Window of tolerance
The window of tolerance is the range of arousal within which a person can feel emotions, think clearly, and act without becoming flooded or cut off.
Definition
The concept of a window of tolerance describes the practical range within which emotions are felt but do not take over the entire system. In addition, there may be hyperarousal, e.g., panic or anger, or hypoarousal, e.g., freezing and detachment. This is not a diagnosis, but a map of work with regulation, especially useful in the trauma-informed approach.
Key ideas
- Adjustment range
- Hyperarousal and hypoarousal
- Safe work pace
Practice and life
Create your own arousal scale from 1-10 and mark the range within which you can still talk, make decisions and use regulation tools.
Common misconceptions
It is a mistake to treat the tolerance window as a fixed feature. The second mistake is to work with difficult topics without checking your arousal level.
> Regulation begins where the nervous system still has room for choice.
> — Guru Element
Questions for self-reflection
- How do I know when I'm going beyond my window of tolerance?
- What helps me get back into adjustment range?
- What work pace is safe for me?