Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!-Chapter 139 - 137 Searching for Cognitive Dissonance Points

Chapter 139: Chapter 137 Searching for Cognitive Dissonance Points

When facing medication intervention, Li Minglu showed great self-motivation.

However, in everyday life, he seemed lacking in motivation, appearing to drift along or even resigned to adversity.

Nan Zhubin’s consultant’s intuition told him that finding the reason for Li Minglu’s different behaviors in these two situations was the key to curing Li Minglu.

For now.

Since Li Minglu inherently possesses motivation, the best method is to make him realize this fact.

What Nan Zhubin needs to do is to channel Li Minglu’s motivation, guiding it towards a direction that can inspire his daily life, thereby changing Li Minglu’s life.

As various thoughts collided in his mind, Nan Zhubin chose the most suitable intervention method from his pre-considered options.

"Do you feel a bit uncomfortable now?"

The recent memory clearly made Li Minglu relive unsuitable scenes and emotions, causing him to appear somewhat rigid.

Upon hearing Nan Zhubin’s question, he looked up and replied, "Still okay."

["Still okay" translates to "I do feel uncomfortable, but I can still endure it. However, if you keep this up, it’s hard to say later."]

[That’s what it means.]

"From the narration just now, I can feel that there seem to be some contradictions in your life and cognition, and these contradictions trouble you, thereby fostering negative emotions."

Nan Zhubin slowly said, "Next, we need to uncover these contradictions together and understand what they truly are."

...

Nan Zhubin decided to focus on [cognitive-behavioral therapy], supplemented with some other techniques.

Introducing this level of intervention right in the second consultation is actually quite aggressive.

However, considering that Li Minglu has already undergone long-term interventions, he is among the better-recovered group in [depression].

At the same time, he inherently has a substantial motivational foundation.

Therefore, Nan Zhubin judged that directly starting formal intervention treatment now is entirely feasible.

...

On Li Minglu’s side, after hearing Nan Zhubin’s words, he nodded with some understanding.

Nan Zhubin smiled slightly, "First, we need to conduct a relaxation training."

Due to the emotional turmoil from the previous recount, Li Minglu was very tense both emotionally and physically, so mental relaxation as preparation is quite necessary.

The role of the two-seater sofa became apparent at this moment. Although not as comfortable as a specialized relaxation chair, it was still enough to provide a certain level of comfort and sense of security for the visitor.

Nan Zhubin instructed Li Minglu to lie down.

"First, choose a position that you find most comfortable."

Li Minglu closed his eyes and uneasily stretched his body a few times.

"Alright," he replied.

Still a bit tense.

Nan Zhubin lowered his voice to make it as soothing as possible.

"It’s okay, we can keep adjusting."

"You can close your eyes and imagine the sofa is your bed at home, and the surroundings are quiet..."

As Nan Zhubin spoke, he drew the curtains, dimming the room to a calm and reassuring level.

Following his narrative, Li Minglu continued to stretch and adjust his posture, occasionally wriggling on the sofa and rubbing the fabric on the side with exposed skin like his neck and wrists.

It must be said that although the consultation room’s setup is relatively "simple," quite a bit was invested in the sofa, whose fabric is of a rather expensive and soft type.

This must have been Weng Pinting’s insistence.

Nan Zhubin could see the originally tight skin on Li Minglu’s face gradually relaxing.

"Can you hear me talking?" Nan Zhubin asked tentatively.

He certainly could, but Nan Zhubin mainly needed Li Minglu’s feedback at this moment.

"Yes," Li Minglu replied.

[His voice was considerably lower than when he previously replied "okay."]

[Also much more relaxed.]

"I need you to follow my instructions to start adjusting your breathing."

"Inhale longer and lighter; exhale a bit faster and heavier."

"Inhale—, exhale, inhale—, exhale, inhale—"

"Very good, now exhale lightly and slowly, but still keeping a slightly faster rhythm than inhaling."

"Inhale—, exhale..., inhale—, exhale..."

It’s similar to the relaxation training before Chen Ting’s [System Desensitization Therapy], but since the consulting relationship between Li Minglu and Nan Zhubin isn’t as deep as with Chen Ting, it requires more time.

Fortunately, there’s no need for too much immersion, as once Li Minglu’s breathing calmed down, Nan Zhubin got straight to the point.

"Now, I need you to imagine a scene— a scene from your daily life."

"In your ideal world, how do you want your day to be?"

"From waking up, what do you wish to see? What do you want to do throughout the day?"

"Work? Study? Hanging out with friends?"

Nan Zhubin gently guided: "Using these as a foundation, I need you to construct your most ideal day."

The consultation room was very quiet, with only the sound of Li Minglu’s deep breaths audible for a moment.

His breathing became progressively steady, and after a long exhale.

"The most ideal day..."

"Waking up in the morning, ideally, I’d open my eyes and... see my wife’s face."

Li Minglu pursed his lips, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted.

It was truly just a slight degree.

[A smile, a warm smile.]

"Then for waking up, if I wake up early, I make breakfast; if my wife wakes up early, she does; if we both sleep in, I go out to buy breakfast, and my wife wakes up our daughter and son."

"After breakfast, I might work during the morning. Look through magazines, interact with friends for a bit, and then paint, or handle other painting-related matters. My wife would handle household chores."

"What I do specifically in the afternoon depends on the situation. Normally, I would prefer to continue staying in my studio, be it painting, gaming, or binge-watching shows. If my wife has plans, then we go out to meet friends; if it’s a day off, take the kids out to play."

"Evening... evening is for resting, right? Eat, do the dishes, help the kids with their homework, and if there’s time, take a stroll together. My wife would watch shows, chat over the phone with friends, ideally with me accompanying the kids..."

"Of course, sometimes I can’t sleep, if I’m still awake by one o’clock, I’d get up to paint for a while, after all, inspiration is more abundant at night..."

Nan Zhubin didn’t say a word at this moment, only jotting down key terms on his notebook.

Li Minglu paused: "That’s it for my ideal life."

His aura at this moment was very calm.

Like sunlight, like a gentle breeze, even carrying a faint scent of grassy flowers.

Unfortunately, this kind of calm was about to be broken by Nan Zhubin personally.

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