Trauma Therapist: Understanding the Window of Tolerance
Trauma Therapist: Understanding the Window of Tolerance
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
Do you find yourself overcome with anger, only to fall into a spiral of shame because of what you've said or done? Or do you freeze at other times and hate yourself for not standing up for yourself?
Let’s take a deep dive into what is happening in your nervous system. Psychologists use a concept called the window of tolerance, coined by Dr. Dan Siegel. This offers a map, of sorts, to explore what is happening within your nervous system.
The Window of Tolerance
Your nervous system operates automatically. Your brain and body are designed to help you avoid danger at all costs. When the brain and body perceive danger, you will experience either hyperarousal or hypoarousal.
To visualize this, we use a color-coded system:
Green Zone: Optimal functioning. In this state, you feel calm, alert, and able to handle stress effectively. Your mind and body are balanced, allowing for optimal decision-making and emotional regulation.
Orange Zone: Transition to hyperarousal. You start to feel increased tension and alertness. This is the edge of your optimal functioning, where stress is starting to build up but hasn’t yet pushed you into full hyperarousal.
Red Zone: Hyperarousal. This state is characterized by high anxiety, panic, or anger. Your body is in fight-or-flight mode, with symptoms like rapid heartbeat, quick breathing, and muscle tension. It’s a survival response to perceived threats.
Light Blue Zone: Transition to hypoarousal. You begin to feel disengaged or disconnected. This is the edge of moving out of your optimal zone and into a state where you start shutting down.
Blue Zone: Hypoarousal. This state involves low energy, numbness, and disconnection. Your body is in a state of conservation, often described as “freeze” or “shutdown.” It’s a protective response to overwhelming stress or trauma.
What is Hyperarousal?
When you are in the red zone, your body is in hyperarousal. This might feel like an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension, accompanied by emotions such as anxiety, anger, and panic. This response is your body’s way of preparing to fight or flee from a perceived threat. It’s a protective mechanism that has kept humans safe for centuries. However, in modern times, this response can be triggered by non-life-threatening situations, such as a stressful work environment or relationship conflict.
What is Hypoarousal?
When you are in the blue zone, your body is in hypoarousal. This might feel like fatigue, numbness, and low energy, accompanied by emotions such as depression, disconnection, and hopelessness. This response helps you conserve energy and protect yourself by "playing dead" or disconnecting from overwhelming stress. While this can be protective in extreme situations, it can also be maladaptive if it prevents you from engaging in life and relationships.
Why Do We Get Stuck in These Responses?
If you have experienced an event or multiple events that overwhelmed your ability to cope with and process the trauma, your nervous system can continue to react as if the threat is happening now. This is why you might cycle through hyper and hypoarousal states, even when the threat is no longer present.
Signs of Dysregulation
Cycling through these states can look like:
Being reactive and defensive.
Not speaking up for yourself.
Persistent avoidance of situations.
Feeling unmotivated and stuck.
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
Experiencing frequent mood swings.
Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks.
Avoiding social interactions or withdrawing from relationships.
Engaging in self-destructive behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, overeating).
Having difficulty sleeping or experiencing frequent nightmares.
Feeling disconnected from your own emotions or body.
Experiencing physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or chronic pain.
Constantly feeling on edge or easily startled.
Struggling with feelings of shame or guilt.
The Video Recording Analogy
Let’s use an analogy from the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy by Shirley Jean Schmidt, MA, LPC. When something overwhelming happens, your brain takes a recording of the event and stores it deep within. When something reminds your brain (subconsciously) of this challenging time, it pushes play on the old recording, making your brain and body react as if the original threat is happening now.
Healing the Nervous System
Trauma therapies, such as EMDR, can help work with your nervous system to process these memories. This can clear the activation in the body, allowing the nervous system to orient to present-day safety and new choices, rather than relying on habitual responses. Healing trauma has the ability to expand your window of tolerance.
Narrow Windows of Tolerance
Some individuals organically have a narrower window of tolerance. Neurodivergent individuals, for example, can be more sensitive to environmental stimuli and emotional stressors. Additionally, people who experience chronic pain have nervous systems that are already very taxed due to coping with persistent discomfort.
Increased Risk of PTSD
Individuals with a narrower window of tolerance are more likely to experience PTSD due to an already taxed nervous system. Their heightened sensitivity makes them more vulnerable to the effects of traumatic events, and their nervous system's limited capacity to cope with stress can exacerbate the impact of these events. This emphasizes the need for trauma therapy and appropriate support following adverse experiences to help process and integrate the trauma, stabilize the nervous system, and expand the window of tolerance.
Importance of Trauma Therapy
Understanding that some individuals have a naturally narrower window of tolerance is crucial. This awareness helps to remove judgment from their reactions and fosters a more compassionate approach to support and self-care. Whether due to neurodivergence, chronic pain, trauma, or other factors, recognizing these sensitivities allows for better management of stress and emotional regulation. Trauma therapies, such as EMDR, can be particularly effective in helping individuals process and integrate traumatic memories, stabilize their nervous system, and expand their window of tolerance.
Understanding your own triggers and what overwhelms your system is crucial. Whether it is due to trauma or biological differences, recognizing your window of tolerance is the first step in managing your responses.
Self-Care and Regulation
What is considered self-care to one person may be stressful to another person. Identify the things you can do in your life that allow you to decompress and reset. For me, self-care is a long run followed by spending a few hours alone at home. For someone else, it might be going to a coffee shop and then shopping. One of my clients enjoys organizing her pantries and closets. Take some time to brainstorm activities that help you reset and recharge.
I've heard way too often that clients fear that too much self-care is selfish. This just is not the case. Self-care is crucial to regulating your nervous system. If you want to bring your best self to your family and work, you need to be within your window of tolerance. It really is that simple.
Recognize Your Limits and Avoid Overstimulation
It's crucial to understand the specific cues that let you know you're at the edge of the window of tolerance. For some, being in the orange zone feels like being hyper or defensive. Being in the light blue zone can feel like being a little sleepy or indecisive. Knowing these cues will allow you to take the necessary steps to prevent yourself from becoming hyper or hypoaroused. If you find yourself at the edges of your window of tolerance, in the orange or light blue zones, and you can't immediately go for a run or hit the gym, you can use grounding techniques, mindfulness, or breathing exercises as a temporary measure to get you through the moment.
Seeking Professional Support
If you have been struggling with responses that you don’t like, reaching out to a professional for support can be incredibly beneficial. Therapy can provide you with tools and strategies to better manage your nervous system responses. Remember, everyone’s window of tolerance is different. Understanding and respecting your own limits is key to maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
Interested in How Trauma Therapy Helps?
The therapists at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando are prepared to help you work through trauma and any other therapy-related issues you may be facing. To begin working with one of our counselors:
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form
Schedule a consultation call with one of our trauma therapists.
Begin your healing journey!
Not Ready for Trauma Therapy Orlando?
We are a group of trauma therapists who specialize in helping. We recognize that you might not feel prepared. If you want to find out more about trauma therapy, we suggest reading the articles listed below.
Trauma Therapy Orlando Resources
Orlando Therapist Shares Importance of Self-Care
Orlando Therapist Explores the Difference between Physical Trauma & Attachment Trauma
Emotional Blueprint: Understanding Our Emotional Responses
Understanding the Fawn Response
Types of Counseling: Trauma Counseling
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Therapy Jargon
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety
5 Signs You’re Healing from Trauma
Everything You Need to Know About Self-Care
Orlando Therapist Shares Importance of Self-Care
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
At Mindful Living Counseling, we provide a variety of therapy options, such as Anxiety Therapy, Toxic Relationships counseling, EMDR Therapy, and Teen Therapy, in addition to Guided Meditations. If you have any inquiries or worries, feel free to get in touch with us.
Trauma Therapist Spotlight: Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn, LMHC, provides trauma-focused therapy in Orlando and has expertise in assisting with anxiety and trauma through EMDR Intensives. She is a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, a Certified EMDR Therapist, and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant.