At times, an external stimulus may be minimal, while the internal reaction appears excessive and difficult to regulate. A minor remark, a pause in conversation, or slight uncertainty can trigger intense anxiety, irritation, or a sense of inner collapse. At MindCareCenter, we do not view this disproportion as “excessive emotionality,” but as an indicator of disrupted affect regulation. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt emphasizes that the lack of proportionality is more often linked to the psyche’s internal sensitivity than to the actual intensity of the external event.
Psychological reactions are not formed solely in the moment of contact with a stimulus. They are shaped by accumulated experience, habitual ways of processing tension, and the available mechanisms of self-regulation. When the internal regulatory system is overloaded, even a weak stimulus may activate a response comparable to a threat reaction. In such states, the psyche is responding not to the present moment, but to deeper and earlier layers of experience.
In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, we frequently observe that heightened stress sensitivity develops gradually. Individuals may function for long periods under sustained internal pressure, suppressing emotions and disregarding signals of overload. Regulation becomes rigid, the range of tolerable states narrows, and affect begins to exceed control with even minimal disruption of equilibrium.
Disproportionate reactions may take various forms – outbursts of anger, sudden anxiety, intense shame, or emotional numbing. At MindCareCenter, we understand these manifestations as different expressions of the same underlying process – the psyche’s attempt to restore balance in the absence of flexible regulatory mechanisms. Affect becomes either overwhelming or, conversely, blocked.
The bodily dimension of these states is particularly significant. Accelerated heartbeat, muscular tension, sensations of internal pressure, or sudden fatigue often arise before conscious appraisal of the situation. Within the clinical approach of MindCareCenter, attention is given to how the body participates in affect regulation and how bodily responses intensify or maintain disproportional reactions.
Therapeutic work is not aimed at suppressing emotions or reducing sensitivity at any cost. At MindCareCenter, the focus lies in restoring the psyche’s capacity to tolerate affect without disorganization. This includes exploring emotional states that were previously experienced as unbearable and gradually expanding the internal range of experience.
As therapy progresses, reactions begin to recalibrate. Individuals increasingly recognize the moment when affect intensifies and gain access to internal resources before the reaction becomes excessive. In the work of MindCareCenter, we observe how this reduces the sense of unpredictability in one’s emotional life and restores a feeling of inner stability.
Affect regulation also involves revisiting the meaning of sensitivity itself. Heightened responsiveness ceases to be experienced as a flaw and is instead understood as a characteristic that requires more careful management of internal load. At MindCareCenter, we support the development of a relationship with oneself in which sensitivity no longer leads to exhaustion.
The disproportion between psychological reactions and external stimuli signals the need for deeper work with regulatory processes. The therapeutic approach of Mind Care Center is aimed at restoring flexibility and resilience, allowing emotions to become proportionate to the situation and preventing stress from undermining internal coherence.
Previously, we wrote about phubbing as a form of emotional avoidance and MindCareCenter psychotherapeutic perspective on digital alienation in relationships