The Psychology Paradox

Posted on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 2:30am by

Mission: The Thorion Conundrum Mission Brief
Location: Counseling Office
Timeline: Current

Alessa had the office decorated to look like a good psychiatric office, but it also looked comfortable. The leather couch for sitting, the bookshelves, the antique desk with the green felt on it, The statue of Medusa's Victim standing in the corner. The farmhouse painting she painted hanging in the wall. There was a box of tissues for folks and the working replicator.

She also had a Keurig style coffee machine with replicated pods of tea, hot coco and coffee. There was also some freshly baked tulaberry muffins. Music played softly, it was Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. She had requested an appointment with the CSciO. She had penciled him in and wanted to have a talk with him. Just a get to know you evaluation.

Lieutenant Llewellyn, who was still admittedly trying to get used to that rank once more, walked up to the Counselor's office and rang the door chime. While waiting for admittance, he wondered what she wanted to see him for. He assumed it was for the express purpose of finding out more about him and a cursory evaluation.

He wondered if she had read his file and was curious about how a human could be empathic. Since he himself was still unsure of that, she hoped there was someway beyond another medical examination. How he hated it when Dr. Miller on the Merlin had poked and prodded him after his abilities surfaced. But, it wouldn't be the first time and definitely not the last.

Alessa smiled at the chime and said, "Come in."

When she saw it was the Science officer she let out a relaxed sigh.

"Have a seat, but first coffee, tea or some hot chocolate if you like? If you are hungry there are some muffins I baked. Before we start I just want to say I am putting a small meeting with the senior officers onboard so I can make sure everything matches up and do a basic wellness check. When you get comfortable state your name, rank and last four digits of your service number for the record."

"Some hot chocolate with Irish Creme creamer, please. Cale Jason Llewellyn, Lieutenant, 1974. Did I startle you, Counselor? When I walked in? Did my appearance startle you? My visage has that on many because of my being an almost total albino," the young science officer said. He didn't wish to tell her, if she didn't already know about his 'power'.

Alessa motioned at the pods and the keurig like machine, "Help yourself. Now this is going to sound like the typical headshrinking question, but do you want me to be disturbed by your presence? I have worked with mostly humans in my time, but that being said the outside is just the outside I am sort of a judge what makes the person rather than the exterior. Do you have issues with the way you look because body dysmorphia is actually more common then you would think."

"Thank you, Counselor. To be honest, it does sound like your typical 'head shrinking' question and to be even more honest, I do not wish for anyone to be made uncomfortable by my appearance. Most men and even some woman wonder about me and why I look the way I do, even if they do not speak it.

"Body Dysmorphia is not a condition I suffer from, my dear Counselor. But, I thank you for asking. I was merely referring to your sigh when I walked in. Was it more a relaxed or a shocked sigh? I'm just curious."

Alessa scribbled on her notepad some notes then said, "You are the first crewman I have not had to see on an emergency basis or pester to get here, or chase down. Do you always second guess every examination officer?" She said this time in a more neutral tone to test his reaction.

"Well Counselor, I suppose I've always been the type who goes where he's been ordered to go. And as far as second guessing my examination officers, I suppose I'm always looking for an alternate diagnosis, especially when I don't think the first on applies to me," Cale said with a smile.

"Whats your area of expertise?" She asked.

"You too, huh? I know it's protocol to ask but does no one read service jackets anymore," he laughed. "Well, I have a Masters in Quantum & Reverse Genetics. My DSci's are in Stellar Physics which includes work in Large Bore Cosmology and one in Quantum Mechanics.

"So if I might be so bold as to ask, what isyour specialty, Counselor? Besides therapy, that is?"

She smiled and said, "Its my first day. I haven't gotten as far as reading everybodies service jackets. Besides standard base protocol is to ask what you think it is versus what the record days. My specialty is actually family counseling. Mostly with families that are about to go on deep space exploration. I have done three fellowships in substance abuse, relationship conflict and I have my prescription training."

She wrote down and made some notations on her concerns about this case.

"Have you found your work onboard satisfying?" She asked.

"As I've just arrived myself, I can't say that much about any work onboard yet. But, I'm hoping it's at least as challenging as my work on the Merlin was," the lieutenant smiled.

"Do you have any diagnosis or plans of treatments from any previous counselors? Any medications or religious practices?" She asked to him.

"Actually since you asked and I appreciate you for doing so, but I need a little assistance with strengthening my mental shields. See, if you'll read my medical file I'm sure you'll notice I possess the power of empathy, as in true empathic abilities. I've never discovered where they came from or why I have them, but it's always nice to have someone to help, Counselor," the lieutenant said trying not to sound desperate.

She tilted her head, psychic abilities in humanoids was not uncommon, very uncommon in humans. But she was not about to refuse help with the poor soul. "This requires two folks to do this but a very basic way is when you get that tingle in your hippocampus that you are being scanned, you start to create feedback for whatever or whoever is trying to scan you. On Betazed its a simple rhyme to block out a casual poke, usually I recite, My will is a tower and tower over I will. You say that over and over again and it as that part of your brain is stimulated it helps you build a basic mental wall. Something you can try by yourself is getting a vulcan Kol-tep stone its a basic rock which asorbs psionic energy you can store energy in it and reflect it back, the drawback is you will never be able to block anybody stronger then yourself. But for now I am going to prescribe to you Draethnol its something that triggers the hippocampus into thinking there is psionic activity and you pick your favorite nursery rhyme and you recite it in your head over and over until the tingling stops. It has a dosage time of twenty min." SHe took in a deep breath.

"Unless thats not what you are looking for?" She asked.

"I've already studied at the Cataria Institute on Betazed as well as a leading Vulcan school for helping those with unwanted psionic abilities. It's just that what I want is to know why and where I got these powers," Llewellyn said.

"I've been studied by two of Starfleet's finest doctors and the only answer I ever got was 'It's a very interesting question'. One even told me that from what his scans showed him was that I have the potential to become a full telepath, if I so wished it."

She had fallen asleep in a few lectures at academy but actually knew from experience a little of what he was going through. "Psionics in some species is connected to genetic mutations in the hippocampus as well as evoloution steps, Generally speaking you are not a typical member of your species so its reasonable to assume given your genetic diveristy with the albinoism that other parts are different as well. Humans are not normally psychic. Usually there is a trigger moment where it appears. With me I was making coffee and was sixteen. I heard my girlfriend thinking about how pretty the cashier was. With my brother he was in a fight and it surfaced. Tell me about the first time you got your abilities?"

"But, aren't you a Betazoid, Counselor? Well, the first time I felt any sort of psionic ability, I was with my best friend, Melody Jones on the USS Merlin. I got sick to my stomach when I started to feel everyone on the ship and their emotions. After that, I got the most terrible migraine. I thought I was dying, again.

"This was preceded by an injury from a previous ship. I was on the bridge while we were under attack and suffered a collapsed lung. Those were the defining moments of my career besides getting my doctorates," the lieutenant said.

"I want to know how you are keeping it under control now? Or are you even able to? I am going to recommend training for the Iron Will concept, Doctor. I want to help you but only if you want it." Alessa said.

"I am in control but with each new ship I join, I lose control until I get used to the members of the crew. Like right now, I have a terrible migraine and as soon as we're done here, I'm going to report to Sickbay for my physical," Cale said. "And please, use my rank when speaking to me as is Starfleet protocol for line officers. But, when were not on the bridge, please call me 'Cale'."

"Lieutenant, this is meant to be an area where we don't have to have full protocol. I let everybody call me Alessa, even when on duty. The idea here is to be comfortable in this office let down your guard and be comfortable. If you want something for the migrane.." She motioned at the medical replicator.

"I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Imagine a sphere, now I want to take whats bothering you and fill that sphere. Your worries your troubles, any emotional negativity. If it works you will see the orb go from blue to red. When it becomes red I want you to reach out empathically into the Kul stone that is sitting in the corner. Feed the orb to it. Then tell me if the headache is lessened." She had an idea that the migraine was empathic sensory overload.

He closed his eyes and did as instructed. He envisioned a sphere and began to fill it with all the 'negative' emotions and troubles he was feeling at the moment, the sphere went from blue to red as she told him it would and so he reached for the Kul stone. Then, his migraine began to subside as she said it should.

He opened his eyes and looked at the Counselor and said, "That was amazing! I've never felt as good as I do now! Thank you so very much," Lieutenant Llewellyn said. "Is there anything else you wished to speak to me about?"

She reached up and picked up the stone, she offered it over. "Its just a basic trick they teach you in Psionic Ethics, I want you to have this. I have three. Use it if you need it, I am also prescribing a drug called Lexorin, its a drug the vulcans created to help lower negative emotions and lessen the headaches that telepathy and empathy can cause. Its a two week dose, one pill every other day. Practice with the stone and that should get your empathic abilities under control, if it doesn't come back and see me for actual training with Iron will. I am going to sign off on your six month eval. But talk with nurse Tramell if you need to see me for anything okay Cale?" She asked,

"Thank you, Counselor and it was a distinct pleasure to have met you," Cale said with a broad smile. 'I like her. She's a very interesting person', he thought to himself.


Lieutenant Cale Llewellyn, DSci
Chief Science Officer
USS Leto

&

Lieutenant Alessa Herria
Chief Counselor
USS Leto