Unfortunately this is all to common in pilot training. IMO (as a flight instructor) it is due to poor instruction and incorrect/incomplete introduction to stalls and slow flight. I'm sorry that you had this experience as it's unfortunate.

Many typical training regimes begin with stalls almost immediately, which I believe to be incorrect. Making the student comfortable and confident (somewhat) with the controls and the aircraft in general is vitally important before beginning stall training. Stalls should begin very very slowly, especially with nervous students, recovering from all kinds of incipient stalls and slow flight before ever conducting a full stall/recovery. In addition the aerodynamics of stalls are rarely taught properly before practical applications.

I always taught my students the "let go of everything and let the airplane recover itself (which a training aircraft will ALWAYS do) method before the typical PPL/CPL stall entry/recovery technique.

From my experience with many flight instructors; it begins with the fight instructor demonstrating a stall entry/recovery, even a full power on (departure) stall, then telling the student to try. This is bound to scare nervous students, and is why so many start flight training and never make it to and past solo.

</rant> Sorry!