"If you were to use a term from comparative psychology to sum it up—"
This is the moment to be a bit more professional, involving the educational part of counseling.
Nan Zhubin looked into the visitor's eyes: "—we call this phenomenon 'dissociation'. "
"Dissociation?" the visitor repeated the word.
"Yes, dissociation." Nan Zhubin nodded, "Simply put, dissociation is a psychological defense mechanism that kicks in when a person encounters trauma, stress, or overwhelming emotions. It causes a temporary disconnection in functions like memory, perception, and experience of environment, which are usually integrated, to prevent one from being submerged by intense emotional pain."
Nan Zhubin placed his right hand over his left, making a gesture of being "engulfed by water".
