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

Chapters 551: [Memory Palace - Intermediate] and [Hypnotherapy - Beginner]

After much thought, Nan Zhuren realized that the only person who could help him complete the "case archiving" process again was Li Minglu, whom he had handed over in Jiangdu.

That painter with a complicated past.

During the psychological intervention process, Nan Zhuren also managed to achieve the "Master Cultivation" achievement, which can be considered as getting justice for himself.

However, Nan Zhuren later discovered that he had begun to exhibit countertransference tendencies as a counselor, and that he started to have the idea of ​​"hoping that the client would get healed as soon as possible in order to complete the case archiving" during consultations. Therefore, he promptly transferred Li Minglu's case to Weng Pingting.

At the time, I was thinking of experimenting and seeing if I could still gain anything under these circumstances.

Now it seems there's a result?
[Nan Zhuren: Senior sister, are you there?]

Because of Weng Pingting's profession, Nan Zhuren was worried that she might be doing consultations, so he only sent a message to test the waters instead of calling her directly.

[Nan Zhuren: Are you still working on Li Minglu's project? How is it going lately?]

To Nan Zhuren's surprise, the other party replied instantly.

[Weng Pingting: Yes, Li Minglu, I've been doing it all along.]

[Weng Pingting: What a coincidence! I just finished my consultation with him today, and I had just stepped out of the consultation room when you sent me this message.]

[Weng Pingting: You're not still in contact with him, are you? (Smiling gaze.jpg)]

Nan Zhuren smiled.

[Nan Zhuren: No, I just finished a case study and that's when I suddenly thought of him.]

Weng Pingting was clearly joking, and didn't continue the conversation, instead going on to answer Nan Zhuren's earlier question.

[Weng Pingting: I can't say anything about Li Minglu's current situation; it has to be kept confidential from you.]

[Weng Pingting: But his condition is good; he's almost ready to start trying to wean himself off counseling. I was just about to have my assistant contact him to ask him to reduce the frequency of his counseling sessions.]

Alright, the case is solved.

The case archive we just received was indeed brought by Li Minglu.

Nan Zhuren breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a great weight lifted from his heart.

Due to industry norms, he couldn't be too concerned about cases that had already been transferred, so he didn't contact Weng Pingting to inquire about them.

But he still kept Li Minglu in his heart.

Now I can say that I've finally put my mind at ease.

Having achieved his goal in the chat, Nan Zhuren was about to fall asleep to check what he had learned from the two [Case Archives].

But then Weng Pingting received another message.

[Weng Pingting: How is the teacher doing lately?]

[Weng Pingting: How often do you go to the company? How much funding did your research group secure this year? How many of your reserve projects have been completed, and how many new projects have you recently applied for?]

[Weng Pingting: Also, has the company recently launched any new business ventures?]

Nan Zhuren's movements inevitably paused.

Even though it's through a phone screen, all I see are texts devoid of any emotional content.

But an inexplicable sense of oppression still traveled over thousands of miles.

Nan Zhuren pursed her lips.

[Nan Zhuren: I've been spending most of my time preparing for the exam lately. I'm in the dormitory arranged by the teacher, with my senior, Da Hui.]

[Nan Zhuren: So I don't meet with my professors very often, and I'm not very familiar with the research group's situation.]

[Weng Pingting: Ha, did you know you and your teacher were on the news? Did you know you were the center of attention in court?]

[Weng Pingting: Never mind, I'll go ask Da Hui. You go study and work hard.]

[Nan Zhuren: Okay~ (trying hard.jpg)]

I guess I got through it.

The sect's top disciple, a prodigy who is sent out to guard a region, possesses an aura that is terrifyingly powerful.

If they were chatting face-to-face, Nan Zhuren felt that he could still have a good exchange with Weng Pingting thanks to his extraordinary abilities.

But for now... better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

After feeling sorry for Chonghui and Bai Qinghua for a couple of seconds, Nan Zhuren hurriedly put down his phone and slumped onto the table.

[Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment], [Emotional readjustment]...

Fall down and go to sleep.

……

Consciousness sinks.

When Nan Zhuren opened her eyes again, she was already in her own dream-like psychological counseling room, with the postgraduate entrance exam reference book she had memorized while going to sleep the night before beside her.

With a thought, the reference book put itself back on the shelf, and Nan Zhuren's gaze fell on the computer in front of him.

【月度目标：1个月内完成“心理咨询”10小时（10/10），完成后进行1次“心理能力培训”】

[This month's goals have been achieved]

You have one [Psychological Ability Training] session to claim.

【生涯发展：归档“案例档案”1个（1(+1)/1），完成后进行1次“心理技法深造”】

You have one [Advanced Psychological Techniques Course] to claim.

You have one [Advanced Psychological Techniques Training (Group)] item to claim.

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

The first monthly goal was also provided by Nan Zhihao. After finishing the consultation with him today, we made it exactly 10 hours of consultation for this month.

There's not much to say. I'll see what rewards I get later. If they're useful, I'll keep trying; if not, I'll go back and study for my postgraduate entrance exam.

As for the advanced psychological techniques that will follow with the [Case Archives] section...

Nan Zhuren looked at the last prompt, the last two words: 【(Group)】.

As expected, the reward for only completing half of the case study was different from the reward for completing it alone.

I don't know what the effect will be.

Nan Zhuren was the first to click on the notification.

You have received [Advanced Psychological Techniques Training (Group)]

[Can upgrade one current technique]

I understand. There are two directions for normal "advanced study of psychological techniques": one is to acquire new techniques, and the other is to upgrade the current techniques.

The advanced training with the suffix 【(group)】 can only upgrade techniques.

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow, feeling that he was implying something—group technique training courses are indeed not as good as one-on-one training, right?

But this is good too. Originally, Nan Zhuren would have struggled with this choice, but now he doesn't have to worry about it at all.

Two different advanced learning rewards: one grants access to a new technique, and the other upgrades an existing one.

As for what to upgrade...

Nan Zhuren tapped on [Memory Palace - Beginner].

Right now, preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam is more important; improving my memory is a good precaution.

It's too troublesome to fall asleep every time you recall something now. What Nan Zhuren wants is a "memory palace" like in "Sherlock," where you can freely retrieve memories even when you're awake.

You have chosen your area of ​​further study.

You have mastered the technique [Memory Palace - Intermediate]

[Memory Palace - Intermediate: This allows you to store information received through your senses in its original form within the consultation room. The stored information can then be processed and recalled within the consultation room.]

Upon seeing this explanation, Nan Zhuren was initially disappointed, but then his eyes lit up again. He was disappointed because he still couldn't retrieve memories while fully conscious; reaching that level would likely require reaching the [Memory Palace - Advanced] stage.

If I encounter a question I don't know how to answer in the exam and need to look up information, I'll have to fall asleep on the spot.

It feels weird.

But Nan Zhuren's eyes lit up again, because this technique was indeed a significant improvement over the [Beginner] level.

The description of the "Memory Palace - Beginner" is: "Visually received information is stored in the consultation room in the form of text, and the stored information can be recalled in the consultation room."

By contrast.

First, the source of information expanded from "visual" to "one's own senses," which means that information from hearing, smell, touch, and so on, all entered the scope of Nan Zhuren's memory.

Secondly, information is now stored in its "raw" form.

It is important to understand that in the human memory processing mechanism, information must go through the "encoding" process in the process of traveling from the sensory organs to the human brain. The purpose of this step is to transform external information into a form that the individual can understand.

In other words, when people's memories are compared with the objective reality itself, they are already somewhat distorted from the very beginning.

Currently, Nan Zhuren's "Memory Palace" can store the original state of things and then repeatedly experience them.

The simplest example is that every time Nan Zhuren had a consultation, it was as if he had an invisible camera, and he could replay the client's reactions during the consultation whenever he fell asleep.

As Nan Zhuren's knowledge level improved, he was able to learn something new every time he watched the videos of visitors.

It may not have any immediate impact, but it will be of great help to Nan Zhuren's career development.

"Compared to the beginner level, the improvement of the intermediate level skill is indeed huge."

Nan Zhuren couldn't help but sigh.

"Let's see what new techniques we can develop next."

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath.

You have received [Advanced Psychological Techniques Training]

You have chosen your area of ​​further study.

You have mastered the technique [Hypnotherapy - Beginner]

[Hypnotherapy - Basic Level: Through a standard action or appropriate verbal guidance, the client is immediately brought into a hypnotic state.]

"...?!!"

Nan Zhuren blinked.

Has he unleashed the ultimate weapon of the psychoanalytic school?
If used correctly, this technique can be just as helpful as micro-expression analysis!

I just don't know what level of progress a basic level of hypnotherapy can actually achieve.

"How exactly is a 'standard action or appropriate verbal guidance' determined, and how long does it take to induce a hypnotic state?"

"What level of hypnosis are we inducing? Mild, moderate, or deep?"

To those unfamiliar with the subject, hypnosis might seem like a niche, high-end, or even somewhat frightening thing.

But in fact, hypnotic states are not uncommon in life.

In mindfulness therapy, a client who has entered a state of mind can actually be seen as being in a very shallow form of "hypnosis".

Popular AMSR sleep aid videos online can also be seen as a form of hypnosis.

In daily life, seeing too many advertisements can unconsciously lead to unusual shopping tendencies, which can still be seen as a form of hypnosis.

The kind of plot where someone is hypnotized and becomes completely obedient to the hypnotist only appears in third-rate novels or movies.

"We still need to verify how far this technique can go..." Nan Zhuren made plans in his mind.

"Speaking of which, hypnosis is very effective in treating traumatic experiences, especially childhood trauma... If it were used on Nan Zhihao, his counseling process could be greatly shortened..."

"It's a pity."

This ability only emerged after the case of Nan Zhihao was filed.

I've healed you completely, now give me a technique to heal you.

"Never mind, at least we can be more efficient when we encounter similar visitors in the future."

Looking up, there was a notification on the computer screen indicating that a "Monthly Goal" reward was waiting to be claimed.

At this point, it held no appeal for Nan Zhuren, so he casually clicked to claim it.

You have received [psychological skills training]

[Psychological resilience +1]

Psychological resilience, also known as psychological toughness or psychological recovery ability, refers to an individual's ability to adapt to trauma, difficulties, and significant stress, as well as their ability to recover afterward.

Simply put, it refers to a person's mental resilience and regeneration speed.

It has some functional overlap with [emotional readjustment], but it is not very important.

……

"hiss--"

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath, waking up from her sleep, and looked around.

My hands are a little itchy.

Whenever I acquire a new skill or ability, I can't help but want to find someone to test it out on...

Suddenly, Nan Zhuren's eyes lit up: "Xiao Kai!"

The consulting assistant, who was reviewing the dialogue script given to her by Nan Zhuren at her workstation, paused.

Nan Zhuren had very few clients, so Mo Kai spent most of his time studying the consultation scripts that Nan Zhuren provided, absorbing the knowledge, and preparing for his first consultation.

He thoroughly enjoys this kind of work and life.

What a studious child!

However, sometimes, being a client is also an important way to improve one's counseling skills—councilors with a background in psychology often start by harassing school counselors to begin formal counseling.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing Nan Zhuren's summons, Mo Kai arrived immediately.

"Are you looking at the dialogue transcript? I'll revise it for you later. It just so happens that some of my clients have new developments recently."

Nan Zhuren looked into Mo Kai's eyes: "Are you free now? I recently learned a new technique, could you help me practice it?"

The young counselor spoke frankly.

Mo Kai's eyes lit up: "Of course!"

The younger consulting assistant immediately agreed.

……

The next day.

Mo Kai arrived at the company early.

But unlike usual, he didn't chat with his other assistants today, nor did he immediately study the dialogue script that Nan Zhuren had prepared yesterday.

Instead, he just sat at his workstation, staring blankly at the computer screen.

The assistant surnamed Huang slid over from the chair next to Mo Kai and waved his hand in front of Mo Kai's eyes to get his attention back.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you? You've been so absent-minded ever since you came out of the consultation room with Teacher Nan yesterday."

The assistant, surnamed Huang, looked around and lowered his voice, "Has something happened to the company?"

Mo Kai snapped back to reality: "No, no, I just think that Senior Brother Nan is just too—amazing!"

(End of this chapter)