What ‘Emotional Flooding’ Really Means—And How to Handle It

By Angela Haupt, Apr 10, 2026

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist in Menlo Park, Calif., says the body’s baseline state plays an essential role. He uses a skiing metaphor with his patients: Your psychology is your technique, and your biology is the slope. “When the terrain is gentle, almost anyone can stay upright,” he says. “But when the slope steepens—through poor sleep, chronic stress, hormonal shifts, or untreated anxiety—even the best technique falls apart.” Research supports his point: After even one night of poor sleep, the brain’s amygdala overreacts to negative stimuli by about 60%.

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