The key is to slow down. We used to be able to trust subconscious actions. Many of us need to slow down and make conscious movements.

And, YES, the literature speaks about how the brain memorizes responses and can connect a serious event and the results of that event to a very minor event that has similarities and use it to trigger the responses to the serious event.

Ask somebody who has cut themselves bad. Often, a slight prick or cut will trigger an extreme reaction. Same goes for burns.

It is a part of our survival mechanism. It just over-reacts in some cases for some people.