Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!

With the words spoken, the visitor's head jerked suddenly.

As if dodging something, or as if an invisible punch landed in his mind.

Nan Zhubin was waiting for this reaction.

He immediately said, "Let's pause."

Time to use the [grounding technique].

In fact, even without Nan Zhubin speaking, the visitor had already stopped narrating.

At this moment, he clenched his fists, the muscles on the sides of his jaw tightening and relaxing repeatedly, as if clenching his teeth.

Meanwhile, his right leg was constantly shaking, the tip of his foot touching the ground, heel lifting and dropping. Supported by his elbows on his knees, this movement made his entire upper body twitch slightly.

"Nan Zhihao?" the consultant thought for a moment and said softly.

The visitor did not respond, breathing heavily through his nose, the sound of struggle resonating throughout the entire consulting room.

"...Nan Zhihao!" the consultant suddenly raised his voice.

Nan Zhubin used no additional techniques, neither [calming] nor [infection], simply using a raw, loud tone to awaken.

This sound was like a loud bell ringing by the visitor's ear, and he raised his head instantly, breathing heavily, with a puzzled expression.

"Cough, cough." The visitor suddenly placed his hand on his chest, clearing his throat repeatedly as if something was stuck there.

"Let's pause." Nan Zhubin returned to a soft tone.

Still using no extra techniques, this part did not require technical intervention. Nan Zhubin needed the visitor's own emotional regulation ability to start working.

"Can you describe how you're feeling now?"

Hearing the consultant's question, the visitor took a couple of breaths: "Cough, cough. I feel... my heart is racing now, I'm starting to sweat, and then… cough, cough, I feel a bit nauseous."

He looked down at his leg, as if just realizing: "I'm shaking…"

Nan Zhubin softened his expression:

"You mentioned before that some images occasionally invade your mind. They appeared again just now, didn't they?"

"That's right," the visitor replied, then blinked hard, widening his eyes as if trying to peer through something to see Nan Zhubin, "they're still there now. That QR code, and the prompt from the phone…"

"We don't need to recall these things right now."

Nan Zhubin raised a hand to stop the visitor's narration, also halting part of his thought process.

"Your current condition is the issue we must address immediately. Before you continue your account, we need to manage your [Memory Flashback]."

"Using the [grounding technique] I just mentioned."

...

Reducing the severity of [Memory Flashback] by one grade is termed [Invasive Memory].

The "invasive" prefix indicates how intense and forceful these memories are.

[Invasive Memory] is commonly seen in disorders related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, specifically manifesting as thoughts, images, or memory fragments suddenly and uncontrollably invading one's consciousness.

When these memories appear in image form, individuals may feel as if a semi-transparent picture or a dynamic gif has appeared in front of their eyes, and this image remains on the top layer.

On this basis, [Memory Flashback] also adds the vivid, sensorily rich "re-experiencing" of trauma events.

This process is accompanied by strong [dissociation], causing the individual to detach from the current environment, giving no response to real stimuli. It's common in conditions like [PTSD], [Acute Stress Disorder], [Severe Anxiety Disorder], and [Severe Depression].

The main intervention thought for [Memory Flashback] is to draw the visitor's attention back from painful internal thoughts, memories, or feelings to the present reality, re-establishing connection with their body and surroundings, thereby restoring a sense of safety and control.

That is, bringing the visitor back to the safe present from past traumatic memories or catastrophic anxieties about the future.

This is the core principle of the [grounding technique] that Nan Zhubin is about to use next.

The implementation of this technique can be summarized as "Three Landings".

——[Body Landing], [Spiritual Landing], and [Self-calming Landing].

...

Nan Zhubin glanced at the visitor's continually trembling leg.

"Alright, Zhihao." Nan Zhubin called the visitor's name with a relatively friendly address.

Before this consultation began, Nan Zhubin had prepared some extra props.

At this moment, he took out a small hourglass placed in his pocket, about the size of a pinky, which could even be used as a pendant.

Nan Zhubin placed the hourglass next to the coffee Mo Kai was instructed to prepare, turned it over, and the sand began to fall slowly.

This captured part of the visitor's attention.

"Now, I need you to try to control your leg." Nan Zhubin said.

"Don't think about 'not shaking'." Because that's impossible, "Don't tense your leg muscles, I need you to engage the muscles, to make a stepping motion."

The visitor nodded, his back heel pressing against the ground.

"Don't keep pressing, after applying force once, relax."

"Feel the sensation of the muscles exerting. Tense, relax, tense, relax," Nan Zhubin lowered his voice, making it deep and steady, "ensure every action you take is within your 'control'."

"In this process, try adjusting your breathing."

"Exhale when pushing, inhale when relaxing. Exhale, inhale, exhale—inhale—"

"Very good."

Seeing the visitor adjusting his body according to his guidance, Nan Zhubin continued, "Exhale—inhale—exhale—inhale—"

When the visitor's leg had settled into a rhythmic movement, even forming a short-term muscle memory, Nan Zhubin further said:

"You can also grasp the sofa with your hands, feel its texture—"

He made a small joke: "This sofa should be quite expensive, so it should feel nice. You can rub its armrest with your fingers, tighten your grip when exhaling, and relax when inhaling."

"Let's continue. Exhale—inhale—exhale—inhale—"

"Exhale—inhale—exhale—inhale—"

Visibly, the visitor's trembling body gradually regained stability.

By then, all the sand in the hourglass had also fallen to the bottom.

The [Body Landing] of the [grounding technique] was completed.

"Cough, cough." The visitor cleared his throat again, still breathing rapidly.

Nan Zhubin tugged the corners of his mouth into a smile: "Very good, now we proceed to the second step."

"This step has a little mnemonic."

Nan Zhubin stretched out his elegantly jointed fingers, then folded them back one by one.

"The mnemonic is: Five, Four, Three, Two, One."

The visitor wore a puzzled expression, repeating: "Five, Four, Three, Two... One?"

Nan Zhubin nodded: "I need you to describe five things you can see with your eyes, four things you can touch with your body, three things you can hear with your ears, two things you can smell with your nose, and finally make a movement you can control."

These correspond to [vision], [touch], [hearing], [smell], and [action].

This is the second landing of the [grounding technique]—[Spiritual Landing].