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Side Sim: SB 157 Holodeck - 1st Therapy Session

Posted June 6, 2021, 1:22 a.m. by Ensign Dr. Mariah Lee Grayson (Psychiatrist) (Lori Miller)

Posted by Ensign Dr. Mariah Lee Grayson (Psychiatrist) in Side Sim: SB 157 Holodeck - 1st Therapy Session

Posted by Ensign Iyun Riani (Scientist) in Side Sim: SB 157 Holodeck - 1st Therapy Session

Posted by Ensign Dr. Mariah Lee Grayson (Psychiatrist) in Side Sim: SB 157 Holodeck - 1st Therapy Session
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Mariah took a moment just to simply observe the young scientist prepare to enter her program. The fact she was willing to take the lead was a good sign, but Grayson imagined it still probably wasn’t easy for her to share this part of herself. The psychiatrist got the distinct impression her patient wasn’t used to sharing any part of herself very comfortably.

It didn’t take Mariah long to follow behind her, and to her surprise, she found herself on the very busy promenade of the station she recognized as Deep Space Nine. Grayson couldn’t recall being here in person, but the place was rather famous. More than anything, Grayson was interested to see what ex found enjoyable about this . “This is amazing,” Grayson explain as she looked left and right. “Where should we go first?”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

The smile on Riani’s face widened a little and she seemed to relax. Not terribly much, but enough that it would be noticeable to Mariah’s well trained eye. Pointing towards the upper level of the Promenade, she asked, “Have you ever seen the Bajoran wormhole open? We could have a look. Or I could show you around the promenade or the science labs?” Of course she knew that this was simply a holoprogram, but it still felt like being home again to her. This was were she had grown up. The place she knew best and despite a certain amount of unpredictability and uncertainty it was still one of the two places she always felt safest.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

Genuinely excited to see Iyun somewhat relaxed and excited, Mariah offered, “I’d love to see any and all of that. How about you pick what we see first?”

~Doctor Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

Looking at Mariah, Ria replied almost immediately, “Let’s go to the upper level and have a look at the wormhole. It’s magnificent!” That said, she led the way to the nearest staircase, up the stairs and then towards the point with the best view. The casual observer might notice a slight change in the young woman. She was clearly still shy and uncertain, but something in her step and posture was slightly different. A more observant person might notice that she seemed ever so slightly more confident and at ease as she moved about. She clearly didn’t have to think about which route to take to get to where she wanted to go. As the two woman reached Ria’s favoured spot to watch the wormhole, she stretched out her hand and pointed towards it. “This is where it will appear in a few moments,” she said softly.

And indeed it wasn’t long before the wormhole opened in all it’s beauty right in front of them. The palm of her right hand resting against the window, Ria’s whole face seemed to light up as she watched the wormhole. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she whispered in awe, not taking her eyes off it for even a second.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

The scientist’s enthusiasm and confidence didn’t in fact escape Mariah’s notice and she realized then what a pleasure it was to see the young woman smile. Naturally, the psychiatrist began to consider what factors make this experience different from many others in which Iyun appeared to be painfully anxious. Grayson believed it had to be more than simply having familiarity with the experience and a sense of control, but it was going to take additional exploration.

For now, however, she knew they were still in the early stages of coming to trust one another and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by returning the scientist’s attention back to her anxiety too quickly. She followed Iyun with ease as she gained her own sense of pleasure not just from watching the wormhole open, but from watching Iyun relax noticeably. “It is,” Mariah agreed. “Though I suppose it depends on how people choose to look at it. I would imagine to some people, seeing something that big open up in the middle of space all of a sudden, would be scary. I wonder what I could say to them to help them see it the way we do?”

~Doctor Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

Ria briefly glance towards Mariah and then looked at the wormhole again. Without thinking about whether or not the Counsellor wanted her to answer the question, she replied, “I could explain all the science behind the wormhole. Sometimes knowing facts makes things less scary. But I would probably tell them instead that it’s not only a tunnel through space to get into the Gamma quadrant, but the Celestial Temple. I would tell them about the prophets and everything they have done for us.” Her voice was gentle, but there was also some certainty, almost conviction in it.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

“That’s a great way to look at it and not a way I’d ever considered before. I suppose there’s lots of ways to look at any one situation, some of them scarier or more relaxing than others.” Mariah didn’t want to come across as too preachy, but she wondered if Ria might draw a similar parallel between the perspectives she chose and their impact on her anxiety.

~Doctor Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

Ria nodded thoughtfully, her right hand resting on the transparent aluminium that separated them from the vacuum of space as she watched the wormhole close again.

After a long moment of silence, Ria said softly, “I miss being here.”

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

Mariah let the silence fall between them for a moment before offering, “You do seem more relaxed in this environment. I wonder if that’s because it’s just more familiar to you right now or if there something specific about this place that makes you feel more relaxed than you do when you’re away from the holodeck?”

~Doctor Mariah Grayson Psychiatrist

For a long moment Ria thought about that question before finally shaking her head, saying, “I have honestly no idea. I’m sorry.” A soft sigh escaped her lips and she slightly bowed her head, wishing she knew what was wrong with her.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

“That’s OK,” Grayson reassured. “We can explore all of this together. It means a lot you’re willing to ask for help with the stuff you struggle with. Not everyone is willing to do that, but not only are you willing to show up here and share this part of your life, you’re honest about what you don’t know and don’t understand. For the record, I don’t think you are a lost cause or a broken person, and if it’s OK with you, I’d like to keep getting to know you and to talk about things on your mind.”

~Dr. Mariah Grayson, Psychiatrist

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