You may already know these concepts well, but for a quick review. We put a lot of work into creating these resources for you. (Please be sure to include the copyright information. If you’d like to print a copy for yourself, just click here: Color or Print-friendly Working with a practitioner can help expand your window of tolerance so that you are able to cope with challenges. When stress and trauma shrinks your window of tolerance, it doesn’t take much to throw you off balance. You might feel stress or pressure, but it doesn’t bother you too much. When you are in your Window of Tolerance, you feel like you can deal with whatever’s happening in your life. It’s not something you choose – these reactions just take over. How Trauma Can Affect Your Window of ToleranceĪnxious, Angry, Out of Control, Overwhelmed. It can help you explain what’s going on when they’re feeling dysregulated. We created this infographic as a tool you can share with your clients. Even seemingly minor stressors can cause a client to dissociate, get angry, or feel anxious – leading to states of hyperarousal or hypoarousal.Īnd this can make it difficult for clients to make progress in therapeutic sessions.

The stress of a traumatic memory or trigger may cause them to be pushed out of their window of tolerance. That means they generally have a very narrow window of tolerance. Someone constantly living in their past trauma is primed to detect threat- and enter into that state of defense. When a client is traumatized, it can be especially difficult for them to stay grounded in the present because the past is more vivid and intrusive. When a person is operating within this zone or window, they can effectively manage and cope with their emotions.įor clients who have experienced trauma, it is often difficult to regulate emotions and the zone of arousal where they can function effectively becomes quite narrow. Dan Siegel, MD to describe the optimal zone of “arousal” for a person to function in everyday life. The window of tolerance is a concept originally developed by Dr. In situations like this, psychoeducation can be one of our best tools – and one helpful concept is “the window of tolerance.” So how can we help clients who struggle to manage the anxiety, anger, and pain brought on by everyday stressors?

Clients are best able to cope with stressors and triggers when they can manage the resulting emotions.

The mindful therapist dan siegel