Chapter 1140 - 844: New Mode (2)

Jie Nianzhou opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to refute something. Even though this "Support" was spoken by Nan Zhubin, it was still hard for Jie Nianzhou to accept at the moment.

Nan Zhubin smiled, "Well... let me say this in advance, this is not a consultation, and you haven’t paid..."

He didn’t directly explain his conclusion but made a joke to ease the atmosphere, thereby subtly breaking Jie Nianzhou’s defensive nature towards his "Support".

"So we’re just talking as acquaintances, or discussing the issue," emphasized Nan Zhubin.

Jie Nianzhou half-understood, and even if he didn’t entirely agree in his heart, he habitually nodded first.

No matter how much Jie Nianzhou needed enlightenment, Nan Zhubin couldn’t give him psychological consultation at the moment.

The necessary conditions were not in place.

However, Nan Zhubin could use consulting techniques and similar procedures.

The so-called "discussing issues" now is actually very close to the "psychological education" phase Nan Zhubin typically engages in during consultations. Essentially, it involves using professional psychological knowledge to deconstruct the visitor’s current situation, thereby alleviating their sense of stigma and deepening their self-awareness.

This type of phase actually often appears in daily interactions as well. Deep exchanges between friends can serve a similar function.

But outside the consulting room, ordinary people might not handle it well, often becoming too intrusive; or they might come off as a know-it-all who halfway knows what they’re talking about.

When consultants engage in this phase, they not only manage the degree and keep their content substantial but also go through a lengthy building process of the consultation alliance.

For Nan Zhubin at this moment, although an immediate groundwork cannot be laid during the current conversation, with so many previous consultations as a foundation, using a joke to ease the atmosphere and continue "psychological education" is quite sufficient.

"I understand what you’re thinking," Nan Zhubin took a glance at the meeting room not far away, then looked around at the temporarily empty corridor, and quickly got to the point.

"You don’t like your chaotic thoughts just now, and even more so you don’t like being prevented by those chaotic thoughts from ’standing up to expose the teacher in public’, right?" Nan Zhubin looked into Jie Nianzhou’s eyes.

Jie Nianzhou nodded, very honestly, "I feel... it’s very weak. It makes me feel I haven’t changed at all."

Nan Zhubin didn’t comment but directly asked, "So do you think standing up, accusing Bi Yanling in public as the ’recorder’, causing her to break down before everyone is a good thing?"

Jie Nianzhou was stunned.

"Isn’t that... a good thing?"

Disconnected from the ugliness Bi Yanling exposed, which let others see with relish, for Jie Nianzhou himself, it was actually akin to growth and rebirth.

It sounds, and seems to be, a very beautiful future.

But Nan Zhubin shook his head, "If it were a plot of a novel, it indeed has drama and tension."

Nan Zhubin looked at Jie Nianzhou, "But from the perspective of psychological consultation, it’s not a good thing for you — at least, not as good as the current situation."

Jie Nianzhou was completely stunned.

Retreating weakly and fleeing the scene, was actually better than bravely standing up?

If others said this, he would only scoff.

But it was Nan Zhubin speaking, so Jie Nianzhou listened with an attitude while Nan Zhubin continued, "Do you remember the internal logic of your obsessive symptoms?"

Jie Nianzhou nodded, "I have to repeatedly confirm whether I’ve made a mistake, harmed others, or caused trouble."

Nan Zhubin also nodded, "Right, you have to ’confirm repeatedly’. You need to recall in your mind repeatedly, check the recordings repeatedly, read the messages repeatedly; it’s all essentially ’confirmation’."

"Then do you think your act of ’standing up to accuse Bi Yanling’ is also a form of ’confirmation’?"

This remark hit like a sledgehammer, completely dazing Jie Nianzhou.

"Is it...?" Jie Nianzhou was somewhat puzzled.

Nan Zhubin pointed in the direction of the meeting room, "You provide the recording, you attend in person, and if in the end, you publicly confirm that you provided the recording."

Nan Zhubin patiently guided, "Do you think the biggest difference between the last step and the first two is?"

"Is it... more need for determination and courage?" Jie Nianzhou furrowed his brow, "After all, stepping out this step, I... would be completely out in the open, and the teacher and other students would know what I’ve done."

"But what if, even after stepping out, no one in the classroom pays attention to you?" Nan Zhubin immediately asked.

This was an absurd question.

Jie Nianzhou also showed an absurd expression, "How could no one pay attention to me?"

A student provided recording evidence and publicly admitted to recording; even if eventually suppressed by public opinion, it would at least stir up a storm at the scene, wouldn’t it?

"If," Nan Zhubin emphasized, "If you didn’t draw any attention, what impact would you think this act of standing up have on you?"

Jie Nianzhou fell silent, subconsciously following Nan Zhubin to make this assumption.

"I... might feel very... frustrated?" Jie Nianzhou whispered, "I would feel my actions were meaningless."

Nan Zhubin got the answer he wanted and nodded heavily, "So you see, isn’t this also a form of ’confirmation’?"

"Before, you confirmed by yourself; now, you’re confirming through the external world. You confirm the effectiveness of your actions, or even their value, through external reactions!"

"And this confirmation essentially shares the same source as your previous compulsive behaviors."

Nan Zhubin extended one finger from his left hand and one from his right, one representing Jie Nianzhou’s past compulsive behavior, the other representing the ’publicly standing out’ behavior that Jie Nianzhou didn’t undertake.

Then he merged these two fingers into one.

"They may differ in degree, but they are still within the same framework."

Jie Nianzhou’s gaze was somewhat dazed.

He dumbfoundedly looked at Nan Zhubin’s two intertwined fingers, while a storm brewed in his mind.

He had always considered providing a recording today and publicly testifying against Bi Yanling as the ultimate goal, the ultimate victory.

But now Nan Zhubin told him—this victory actually meant little to him?

"And from another perspective," Nan Zhubin said, "you didn’t stand out, you stayed put."

Nan Zhubin looked into Jie Nianzhou’s eyes, "You made a decision that does not rely on external confirmation. You know you provided the recording, you know you attended the scene, you know you completed the part you thought needed to be completed."

"You don’t need public proclamation to validate your participation is complete, nor do you need to ’be seen’ to confirm you’ve done the right thing."

"You’ve stayed at a point where external validation is not needed."

This is a point that goes against common sense.

For visitors with "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder," they are tormented by their uncontrollable behavior to the extent they want to restrain their behavior but are powerless. What they need is not bravery, but rather appropriate retreat.

Thus, for the current Jie Nianzhou, completing the transformation of behavioral patterns is even more valuable.

"Standing out" in the meeting room is indeed a commendable act of bravery and an incredible growth. But to dig deeper, it’s just Jie Nianzhou completing an upgraded version of the action within the old pattern—using more thorough external confirmation to replace smaller external confirmations.

On the contrary, Jie Nianzhou’s current behavior of "not standing out" represents entering a new pattern—completing action at a place where external confirmation is not needed.

The former possesses exposure significance when facing fear, while the latter holds different meaning in reconstructing the relationship with confirmation needs. From a long-term perspective, the latter is more central to reducing reliance on external confirmation.

This brought Jie Nianzhou’s behavior to end at the boundary point of his own choice.