‘Is that it?’ the Boxer asked. ‘Is that all you’re offering us?’
Sam leaned back in his chair, tipping his head to one side. ‘No,’ he replied, in a friendly tone. ‘What I’m really doing today is giving you a sense of where we’ll be heading as a group and the ways in which it might be possible for me to help you. A lot of what we’ll be working on together is about training your mind to think differently, more calmly. You may have heard people talk about cognitive behavioural therapy and it has been proven to be a really effective treatment for phobias of all kinds.’
‘And what if it’s not?’ the Lost Girl asked, immediately jumping to the customary response of anyone with an irrational fear that had taken over their everyday life. She looked with some concern towards the Librarian, who seemed to be possessed of an intense, fidgety energy, as if he couldn’t sit still.
‘Then there are other things we can look into. Immersion therapy, for one.’
‘What is that exactly?’ the Artist asked.
‘Simply put, it’s a way to confront your fears and test them in a controlled environment. Gradually to begin with, then more extensively.’
‘Oh.’
‘Don’t be alarmed. I’ve designed lots of safe experiments that have led to really persuasive results. A simple example might be encouraging someone who is afraid of spiders to face their fear by having them observe a small spider in a Perspex box before steadily building up to a point where they can hold a tarantula in the palm of their hand.’
‘Whoa,’ the Athlete said.
‘I do not like the sound of that,’ added the Boxer.
Sam smiled his understanding. ‘As I said, it wouldn’t be our first option, but it is something that is sometimes worth exploring with a suitable candidate, particularly if their phobia has proven quite deep-rooted. But that may well not apply to any of you. For starters, we need to take things one step at a time.’