Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!-Chapter 398 - 391 [Mindfulness-Based Raisin Exercise]

After listening to Nan Zhubin’s words, Xu Pengcheng blinked.

"Mindfulness?" He was somewhat confused.

For Xu Pengcheng, this was quite an unfamiliar term. It seemed like he could understand the meaning word by word, yet somehow he couldn’t.

In short, it gave a feeling of unclear yet awe-inspiring.

Nan Zhubin nodded.

"It is a meditation training that helps us focus on the present — like truly savoring the taste of food while eating, noticing the feeling of your feet against the ground while walking, stopping to observe the tension in your body when angry, allowing us to perceive our breathing, emotions, and surroundings as bystanders."

Nan Zhubin tried to explain the principles and effects of the technique he was going to use next in simple terms.

"Meditation?" Xu Pengcheng seemed to understand now, "Like monks sitting in meditation?"

Nan Zhubin gently shook his head: "Meditation is not just ’sitting with eyes closed’ or ’lying down for relaxation.’ We’ll do a practice first, then you’ll understand."

Xu Pengcheng nodded, feeling a trace of anticipation.

...

The discipline of systematic psychology appeared in 1879, marked by German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt establishing the world’s first psychological laboratory at Leipzig University.

However, before the establishment of the psychology discipline, various methods targeting mental health had already appeared in human society during its development.

As psychology evolved, psychologists not only innovated but also reviewed related content within their own socio-cultural and even religious cultures, extracting the essence and discarding the dross to form unique psychological intervention techniques usable in modern society.

For example, from philosophical systems, psychologists extended the Existential Therapy used on Teacher Xiao Zhao.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy is a result of psychological development in this form.

The term "mindfulness" originally comes from the Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Buddhism and is one of the main methods of Buddhist meditation.

Western psychologists and medical professionals extracted the concept and methods of mindfulness from Buddhism, stripping them of religious components.

Today’s Mindfulness-Based Therapy is a psychological treatment method centered on "mindfulness," emphasizing improving mental health through non-judgmental awareness of the "present," such as bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts.

Psychologists primarily use Mindfulness-Based Therapy to help individuals break free from cycles of negative thinking, enhance emotional regulation, and improve sensitivity to bodily signals.

In practice, it alleviates emotional troubles such as anxiety, depression, stress, and insomnia, provides psychological adjustment for chronic pain patients, or promotes and enhances attention, emotional management, and self-awareness for self-growth.

It’s quite suitable for Xu Pengcheng today.

...

Nan Zhubin said, "True Mindfulness-Based Therapy requires several sessions of training to truly enter the state."

"But our goal today is mainly to improve your eating condition, so we’ll just do a simplified version of an introductory practice."

As Nan Zhubin spoke, he placed his right hand by his mouth and made a gesture of scooping inward.

Xu Pengcheng nodded as if he half understood.

"You can drink some water and wait a moment; I’ll go get a prop for our upcoming mindfulness treatment —"

With that, Nan Zhubin left the consultation room.

Less than two minutes later, he returned, seemingly with nothing extra on him.

The only change was that his right hand held something.

Under Xu Pengcheng’s curious gaze, Nan Zhubin opened his palm, revealing today’s "prop" —

In Nan Zhubin’s hand was a neatly folded napkin.

It seemed to be wrapping something.

Upon opening the napkin, there was — a raisin.

An ordinary raisin.

Nan Zhubin placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

Xu Pengcheng stared blankly at Nan Zhubin, then glanced at the solitary raisin again.

On the napkin the size of two palms, the raisin lay quietly in the center, occupying that small bit of space. fгeewebnovёl.com

Under the contrast of the white background, it indeed seemed to have some involuntary eye-catching charm.

The contrast was quite strong, almost like a contrived mystery.

Even though Xu Pengcheng had already built an extremely deep consultative relationship with Nan Zhubin before and had abundant trust,

at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel a bit unsettled.

Nan Zhubin chuckled lightly and said, "Alright, let’s officially start the Mindful Raisin Exercise."

...

The Mindful Raisin Exercise is a classic introductory activity for mindfulness practice.

As a "micro-practice" to experience mindfulness, the learning threshold is very low.

You can even find relevant meditation guides online, and interested learners can even experience it themselves through audio materials.

Of course, having the guidance of a professional consultant definitely yields better results.

On one hand, Nan Zhubin can make targeted adjustments based on Xu Pengcheng’s situation.

On the other hand, there’s the unique guidance —

"Now, please find a position where you feel completely safe; you can either stand up or sit down."

"You can choose to close your eyes, or let your gaze rest on an object in front of you that brings you calm."

Nan Zhubin lowered his voice, steady, calm, and magnetic.

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With just two sentences, Nan Zhubin had adjusted his own state.

At the same time, Xu Pengcheng seemed to sync, as his breathing relaxed immediately.

"In the upcoming practice, you don’t need to do anything ’right,’ and there are no steps you must complete. Your body and feelings always have the highest decision-making authority — if you need to adjust your posture, pause or even terminate the practice, you can do so anytime."

Nan Zhubin spoke slowly.

While introducing relaxation and explaining the rules, Nan Zhubin also reinforced Xu Pengcheng’s control.

Such persistence is rarely emphasized in conventional mindfulness practice.

This is to give Xu Pengcheng an understanding — all forthcoming gains are personally acquired by me.

He saw the student adjust his sitting posture, sinking further into the sofa.

He first closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, then opened his eyes, gazing forward, roughly focused on Nan Zhubin’s neck and chest area, though not fixated.

"Now, slowly raise your right hand and pick up the raisin from the container in front of you."

"If this action makes your heart rate speed up, pause in mid-air and say to yourself, ’I can pause here until I’m ready to continue.’"

"When you hold it, don’t rush to observe; just notice the muscle contraction in your palm — gripping too tight causes trembling, too loose and it’ll fall. Try to find the strength that makes your hand most relaxed. Find the most comfortable position where the raisin can rest in your hand for a long time."

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