Apart from the sandbox in front of Nan Zhubin, the box garden room had several shelves against the wall, filled with various plastic models that at first glance seemed like toys.
In fact, they really were toys:
Plastic soldiers, toy plants, various buildings, little figures, toy cars, Transformers.
These are things generally found in households with children.
Sandbox therapy is a psychological consultation technique that combines psychological measurement with psychotherapy.
During the implementation of sandbox therapy, the visitor uses these toy models to create their own sandbox work; meanwhile, the consultant refers to the types, order, position, and other informational elements of models placed in the sandbox by the visitor, and through the visitor's interpretation of these models, forms a basic judgment of the visitor's inner world;
In the process of placing and interpreting the models, the visitor also gets an opportunity to face their inner self more directly, and with the professional intervention of the therapist's techniques, to achieve the effect of psychological therapy.
Because a lot of toy-like models are used in garden making, many people mistakenly believe that sandbox therapy is for minors only. But actually, sandbox therapy can also play a significant role in adult treatment, with the associated imagery of various toy models being more diverse.
Some adults may even regress during therapy, performing some childish acts — which can actually help expedite the therapy process and enhance its quality.
For Nan Zhubin at this moment, sandbox therapy is also one of the few techniques that can help him self-assess his psyche.
Nan Zhubin stroked the fine sand in the sandbox and opened the recording function of his phone.
At this moment, Nan Zhubin entered a peculiar state. The phone's recording went by second by second, as Nan Zhubin's fingers caressed the sand and his breathing began to slow down.
"Date: January 13, 2016, Wednesday."
"Visitor: Nan Zhubin."
"Consultant: Nan Zhubin."
"Due to some unspoken reasons, I have been extremely tense and uneasy for the past month, with constant muscle aches and difficulty sleeping."
"Touching this sand makes me feel relaxed."
"Before placing the models, I want to use the sand to build the 'terrain background' for the work; now I've spread the sand to reveal the blue coating at the bottom of the sandbox, which I think represents a 'lake'..."
Nan Zhubin kept selecting models from the display racks to create his own sandbox; meanwhile, he continuously spoke about his interpretation of these toy models as a visitor, reporting his real-time thoughts from within.
The phone recorder operated silently.
About half an hour later, Nan Zhubin's spirit shook, and he emerged from his dazed state. The sandbox work in front of him was already complete.
After patting his cheeks to bring back his senses, Nan Zhubin began to scrutinize his sandbox work.
[Visitor: Nan Zhubin·Nan Zhubin] has gone offline.
[Consultant: Nan Zhubin·Nan Zhubin] has returned.
"Didn't use too much negative imagery like skeletons, the work as a whole is quite lively and gives a first impression of positivity, not bad."
Nan Zhubin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Many models are placed close to the edges of the sandbox, is this because I disregard rules? But the overall destructiveness isn't strong, it's not a big problem with this theme..."
"There's a tiger model placed right in the middle of the sandbox, which directly symbolizes my inner self, it's a rather 'powerful' imagery; the tiger is enclosed by plants, with only a small gap from the outside world — indicating some problems in social aspects, but it's not a major issue..."
"The rest aren't very important..."
After scrutinizing his sandbox work, Nan Zhubin finally concluded: "I'm very healthy!"
He let out a long breath of relief.
Sandbox therapy is both a test and a treatment. At this moment, Nan Zhubin unexpectedly found that his fatigued spirit seemed to have eased somewhat.
With high spirits, he took out the recently acquired "DSM-V" manual from the reception desk and tested himself with the psychological questions at the front, then calculated his score against the project analysis table.
The results were delightful.
As if encouraged, and out of rigor, Nan Zhubin took out a stack of pre-printed other psychological scales from his backpack, consumed in a frenzy akin to a student preparing for finals, madly working through the tests at hand.
"Self-Health Assessment Scale (SRHMS)," "Neuropsychiatric Clinical Assessment Table (SCAN)," "Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)," "Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS)"...
Doing problems, calculating scores, comparing with norms.
The clock's hands circled round and round.
"I'm very healthy! All healthy!" Nan Zhubin once again concluded to himself.
At this moment, Nan Zhubin felt completely at ease. He let out a long sigh, and the fatigue from staying awake for two days and nights suddenly surged, overwhelming his spirit like a tidal wave.
Exhausted to the extreme, although it seemed more comfortable to nap on his desk, the immense fatigue from two nights of sleeplessness and sudden relaxation was already lashing at Nan Zhubin's mind.
He shoved his chair into the corner, then squeezed himself into it, practically rolling his eyes back as he fell into a deep sleep.
Subsequently, his consciousness sank and he quickly entered a dream.
...
Nan Zhubin fell asleep in the consultation center and woke up in a place resembling an office.
Nan Zhubin knew that this was his dream.
A dream that, ever since he crossed over, occurred every night.
Every time he dreamt, he found himself in an office he had never seen before.
His intuition told him that this should be a Psychological Consultant's office and at the same time a psychological consultation room.
Nan Zhubin was still wearing the clothes he had on before falling asleep, and at some unknown time, a work badge had appeared on his chest.
He was sitting in front of a desk with a stylish-looking computer. Behind the desk was a bookshelf and a large shelf filled with densely packed files, as well as a sofa. Nan Zhubin had never explored this office before.
At the moment Nan Zhubin appeared, the card reader in front of the computer emitted a series of sharp beeping sounds. Correspondingly, the work badge on Nan Zhubin's chest was also continuously flashing.
"I've undergone comprehensive psychological testing, I'm not sick, I'm very healthy. So this dream is not a complication of any psychological or mental illness," Nan Zhubin said to himself.
From the perspective of General Psychology, there are three causes for dreams:
First, the psychoanalytic school believes that dreams are the product of repressed unconsciousness entering consciousness;
Second, the cognitive school argues that dreams are the brain processing information received during the day in sleep;
Third, physiological researchers believe that dreams are a physiological phenomenon caused by neural activity during sleep.
"But no matter which perspective, none can explain my current dream."
— A long repeated dream, appearing with no deviation each time, maintaining clear detailed memories even after waking.
So...
Nan Zhubin took a deep breath.
"Let's see what you truly are!"
Nan Zhubin grabbed the work badge on his chest and swiped it fiercely on the card reader!
The computer screen suddenly lit up, skipping booting and processes, directly displaying an email.
"Mr. Nan Zhubin: Welcome to 'Bai Du Psychological Treatment Center'."
"Your file has been established, please check it in time."
"You have a [psychological training] pending claim."
"Please claim it in due time."