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