Why Did I React THAT Strongly?
I know what happened didn’t match the size of my reaction.
It wasn’t that big of a disagreement.
The text wasn’t objectively terrible.
They didn’t actually say they were leaving.
Nobody was yelling.
You knew you were safe.
And still, something in you went from zero to absolutely not before you had time to make sense of it.
Maybe you got angry.
Maybe you panicked.
Maybe you froze.
Maybe you shut down.
Maybe you started crying.
Maybe you became defensive.
Maybe you immediately apologized even though you weren’t sure you’d done anything wrong.
Maybe you needed to leave.
Maybe you felt rejected, exposed, trapped, ashamed, or suddenly very small.
And later:
Why did THAT hit me so hard?
You don’t need to already know the answer.
Adults ages 18 and older · 3 hours
$125 in person · $95 virtual
MAYBE YOU'VE THOUGHT
Maybe you’ve thought…
- “That should not have bothered me that much.”
- “I don’t know why I got so defensive.”
- “I knew they weren’t rejecting me, but it felt like they were.”
- “I completely shut down.”
- “I went from fine to furious.”
- “I started crying and couldn’t explain why.”
- “I couldn’t get words out.”
- “I agreed just to make it stop.”
- “I needed to get out of there.”
- “I knew I was overreacting while I was reacting, and I still couldn’t stop it.”
- “Why does this keep happening?”
WHAT IF THE REACTION ISN'T RANDOM?
A strong reaction doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with you.
And it doesn’t automatically mean you have trauma.
Sometimes something about the present moment matters more than we initially realize.
Sometimes we’re already overloaded.
Sometimes rejection, pressure, helplessness, criticism, conflict, uncertainty, or loss of control lands especially hard.
Sometimes our bodies respond before we have words for what is happening.
Sometimes an older pattern may be part of the picture.
And sometimes the explanation is something else entirely.
We don’t have to decide what your reaction means before we get curious about it.
“STRONG” DOESN'T ALWAYS LOOK LOUD
Sometimes the reaction everyone notices is yelling, anger, panic, or leaving.
Other reactions can be quieter:
- shutting down;
- going blank;
- freezing;
- immediately agreeing;
- apologizing;
- becoming intensely self-critical;
- disconnecting;
- being unable to speak;
- trying to make everyone else okay.
A reaction doesn’t have to look dramatic from the outside to feel enormous on the inside.
UNDERSTANDING DOESN'T ERASE RESPONSIBILITY
Understanding isn’t the same as excusing.
Sometimes strong reactions lead to behavior we don’t feel good about afterward.
Getting curious about why something happens isn’t the same as saying every behavior is okay.
We can understand what was happening and take responsibility for impact.
We can have compassion for how a response developed and want more choice in what happens next.
Less shame doesn’t have to mean less accountability.
YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM
You don’t need a diagnosis.
You don’t need a clear trauma memory.
You don’t need to decide whether your childhood caused it.
You don’t need to tell the group your history.
And you don’t need to prove that your reaction makes sense.
We can start with:
What keeps happening?
WHAT WE'LL EXPLORE
From “What is wrong with me?” to “What is happening here?”
Through accessible education, guided reflection, body awareness, and experiential exercises, we’ll explore:
- what tends to happen before a strong reaction;
- what you notice in your body;
- what the moment seems to mean while it’s happening;
- what happens to your ability to think, speak, choose, stay, or leave;
- patterns that repeat;
- what happens afterward;
- what helps create more room between activation and action;
- what choice might look like without requiring the reaction to disappear.
YOU ARE STILL ALLOWED TO HAVE REACTIONS
Your body does not need to become perfectly calm before you are doing this “right.”
Anger can tell you something matters.
Fear can protect you.
Pulling away can create needed space.
Tears can come when something hurts.
The goal isn’t emotional flatness.
It isn’t becoming endlessly tolerant.
And it isn’t learning to override yourself.
The question is whether you have enough room to choose what happens next.
SCOPE
A one-time experiential and psychoeducational Focused Experience.
It is not:
- group psychotherapy;
- trauma processing;
- EMDR treatment;
- anger management;
- diagnostic assessment;
- couples therapy;
- crisis care.
No required trauma-story disclosure.
Participation is voluntary, and participants may pass on an exercise, pause, or step away.
FORMAT
In person or virtual, and we’re testing demand first.
No date or first delivery format has been set yet. We’re testing demand before deciding whether the first event will be San Antonio, New Braunfels, virtual, or whether separate dates will ultimately be offered.
Tell SFT how you would most likely attend, and you’ll hear when a date is set.
This is not a hybrid event. Each gathering will be held in one format, and the interest list is how we decide which one comes first.
WHO IT'S FOR
For adults ages 18 and older
This is a general-adult offering, not specific to motherhood or to any one role.
You do not need a diagnosis.
You do not need to know where your reaction came from.
You do not need to have experienced anything you would call trauma.
This may fit simply because:
I know what happened didn’t match the size of my reaction.
WHEN THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT SETTING
When this isn’t the right setting.
This gathering is not designed for immediate crisis support or circumstances requiring individualized safety assessment or a higher level of care.
If you’re unsure whether this format fits what you need, contact SFT before joining the interest list at horizonsofhope@pm.me.
Facilitator
Sasha Flores
LCSW-S · PMH-C · RYT-200
Sasha Flores, LCSW-S, PMH-C, RYT-200, is a trauma-informed, body-based therapist and the founder of Sasha Flores Therapy. Her work centers on how overwhelming experiences live in the body and nervous system.
Her practice includes trauma-focused work, maternal and perinatal mental health, and focused experiential treatment. She brings years of experience helping adults notice and work with their own protective responses, at a pace people can stay with.
Why Did I React THAT Strongly? is an SFT-created Focused Experience.
You don’t have to know why before you come.
Add your name to the interest list and you’ll be the first to know when a date and format are set. Joining costs nothing and does not reserve a place.