" Furthermore, people like Marcus can over-estimate the degree of threat or mis-read visual cues such as facial expressions, resulting in an inability to modulate emotional pain. Imagine what will happen when he experiences a situation in early recovery that reminds him of the old trauma. For example, if his male supervisor at work gets angry with him, Marcus’ brain has learned to go into a “fight or flight” pattern, which leads to another angry outburst. "

― Charles L. Whitfield , Healing the Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families