The Deadliest Sin: Acting Out of Trigger in Relationship

A talk on the cost of reactivity—and the radical commitment to love instead

In this heartfelt, experiential talk, Rachel Rickards explores the often invisible, instinctual forces that sabotage our most intimate relationships. Drawing from trauma-informed somatic work, personal stories, and years of facilitating relational healing, Rachel reveals how acting out from activated states—like fight, flight, fawn, freeze, and collapse—can rupture connection in ways that feel almost impossible to repair.

With honesty and compassion, she shares her own journey of recognizing her dominant trauma response (fight), and the painful cost of reacting before regulating. She offers practical insights and embodied tools for recognizing these moments, pausing the cycle of harm, and staying connected to what matters most: love, truth, and relational integrity.

Participants will walk away with:

* A deeper understanding of instinctual trauma responses

* Clarity on their own primary patterns in conflict

* Somatic tools for nervous system regulation

* A renewed commitment to pause before acting—and to relate from grounded presence

This talk is for anyone who longs to break free from the painful loop of reactivity and to love from a place of embodied choice.