Chapter 962: Chapter 753: Chonghui’s Second Desensitization

Chen Lizhou’s shoulders trembled violently.

This time, not only did tears fall from his face, but he also let out a suppressed sob, gradually approaching the state of "sadness" typical of a normal person.

However, Nan Zhubin frowned slightly in his heart.

It was not because of Chen Lizhou’s current state, but because Chen Lizhou’s words had not yet come to a "conclusion."

He has not yet completed the "unfinished event" at hand.

Yet Nan Zhubin was not in a hurry. If Chen Lizhou could integrate himself during this consultation, that would naturally be best.

Even if not, it would still represent a significant breakthrough. At this stage, the consultation already had a considerable level of completeness, and it could come to an end.

Nan Zhubin made one last probing remark: "Very good, you’ve done an excellent job."

No matter how objectively complete Chen Lizhou was, the consultant should offer "Support" as long as there’s a breakthrough.

Then Nan Zhubin said, "Now that you’ve expressed all these thoughts, do you feel a bit more relieved?"

...

What Chen Lizhou said next did not surprise Nan Zhubin, although it still startled him somewhat.

"No... I’m still very upset," Chen Lizhou said.

"Mainly... I know that saying these things can’t change anything. Fangfang can’t hear them anymore, and I still can’t forgive myself."

"I’m sorry, Teacher Nan. I’m not saying the consultation was ineffective, it’s just that..."

Chen Lizhou stared fixedly at the empty sofa: "I thought saying these words would make me feel better, that it would free me from some burdens... but I discovered I couldn’t."

"In my mind now, I still see all the wrongs I did to her, the look in her eyes during our arguments, and how she might look if she heard my thoughts after she was gone..."

"And the fact that I deliberately didn’t answer the hospital’s call that day... I can’t forget these things." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Nan Zhubin was not surprised by what Chen Lizhou revealed. Not every consultation brings a perfectly happy ending.

A response like the visitor’s is, in fact, quite normal.

Nan Zhubin nodded slightly, maintaining a gentle tone of "Empathy": "I understand your feelings. The release of emotions and the dissolution of obsessions is never achieved overnight; it requires a process."

"The ’Empty Chair Technique’ isn’t meant to make you immediately let go; rather, it’s to let you express those unsaid words properly, so you are no longer trapped by them, and avoid falling into Dissociation due to suppressed emotions."

Since the visitor couldn’t achieve this in one go with the "Empty Chair Technique" during this consultation, Nan Zhubin proactively mentioned its limitations to prevent further negative internal attribution from the visitor.

Many visitors, after using the empty chair technique, might doubt themselves for not immediately feeling relieved, thinking they "didn’t do it well" or it was "useless."

Nan Zhubin paused, then continued: "It’s normal that you can’t let go right now. After all, your guilt towards Fangfang and the regrets about the relationship have been accumulating for so long; it’s impossible to resolve them completely in one venting."

"But you should know, you’ve already taken the hardest step — you dared to confront this pain and speak those words you’ve kept buried for so long, which is already a significant progress."

Finally, give one last "Positive Attention" to alleviate Chen Lizhou’s self-denial and anxiety.

With this, the consultation was almost at its end. After a final review and summary of this session, they could wrap up.

But before Nan Zhubin could speak, Chen Lizhou suddenly looked up.

He seemed to have had some kind of insight.

"Teacher Nan, I think—perhaps I don’t have to see these things as ’unfinished events.’"

This twist made even Nan Zhubin pause in slight surprise.

The psychological consultant’s instinct led him to explore further: "Oh? Why do you think so?"

Nan Zhubin hadn’t sat back down yet, and Chen Lizhou continued to gaze at the pillow and the blank paper on the empty sofa.

As if speaking to Nan Zhubin, to himself, or perhaps to someone else, he said:

"Fangfang is gone, and I no longer have the chance to apologize to her or resolve those misunderstandings... these regrets are things I can never make up for, or completely let go of."

"But I think... perhaps there are other ways that I can ’complete’ those things."

"I... still have practical ways to commemorate her, to honor our relationship, and to make up for what I owe her."

When Chen Lizhou said this, his eyes seemed to sparkle.

Instinctively, Nan Zhubin asked, "What is this method?"

In response, Chen Lizhou lowered his head: "I... haven’t figured it out yet. I just have this vague idea, like there are many things I can do. But exactly what those things are, I need to go back and think them over carefully..."

To Chen Lizhou’s idea, Nan Zhubin did not hastily offer affirmation and support.

After all, visitors with "Personality Dissociation" can have all sorts of thoughts.

Nan Zhubin also refrained from digging too persistently out of concern for the visitor’s safety. After all, as Chen Lizhou himself said—he hasn’t figured it out yet.

If he pressed the issue too hard at this point, it might diminish the consultation’s effectiveness and push Chen Lizhou back into some degree of self-denial.

Nan Zhubin could only say: "It’s okay, we can take the time from today until the next session to think about it slowly, perhaps you can make a list. Then we can discuss it together in the next consultation."