two selves were in a rather formal style.

But that's okay, this is just the beginning. The real excitement starts in the second stage.

Seeing the visitor's slightly glazed gaze after he finished speaking, Nan Zhuren pinched his throat.

His voice became low, deep, and steady, like the warm winter sun washing over the visitor. Emotional soothing, emotional contagion, and all the other abilities that could enhance the visitor's immersive experience were employed.

"Okay, now let's look at the sofa on the left and look at that cushion."

As if a hand were resting on the visitor's face, he immediately shifted his gaze to the target upon hearing this.

Nan Zhuren slowly said, "Imagine that 'ideal Nan Zhihao' sitting there. If he had a physical form, what would he look like?"

"What kind of clothes will he wear? What kind of expression will he have? What will his sitting posture be like?"

Guided by Nan Zhuren's voice, the visitor showed a thoughtful expression.

His gaze became increasingly direct, yet also lingering.

It was as if a phantom was sitting on that empty sofa, being scrutinized by him.

Three breaths later.

“He… well, he was probably wearing a white T-shirt, and over that… a casual gray suit jacket,” the visitor said slowly. “And jeans and casual leather shoes…”

"His face should be similar to mine now... but his expression is more relaxed, and his posture is also more relaxed, just like... Professor Nan."

The words at the end made Nan Zhuren smile.

Seeing that the visitor had finished his narration, Nan Zhuren pointed to the green cushion on the sofa to the right: "If 'the real Nan Zhihao' were sitting here, what would his physique be like?"

This time, the visitor took a few extra breaths to think, but the answer was much briefer.

He said, "Just like me now."

"Okay." Nan Zhuren didn't offer any comment, but simply pushed the two pieces of paper with writing on them on them toward the visitor again.

"Now, look at the two 'yous' sitting on the sofa, and say what you want to say to them."

The visitor responded quickly to Nan Zhuren's words, nodding immediately to indicate that he understood.

But when faced with his ideal self, he unconsciously hesitated for a moment: "...I...phew, tsk..."

He sighed: "...I'm getting further and further away from you..."

Then she quickly turned to her "real self," nodding as she spoke: "...You had the opportunity to avoid all of this."

The difference becomes apparent during the first "dialogue".

Nan Zhuren nodded, stood up, and picked up the two pieces of paper with writing on them.

He first placed the one that said "I'm drifting further and further away from you" on the sofa on the right, which was labeled "Real Self," and then placed the one that said "You had the opportunity to avoid all of this" on the sofa on the left, which was labeled "Ideal Self."

After doing all this, Nan Zhuren took out two new A4 sheets of paper from the folder and handed them to the visitor.

"Now, let's assume that the two sentences we just heard were spoken by two 'you's' to each other."

Nan Zhuren pointed to the two sheets of paper: "I need you to continue to expand this dialogue. Say a sentence on the left, then say a sentence on the right, let them communicate, or even debate."

"Write until you can't think of anything else, okay?"

From here, the consultation enters its third stage – [Realistic Self-Struggle].

(End of this chapter)