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

Chapter 578 She didn't know
The visitor neither denied nor defended himself.

Her feeling was more like a sudden realization… no, it couldn't be called a sudden realization. Because it wasn't a process of going from nothing to something, but rather a feeling of something that had been vaguely perceived before, but was now finally clarified and the clouds parted to reveal the sun.

When faced with the emotions that Nan Zhuren pointed out, she felt as if she were meeting an old, unfamiliar friend.

The visitor's emotional state is relatively low because the topic being discussed is profound.

But she still managed a forced smile: "It's both painful and relaxing, so what kind of emotion is that?"

Saying this was tantamount to confirming that Nan Zhuren's judgment was correct.

It's normal for non-psychology professionals to lack a detailed understanding of their emotions, which is why they need the help of a therapist.

Nan Zhuren gave the answer: "It's guilt."

It's not just ordinary guilt, it's survivor guilt.

This is what Nan Zhuren deduced from Li Lingling's previous conversation.

Survivor's guilt is a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It refers to the feeling that a person's survival of a fatal disaster or event is a "mistake" or "unfair," and the deep guilt, self-blame, and distress they feel for the death or injury of others.

People with this kind of emotion often ruminate on questions like, "Why did he/she die instead of me?", "What could I have done to save them?", and "My survival is based on the deaths of others."

Psychologically, survivor guilt can lead to risks such as major depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, and suicide.

In society, this may lead to self-isolation, impaired professional functioning, unstable relationships, and so on.

At the same time, long-term inner pain may also manifest physically, such as chronic pain, sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, immune dysfunction, and so on.

Coincidentally, just recently, when Nan Zhuren was helping Bai Qinghua's research group compile the "Guide to Psychological Crisis Intervention in Common Disasters," he happened to see the section on "Survivor Guilt."

This is precisely the key area that Bai Qinghua's research project needs to tackle.

Once it was confirmed that Li Lingling had "survivor guilt," the subsequent problem analysis became a natural progression.

Nan Zhuren couldn't help but recall her previous conversation with Dr. Hu.

……

"That child was a survivor of a flood. She was pitiful; she lost her home during that time."

"When did this happen?"

"In 1998, Lingling was just a child—this is her electronic file. You can look at it here, but you can't take it away, and it must be kept confidential."

"...Of course. But Dr. Hu, it seems there's no record of her situation in her file; it only contains her educational and work experience?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be recorded in her personal file. I know this because our hospital provided support to Lingling's hometown and established relevant medical records."

【“…”】

"This child is very hardworking. Despite losing her home, she has always faced life with optimism and perseverance. She got into Peking University and eventually stayed at our hospital as a nurse, helping others just like those who helped her before... However, no matter how optimistic she is, what happened back then must have had an impact, so I'm very concerned about her. I'll have to ask you, Xiao Nan, for help with the counseling."

【"……certainly."】

……

This highlights the professional barriers – unlike Dr. Hu's assessment, Li Lingling was not "optimistic".

If Nan Zhuren's assessment of "survivor's guilt" is correct, then Li Lingling is actually "trying" so hard driven by pain. And this effort itself is part of the pain she is pursuing.

At the same time, because she was enveloped by survivor guilt for a long time during her childhood, it naturally affected Li Lingling's social and emotional functions.

However, Li Lingling's situation was not taken seriously, and was even interpreted as a "good thing" to some extent. So she maintained this state during the most important stage of a person's personality formation, and finally stabilized after passing through adolescence and early adulthood.

This led to borderline personality disorder.

Nan Zhuren's biggest takeaway and most important task from today's consultation was to help Li Lingling understand that she has a problem with survivor guilt.

This is also the task of the first stage of psychological counseling—gathering information.

It's not just the counselor who needs to collect information from the client; the client also needs to receive feedback on their own information from the counselor. Only after the basic issues are clearly defined can further exploration proceed.

Thinking of this, Nan Zhuren looked at the visitor in front of him and sighed again—this battle was truly a great success.

In a typical consultation, it might take until the second month to reach the current level; but this time, it was almost completely completed in the second consultation.

Fortunately, a hospital was able to help collect the data.

……

At this moment, the visitor's expression changed drastically after hearing Nan Zhuren utter the word "guilt."

She first clenched her teeth, as if suppressing something; then she realized that clenching her teeth was not enough to control herself, so she started taking deep breaths.

Then she lost control of her facial expressions, and started pursing her lips tightly, raising the corners of her mouth, and lowering them.

"Guilty?" She repeated the word Nan Zhuren had pointed out, then seemed somewhat lost, "I don't know... I guess it counts."

"Anyway, I just feel that even if I'm uncomfortable, it's... the right thing to do."

Her self-exploration has deepened, evolving from "work should be uncomfortable" to "work should be painful."

Even if this consultation ends here, it can still be considered a success.

Nan Zhuren nodded and continued, “The power of the word ‘should’ is very strong. It doesn’t sound like a choice, but more like… destiny, something inherent that runs through our lives for a long time.”

Nan Zhuren looked into the visitor's eyes: "Could we try to recall what happened around you when this thought of 'should' first arose, and what you thought about?"

The consultation time is almost up, and we're nearly there. Once we break through this barrier, today's consultation can officially conclude, and then Nan Zhuren can begin wrapping things up.

However, the visitor looked up and said, "I...don't know."

Nan Zhuren was taken aback.

[A vacant, unfocused gaze—the body's experience is turning inward, indeed indicating a deep recollection.]

[Slightly pouting lips, with the edges pointing downwards—a sense of frustration after a failed attempt.]

[Raised inner corners of eyebrows and a furrowed brow indicate—]

She really couldn't remember anything; she was very confused.

(End of this chapter)