Ian and zelda are in an intense fight. zelda's heart is racing and her face feels hot with anger. ian's palms are sweaty. gottman calls this reaction which can impede effective problem solving.

Gottman calls this reaction flooding, which can impede effective problem solving.
This refers to very strong emotions and feelings that people are experiencing from time to time when they lash out on the people closest to them, whether they deserved it or not. Of course, such fights can be detrimental to the solving of a problem, because when you are angry, you just want to yell and scream, and not really solve problems.