From the author: A session of psychological correction of phobia in an 8-year-old boy. A session of psychological correction of a phobia in an 8-year-old boy. A woman asked to help a child (an 8-year-old boy). According to her story, the boy had been afraid of the dark since he was 4 years old and could only sleep with the light on. Before this, the woman contacted psychiatrists and a psychic several times. The psychological therapy session took place in a residential building at a recreation center in the evening, when it was already dark outside. Next, a sequence of actions is given, with slight abbreviations, including elements of establishing rapport. We are sitting in a room where his watercolor drawings are located on the table. The room has a sofa, several chairs and an armchair. The boy is sitting in the chair on the right. Further in the text, the following designations are introduced: T – therapist-psychologist, K – client. The therapist’s actions are commented on as the session progresses. T: Hello! Well, what is your name, hero? K: Vanya. T: Vanya means? Well, let's get acquainted. My name is Uncle Pavel. We are silent for a while, giving him the opportunity to take a closer look. I look at his drawings. T: Did you draw these so well? K: Yes, I still have them. T: I like them, very good drawings. It’s obvious that he likes praise. His cheeks turned pink and his voice became louder. And the drawings are really good. Now we can get to the point. T: Vanya, do you go fishing in the evening? K: No, I can’t? T: What happens when you go outside? K: I’m afraid. Confluence. The boundaries of contact with the environment are blurred. It is clear from the context what we are talking about, but in this case I considered it appropriate to clarify. T: Vanya, what are you afraid of there? (Pointing to the door) K: Darkness. He speaks and touches his chest with his right hand, which can serve as a non-verbal signal indicating the place where he physically feels his fear. Next, I try to identify the figure with whom we will work. T: What would you like, Vanya, when you go out? K: Not to be afraid. The goal is formulated through denial, so a few clarifying questions. T: Not to be afraid of what? K: The dark .T: Do you want this? K: Yes! T: What will you do if you stop being afraid? K: Then I can go to the river at night with the boys and sit by the fire. I can bake potatoes. He speaks vividly. He has a goal and is motivated to achieve it. Therefore, we can move on. Next, there is a great desire to talk to the darkness. I restrain this desire and suggest we talk about abilities. He has the ability to be afraid of the dark. And you can clarify how he knows that he is afraid. It seems to me useful to frustrate. T: Vanya, how do you know that you are afraid. K: I just know. T: Where do you feel fear? K: I don’t know. T: Maybe in the heel, or in the stomach? K: Not I know. T: So you have fear? K: Yes. T: Well, where is he hiding? K: I don’t know. T: Would you like to know where he’s hiding? K: Yes! T: Well, then go and find out! Go outside right now and find out where it appears in your body, in your hand, head, or heel... Vanya only goes out into the corridor and quickly returns. K: Here... He points to the chest with his right hand (in the same place , as before).T: Okay. Sit down next to me. And at the school where you study, what system is used to give grades of five points or ten points? K: 10 points. T: But did you draw these pictures? K: Yes, me. T: Okay, what do you have in drawing at school, how many points? K: Ten. Sometimes 9.T: Is this the highest score? I also asked because his mother showed him pictures written in watercolors and crayons. K: Yes, the highest. T: How many points are you now “afraid of”? I’m turning the noun “fear” into the process of “being afraid.” I consciously replace the word “fear” with the word “fear.” K: I don’t know how much. T: Well, then go outside, find out, and come back quickly. K: Ten points... (Answers, quickly returning) T: Exactly at ten? K: I’ll go and check it again. Returns quickly. K: Exactly ten. (Confirm by returning) He already clearly likes this game that we are playing with him. T: Okay, sit down here next to me. Vanya, are you comfortable in this chair? K: Comfortable.(Relaxes the muscles and sits more comfortably) In the future, fear will be called with a capital letter, because the entire dialogue will take place as with some part that is responsible for specific behavior. But first this part should be identified. T: Vanya, you have Fear, you feel it here in your chest, and it’s so big that it’s ten points? Is that so? K: Yes? T: Vanya, would you like to talk to your Fear? K: Why talk to him? T: This is your Fear. Just like your arm, leg. And your Fear protects you from darkness. Well, maybe you can negotiate with him so that he will allow you to go to the river at night with the boys. Would you like to talk to your Fear? K: I would. T: What if we put him in a chair? (Agrees) T: Let's put some thing that will be fear. Put it down yourself. He takes the jacket, turns the jacket inside out and puts it on the chair. T: Vanya, ask Fear, does he want to talk to you? K: Fear, do you want to talk to me? T: And what did he tell you? K: Nothing, is silent. T: Then sit on a chair and take your jacket. You will help him. And I will be Vanya. Vanya sits on a chair and takes his jacket. I sit down in a chair. T: Fear, can you talk to me? K: I can. (Nods his head) T: You’re good for agreeing to talk. Thank you Fear. K: Please. (Tugging at his jacket) T: Fear, what good is it that you make Vanya afraid of the dark? K: Nothing. T: What are you trying to achieve with this? K: I want him to fall and get bruises and bumps (Some kind of anger in his voice). Vanya behaves like a “Parent”, gesturing with his right hand. The voice is hard. I hear negative language, so I assume that the current answer is intermediate and masks a positive goal. To determine a positive goal, I continue to ask questions, moving upward by induction. T: This is interesting. Thank you Fear for your honest answer... - why do you need Vanya to fall and get bruises and bumps? K: Then the girls won’t like him. T: Thank you, Fear, that you care so much about Vanya, and why do you need... to The girls didn’t like Vanya? K: Then they won’t call him a womanizer. (Vanya blushes. Voice trembles) T: Thank you Fear. And if Vanya is not called a womanizer, then who will he be? K: He will be a normal boy. A positive answer was received, now it makes sense to get hooked on him. And there are a lot of introjects here. You can even rename this part of the personality, which in this case is a good idea. T: Fear, you want Vanya to be a normal boy. Thank you for being so good. Thank you for taking care of Van. You are a true friend. Can I call you Friend then? K: Yes, I can. (Nods his head) T: Will you be friends with me? K: I will. T: Friend, can you allow Vanya to go to the river with the boys at night and bake potatoes? K: I can. T: Will you protect Vanya in the dark? K: I will. T: What will Vanya be like if it’s dark? K: He will be confident. I suggest putting Friend (jacket) on the chair and returning to the chair. He sits for a while, then turns his hat back inside out. He leaves her on the chair. Returns to the chair. T: Vanya, I am your Friend. I care about you. I want you to be a normal boy. Do you want it? (I’m holding the jacket in my hands. I’m trying to speak in his voice, in the voice of a child) K: I want to. T: Are you sure about this? K: Yes. (Changes his position, leans his body forward) I sit down on a chair next to Vanya. T: Vanya, you have many friends... good ones. You have one of these that helps you draw well. He is very smart and such an inventor. When you draw pictures, he helps you a lot. He's like a wizard. Show what he looks like. Next we played Good Wizards, who taught Friend to be strong, confident, attentive and careful. It’s difficult for me to express everything in words, because... there was a lot of non-verbal stuff. This took about 15 minutes. The goal was to distract the mind from the work being done. T: Vanya, who is sitting on that chair? K: This is... my friend. I ask him to remove the chair and put on a jacket. I want to see how he reacts to the dark now. To do this, you need to complete the contact cycle and.