The 5 step grounding process is different for non/alterhumans.
If you're unfamiliar, which you're probably not, the 5 senses technique, or 5-4-3-2-1 technique, is meant to be an exercise that helps one recover from a panic or anxiety attack; name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
Just speaking for myself here, as a nonhuman, I tend to prioritize different senses than a human does. Not even referring to sensory shifts; just constantly during daily life I notice auditory input over other types. I've tried the 5 senses technique before and it never worked, so I assumed it was some pop psychology therapy-speak bs.
I'm more likely to be paying attention to my auditory or olfactory environment than my visual one. Sounds and scents will take my mental focus more than sights.
I'm a polytherian across multiple phyla so it's not 1 to 1 what senses are more important to me. Taste seems least important to me because I'm a bird, but despite being a bird, vision is less important to me than it would be for others because I'm also an arthropod, because I'm an arthropod tactile feeling is really important to me but despite being a bug I'm also a mustelid so hearing is important, etc. If I had to redesign this process just for me personally, it would be more like this:
And I did, and it worked. If you're non/alterhuman and you've ever tried this process and it didn't work, take a moment and really give some thought to what senses your mind instinctively prioritizes over others; it may be different for you than it is for typical humans.
Maybe as a canine you would actually benefit from putting scent above sight in the list; maybe you're a bat and it would work better for you if you placed hearing at the top. Maybe you're an olm and placing sight at the bottom would work out better. Maybe you want to even add or remove steps entirely, like if you're a reptile and temperature is important to you but focusing on taste would just be distracting. I also find that this method not only calms you down but is sort of a meditative way to learn how your kintype actually affects the way your brain works! Give it a try.
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