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