A Healing Start

Window of Tolerance: How to identify and expand your window to embrace calm and manage distress

An essential step in personal change and readiness to process underlying trauma is to increase our ability to manage distress. First, we must have the capacity to navigate distress, in EMDR we call these “resources”. Our resources guide and increase our ability to manage, activate, and heal from distress and trauma. An important phase to remember as you begin therapy is the concept window of tolerance. Dr. Dan Siegal, MD, a clinical psychologist who has written numerous books on attachment and interpersonal neurobiology coined this phrase to describe the impact of trauma on our nervous systems. We all have a window, either narrow or wide, with which we are able to manage various types of distress.

What is a Window of Tolerance? 

Our windows of tolerance include learned and at times, maladaptive responses to stress. There might be certain emotional states or day to day experiences that you feel more capable of navigating than others. For example, anger may not disrupt your day as much as feeling anxious or sad might. As Dr. Siegal puts it, “within our window of tolerance we remain receptive; outside of it we become reactive.” Another way to think about this concept comes from Dr. Janina Fisher. She describes the window of tolerance as our “emotional bandwidth”. Do you notice emotions that you can identify, tolerate, and manage while others you might distance, distract, or panic when they surface? It might not happen with just emotions, you may also experience body sensations or a particular sound or smell. It is important before beginning the reprocessing stage of trauma treatment to increase awareness and notice levels of tolerance to these markers of distress. 

As an EMDR therapist, I find that clients are seeking relief from the reactivity in their present day that stems from a past experience. This is what the AIP model that EMDR is based upon calls the past living in the present. Many clients come to therapy ready and willing to tackle their trauma histories, but the clients nervous system may not be so ready to address these issues. Increasing a person’s window is one of the first steps in trauma treatment. There are many ways to do this, let’s first look at how you know what your window is!

(Adapted from Levine, 1997; Siegal, 1999; Ogden and Minton, 2000; Porges, 2005)

Identifying Your Window 

When you are able to switch from a state of activation to a sense of calm. This regulated response means your brain's prefrontal cortex is continuing to operate. When we are hyperaroused (in fight or flight) or hypoaroused (frozen or shutdown) the prefrontal cortex, our calm, noticing brain is turned off, because it interprets that we are in danger. When this happens, the part of our brain that becomes activated is the amygdala. The amygdala is our emergency stress response or alarm and communicates signals of danger or safety to our prefrontal cortex.  In EMDR resourcing, we are working to increase the activation of the prefrontal cortex which works in sync to decrease the alarm or activation of the amygdala. It is essential before moving forward in therapy that we know our window of tolerance and can access it or shift when activated. This allows for the deeper work to happen in session and offers safety and containment for the client between sessions. 

Conclusion: Can you tolerate calm? 

Do you wish to be able to self-regulate or soothe? Have you noticed having a difficult time when positive or calm emotions arise? Are you most comfortable in go mode or disconnected? These may be signs that improving your ability to tolerate calm may be beneficial to your personal well-being and progress in therapy. Discuss with your therapist some tools to start with and keep what works, discard what doesn’t. There are many tools for self-regulation and you can find what works best for you! If blocks or barriers arise, know that can be a normal part of the experience, work with your therapist to continue to increase your access and tolerance to calm. 

References:

Fisher, J. (2022). The Living Legacy of Trauma Flip Chart: A Psychoeducational In-Session Tool for Clients and Therapists. PESI Publishing Inc.

Sigel, D. (2010). Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. Bantam.

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures(3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.