The 'window of tolerance' — a concept from trauma therapy — explains why body-focused repetitive behaviors pushes us into states where we can't function well, and how to expand our capacity.
What Is the Window of Tolerance?
The window of tolerance is the zone of arousal in which we function optimally. Outside it:
- Hyperarousal (body-focused repetitive behaviors 'too high'): Panic, overwhelm, rage, anxiety — above the window
- Hypoarousal (body-focused repetitive behaviors 'too low'): Numbness, dissociation, shutdown, depression — below the window
How Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Narrows the Window
Trauma and chronic body-focused repetitive behaviors narrow the window of tolerance, making us more easily triggered into dysregulated states by smaller stimuli.
Widening Your Window with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
Trauma-informed therapy specifically works to widen the window of tolerance — building capacity to experience body-focused repetitive behaviors triggers without dysregulation.
Titrated exposure (small doses of difficult material), somatic practices, and skill-building all contribute to window expansion.