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