Can you explain why my body reacts strangely to certain sounds?

I have very strange reactions to certain sounds, and not just nails on a chalkboard. I can’t take the sound of silverware scraping against metal pans or nice plates. The sound of bare feet dragging on certain types of concrete is horrible. And I cannot tolerate most soprano voices or music with high pitches.

My question is about my reactions to these noises. At certain levels I just have to cover my ears or leave the room because my body goes into fight/flight mode. I cringe and hunker myself into a ball. It’s not really pain in my ears or head, but a feeling of anxiety, like I want to crawl into my body and hide. It’s like a buzzing feeling though out my body that is so uncomfortable that I can’t contain myself.

The only thing I can liken it to so that you might get what I am saying is this: when cats hear noises that they do not like their ears twitch, they crouch down and the skin on their bodies quiver until they can’t stand it and run away.

Why does this happen? More specifically, what in my brain or body makes these feelings occur? Why do sounds cause my body to react this way? Can I change it?