Going back a couple of pages, to the discussion of the "startle factor".... we were told it is not so simple to include genuine fear in sim pratice...
I'm sure somebody has mentioned Ernest K Gann and his experience of an instrument approach on a nasty evening, with the captain lighting one match after another under his nose. Gann managed to maintain his concentration despite this insane behavior, which made him better able to deal with difficult situations.
I have been startled on a couple of occasions; my response was to keep calm and do nothing; controls still OK, loud bang turned out to be unrequested descent of the undercarriage and not a mid-air. In another case, lap strap out the door began a rattatat on the fuselage. In the third case, the glider on tow suddenly appeared beside me, instead of behind; in all cases doing nothing turned out to be the correct response. But believe me, I was startled alright!