The 'window of tolerance' — a concept from trauma therapy — explains why cognitive behavioral therapy 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 (cognitive behavioral therapy 'too high'): Panic, overwhelm, rage, anxiety — above the window
- Hypoarousal (cognitive behavioral therapy 'too low'): Numbness, dissociation, shutdown, depression — below the window
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Narrows the Window
Trauma and chronic cognitive behavioral therapy narrow the window of tolerance, making us more easily triggered into dysregulated states by smaller stimuli.
Widening Your Window with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trauma-informed therapy specifically works to widen the window of tolerance — building capacity to experience cognitive behavioral therapy triggers without dysregulation.
Titrated exposure (small doses of difficult material), somatic practices, and skill-building all contribute to window expansion.