The 'window of tolerance' — a concept from trauma therapy — explains why coronavirus disease 2019 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 (coronavirus disease 2019 'too high'): Panic, overwhelm, rage, anxiety — above the window
- Hypoarousal (coronavirus disease 2019 'too low'): Numbness, dissociation, shutdown, depression — below the window
How Coronavirus Disease 2019 Narrows the Window
Trauma and chronic coronavirus disease 2019 narrow the window of tolerance, making us more easily triggered into dysregulated states by smaller stimuli.
Widening Your Window with Coronavirus Disease 2019
Trauma-informed therapy specifically works to widen the window of tolerance — building capacity to experience coronavirus disease 2019 triggers without dysregulation.
Titrated exposure (small doses of difficult material), somatic practices, and skill-building all contribute to window expansion.