Shyness 2

Jun 2, 2013

She was shy. She was a high school teacher and she hated that she sometimes blushed in front of her students.
One day she went to a mental doctor, who was famous so she had had a hard time making an appointment.
The doctor, who was in his 40's, asked some questions to which she replied how she hates her shyness. The doctor said, "I don't think that your shyness at this degree is a big problem for your life. But if you insist on removing your shyness, I can offer three solutions." He looked at her. She nodded. He continued, "Number one, counseling. It'll take a long time but it's safe. Number two, medicine. They make you feel calm but you might become addicted." She had already tried counseling and medicine, but their effect was limited; hence, she came here.
Then, the doctor cleared his throat and said, "The third possibility is a very new type of treatment. I can say that this

method works well; but, sometimes too well." She wondered what he meant by 'too well'. He continued, "You patients put on a special machine and the machine makes an image in your mind, it's like a dream." Although it was expensive, she agreed with this route.
The next morning, she went to her school and stood in front of her students. She looked around them. It was different from usual, she didn't feel any uneasy feelings. She naturally smiled. She was satisfied with the result of the treatment. After her class in the evening, one of her students came to her. The girl was pale and said that she had just received a phone call from the police that her parents got into a car accident and died. The student burst into tears. The woman was upset not because of her student's tragedy but because, in her mind, no sympathy to the student occurred. She had been intimate with her students every time. The student soon found her teacher looking expressionless and was shocked, and started to leave. She shouted, "Wait! This is not the real me! This is because of the treatment!"
She woke up from the dream. Her eyes were wet. The doctor was standing by her. She said to the doctor, "Please, put the treatment back. I'll pay extra money."
The doctor said, "This is just a trial test to see how patients think about their mind sets after the treatment. We won't charge any money, of course." He smiled. (To be continued...)

*hence: for this reason (C)
*intimate: having an extremely close relationship (L)