PNPC Provisional Crewman Vhysa'lia - Grappling With Dissonance
Lich
((Counselor’s Office - Deck 7, USS Artemis-A))
Vhysa’lia had welcomed her new patient into her office, getting her seated, before proceeding with the typical intake-form formalities, if one had to be blunt. Before they could address any of the issues at hand, they needed to make sure that she felt comfortable, and understood that they were there to help, and to leave anything “Starfleet” at the door, like their ranks. It was just a conversation between two individuals.
Lyara: You can call me Alroyo since we’ll be gettin’ familiar.
They nodded, making a small note in their own files for future reference, before turning their PADD over on the desk, face-down. No distractions, she was here to talk to her patient, and get to the root of any issues she wanted to bring to the table. It felt more personal that way, shrinking the world around them from the wide universe to just that room, reachable only by combadge until all was said and done.
Vhysa’lia: So, you noted that you wanted to talk with someone in counseling about your recent mission… I’d like to hear more from you about your experience, and what exactly’s been troubling you regarding your encounter with the Suliban?
She watched Alroyo intently, trying to pick up on anything that might help illuminate what her patient might not mention. She took a breath, deeper than the others, before launching into the prelude of her story.
Lyara: Well, as you know, on the mission we encountered some Suliban and they had taken us hostage. Of course that was a little terrifyin’ but we can touch back on that later honestly if that’s ok with you?
They made a mental note of the words that she used. Hostage… Terrifying… If this wasn’t the main cause of distress, it certainly would warrant revisiting after that had been discussed. She wouldn’t be the first Starfleet officer, or the first person period, that Vhysa’lia had seen brush off fear and pretend that it wasn’t important after the fact.
Vhysa’lia: Certainly, you’re the one leading this session. I’m just here to help wherever I can. ::she gestured to continue:: Why don’t you just start telling me what happened, and how you felt, and I’ll interrupt if I have any questions?
Alroyo nodded, and Vhysa’lia copied slightly. Mirroring helped the patient feel better, at least in her experience. Like they were being listened to by a peer, by someone who really cared.
Lyara: After bein’ transported to the Bird-of-Prey and a brief firefight we found out they were surrenderin’. Of course, I was eager to storm the bridge and take it back, but then Maular sounded out over the Comms. It was revealed to us that they were actin’ out in desperation, they did it to secure their own future, and I played a part in stoppin’ that. And I feel like crap doin’ that to them.
The stare spoke volumes.
Vhysa’lia: This… moral quandary is obviously weighing heavily on you, and I’d like to better understand this distress you’re feeling, the roots of it. Can you elaborate more? ::pause:: Whatever you say here, it’s just between the two of us.
Maybe, in this instance, her being an obviously non-Federation alien would help. Whatever was going on with Alroyo didn’t seem like something that she would be keen to share with her superiors, so Vhysa’lia wanted to make it absolutely clear that this was confidential.
Lyara: To be completely honest, I found myself agreein’ with his actions. I saw it the same way I saw the things resistance members did way back when. They did it because they had nothin’ else they could. And as a Bajoran, it felt wrong goin' against them when they needed help.
To them, it seemed cut and dry. But a little more context might help, so she continued to prod.
Vhysa’lia: ::nodding:: So you’re having trouble reconciling the actions that you’ve been taking here, with Starfleet, with the values that you developed as a child, through your species’ culture?
Lyara: Response
Vhysa’lia: That’s something incredibly difficult to grapple with, and I’m sorry you’ve been put in such a position. It seems to me like you’re dealing with some cognitive dissonance, and trying to reconcile your values with the actions taken during the mission, is causing you distress.
Vhysa’lia reached into a compartment on the desk, withdrawing a PADD. She tapped at the screen a few times, pulling up some articles that might be useful - a robust definition of dissonance, some mindfulness exercises, etc. - before sliding the PADD across to Alroyo.
Vhysa’lia: Here, this might help you understand it a bit better. You don’t need to read it now, but I think it’ll help later, when you’re putting into practice some of the homework I’m going to give you. ::smile, then a slight chuckle:: I bet you thought you’d escaped that when you’d graduated from the Academy.
They’d never attended themselves, of course, but the facade of familiarity hopefully would make Alroyo more comfortable with the “diagnosis”. It wasn’t a real diagnosis, by any means, but the framework of unpacking and resolving dissonance should help, Vhysa’lia presumed.
Lyara: Response
Vhysa’lia: Before I get to anything I want you to do after you leave, however, I’d like to hear a bit more about the rest of the mission. You mentioned a sense of fear with being taken hostage?
The thought crossed her mind, as she had listened and postulated about the issues that Alroyo was facing. Was the fear impacting the dissonance further? It was one thing to agree with someone that you had to oppose due to your duty, it was another to agree with someone that had put you in direct harm, and had frightened you.
Lyara: Response
Tags/TBC :)