Does 'ruling 15' affect the Scholar's Proverbs and Axioms card? It also gives a player two choices, one of which includes self damage. However here your choices are to regain 2 HP or deal youself 3 psychic damage and use a power. So instead of choosing between two negatives (deal yourself damage or destroy your card) you are choosing between a positive effect and a mixed negative and positive effect.
So, if Tachyon uses Synaptic Interruption to redirect the 3 psychic damage, does she still get to use a power? Is she forced to choose to regain 2 HP instead?
This is the card that originally convinced me even "Cannot deal damage" shouldn't restrict player choices on Chastise/Embolden/Pushing the Limits/Solar Flare. (Or at least convinced me that saying it did caused more complications than it was worth). But now it has been ruled that even more effects can restrict their choices.
Since the card doesn't say anything about "If the hero takes damage this way, they may use a power" or something to that effect, you should be able to get around the damage. Cross-reference Polyphoric Flare.
I completely understand where you're coming from, but there isn't any specification of "Or this card has no effect". It seems more like Nightmist's innate of "Deal damage, effect happens." The damage isn't a requirement for the second half to be fulfilled. It just happens when you use the power or, in this case, play the card and choose that effect.