Terrence D. Okonkwo

Dr. Mitchell

Terrence, good to see you again. How has the past two weeks been?

Client

Better, actually. The breathing exercises are helping more than I expected. I had a presentation on Tuesday — normally I'd be in the bathroom beforehand, but I did the 4-7-8 technique in my car and walked in.

Dr. Mitchell

That's excellent progress. How did the presentation go?

Client

Not perfect. I lost my train of thought once and had to check my notes. But nobody said anything, and my manager sent a "good job" email after. So maybe it wasn't as bad as it felt.

Dr. Mitchell

That gap between how it felt and how others perceived it — that's important to notice. Last session we talked about your tendency to catastrophize performance situations. What did your internal voice say during that pause?

Client

"Everyone knows you're faking it." Same old tape.

Dr. Mitchell

And what did you do with that thought?

Client

I noticed it. I didn't argue with it, I just... looked at my notes and kept going. Like you said — the thought can be there without me following it.

Dr. Mitchell

That's defusion in action. You're building that skill. How about the social situations outside work?

Client

Still hard. I skipped a friend's birthday dinner last weekend. I felt bad about it. But I did go to the gym three times, which is new. Being around people without having to talk is easier.

Dr. Mitchell

The gym is a great step. Being in a social space without performance pressure — that's expanding your comfort zone. Let's talk about the birthday dinner. What was the thought process?