Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 474 4 3 2 1
Psychological research on human cognition shows that human attention mechanisms are based on limited "cognitive resources." Different cognitive tasks require different proportions of "cognitive resources," and the complexity of stimulus processing in a task is directly proportional to the amount of "resources" consumed.

The cognitive system can flexibly allocate attention through a "resource allocation" mechanism, prioritizing important or novel stimuli; when the total resource demand exceeds the individual's capacity, an imbalance in attention allocation will occur.

This is the Cognitive Resource Theory.

The reason why some characters in movies and TV shows turn to work to avoid sadness and breakdown after experiencing a major life change is based on this principle.

【接地技术】的运用，尤其是眼下南祝仁正在指导的【5-4-3-2-1技术】，某种意义上也是运用了【认知资源理论】的原理。

By utilizing the present task, the cognitive resources in the mind are seized, thus preventing the visitor from thinking about other things and allowing them to break free from the "flashback" of past experiences.

In the previous segment, "Physiological Landing," Nan Zhuren only assigned a single task involving movement and touch.

而在这一环的【精神着陆】中，【5-4-3-2-1技术】给来访者布置了涉及更多感官的任务。

根据临床研究，完成一整套完整的【5-4-3-2-1技术】练习，平均需要占用个体工作记忆83%的容量。

As long as the visitor can be engaged in this exercise, it can be guaranteed that he will not have any extra cognitive resources to allocate to [memory flashbacks].

……

After listening to Nan Zhuren's instructions, the visitor shook his head vigorously, as if trying to concentrate.

He muttered to himself, "Five things that can be seen?"

“Yes,” Nan Zhuren repeated encouragingly, “Five things you see. Say them out loud, and be specific in your description, including details about color and shape.”

The visitor's neck was stiff, and his eyes slowly rolled around, scanning his surroundings like a camera.

He was the first to see the hourglass that Nan Zhuren had just taken out.

“I saw… a brown hourglass, filled with… yellow sand.”

“Very good, this is something. Now you can speak a little louder.” Nan Zhuren further encouraged and guided him.

The visitor blinked hard, swallowed hard, and then looked up to see Nan Zhuren's face.

His voice was indeed a bit louder than before: "I also saw... Mr. Nan, your face! You're very handsome, more handsome than Daniel Wu and Takeshi Kaneshiro, and your temperament is also very attractive!"

"Thank you! Although it's not very polite of you to describe me as a 'thing,' it's still one thing!" Nan Zhuren's voice rose a little as well. "There are three more!"

"Uh, um..." The visitor began to turn his head to observe his surroundings. "There's a table with water stains on it because of the water glass; the green plant on the side looks like some leaves have been pinched off... I pinched them last time; and, and, and... the window has scratches left from the rain before!"

The visitor spoke loudly, and each time he pointed to an object, he would wave a hand in front of him and nod vigorously.

It's as if these extra movements can replace the effort put in by the brain.

Nan Zhuren nodded: "Okay, now let's turn our attention to the skin of your body. Describe four specific tactile sensations you are currently experiencing, such as temperature, pressure, or the texture of something..."

As he spoke those words, Nan Zhuren began to adjust his volume, one word at a time.

In the end, he returned to his normal speaking manner.

The visitor's breathing rate was still rapid, but the strength of his breathing had gradually weakened.

He first picked up the hourglass in front of him and touched it: "The hourglass in my hand... its wooden shell is very fine and smooth to the touch."

Then she felt other parts of her body: "The back of the sofa I'm leaning against is very soft; the insoles of my sneakers are also very soft; and my face is a little itchy, probably because I sweated too much before..." Nan Zhuren nodded and gave an OK sign to continue guiding: "Now concentrate on distinguishing the sounds in the environment and say the three sounds you hear."

The visitor licked his lips, his breathing almost completely steady: "I heard... my own breathing, the sound of the air conditioner blowing in the room, and... my own heartbeat."

There are only two steps left.

Nan Zhuren pressed on: "Now take a deep breath, look for the scents in the air, and name two scents you smell."

Compared to sight, touch, and hearing, it is slightly more difficult to find multiple olfactory senses in the surrounding air.

However, if one were to take the search for olfactory stimulation too seriously, the scene would be rather unseemly.

This is also why Nan Zhuren prepared coffee in advance.

At this moment, the visitor indeed picked up the cup of coffee on the table: "This cup of coffee initially smells bitter, but soon a sweet taste comes on."

However, this is only one.

"And then, there's this hourglass." The visitor held up the hourglass that Nan Zhuren had brought and brought it close to his nose. "It has a woody scent."

Nan Zhuren began to adjust his expression to a joyful smile.

He concluded by saying, "Now it's the last step. You need to complete one movement slowly, and while doing it, pay attention to the feeling of muscle movement throughout."

The visitor thought for a moment: "Was the initial push-off motion okay?"

It refers to the movement used in the initial "body landing" phase to adjust breathing and stop the legs from shaking.

“Of course.” Nan Zhuren nodded.

The visitor was wearing loose trousers, making it difficult to discern specific muscle movements. Nan Zhuren could only observe that the visitor's gaze momentarily froze, indicating that their attention had shifted elsewhere.

Wait about two breaths.

"All right."

He is indeed better.

Nan Zhuren asked with a smile, "How do you feel now?"

……

Upon hearing this question, the visitor subconsciously reached out and touched his chest.

The mental landing process described above, in addition to allowing sensory tasks and memory flashbacks to compete for cognitive resources, also enables individuals to simultaneously activate sensory channel tasks, including touch, vision, and hearing.

These sensory tasks also compete with each other physiologically, thereby inhibiting the generation of emotional signals.

At the same time, because these tasks follow a decreasing sequence of 5→4→3→2→1, the cognitive load can be gradually reduced. Finally, through a self-directed action, control of the body is gained, completing the closed loop.

At this moment, the visitor had already broken free from the state he had been in just a few minutes ago, as if he were drowning in the whirlpool of his own thoughts.

(End of this chapter)