Final answer:
Abdul is experiencing resistance during his therapy session, which is a subconscious defense mechanism preventing him from speaking freely.
Step-by-step explanation:
During a therapy session, Abdul is likely experiencing resistance when he can no longer think of anything to say to his analyst. Resistance is a psychological term that describes a patient's subconscious defense mechanisms that prevent them from revealing deeply held thoughts, feelings, or memories during therapy. This concept is often related to the psychoanalytic theory developed by Sigmund Freud, where patients would sometimes subconsciously resist their own treatment, thereby blocking the flow of free thoughts.
This is different from the placebo effect, which relates to participants' expectations in a study, free association, which is a technique used to explore the unconscious mind by allowing a patient to talk freely, and transference, where a patient's feelings for significant people in their lives are projected onto the therapist.