72 The window of tolerance
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING
The window of tolerance
Aim . To introduce a model for understanding our reactions to stress and trauma .
The window of tolerance is a therapeutic metaphor that we can use to explain trauma reactions .
It is based on the idea that every person has a ‘ window of tolerance ’, an amount of arousal or feeling that she can tolerate or manage .
The manual and the training provide information through which survivors can understand their trauma reactions . It also provides tools and grounding techniques that can help them to stay within their window , or return to their window when they lose control .
The metaphor is very simple . The part between the two lines shows the level of activation . All people have a zone or a kind of window in which they are perfectly balanced – where the person is in a state of mind where he or she is able to be present in the situation , able to concentrate and to learn .
If you are above the window of tolerance , over the upper line , we say that you are hyper-activated . This means that your activation is too high . If you are below your window of tolerance , under the lower line , we say that you are hypo-activated . This means you are under-activated ; your energy is too low .
Traumatic memories can trigger a flight / fight response . This is a hyper-activation reaction , where the activation is extremely high and the body is ready to flee or fight the threats .
If we are frightened of something , the body reacts automatically by shutting off certain activities and reinforcing others . We may , for example know that the heart is beating louder and faster and that we breathe faster . The body feeds blood to the brain , arms and legs . Muscles prepare for fight or flight , while activity in the brain shifts from the parts that help us think through complex problems to the parts that help us to respond to life-threatening situations .
If is not possible to fight or flee , for example if you are a small unprotected child , you will rely on the most basic survival strategy that we have – to freeze . This is the same mechanism that we see in many small animals that become totally inactive when they are attacked . This is a hypoactivation reaction in which activation falls to a minimum : you shut yourself down , become what we call immobilized .
Most of us are occasionally high and low on the window of tolerance . When this happens we often have some strategies that allow us to regulate ourselves back into the window of tolerance before the discomfort becomes too unbearable .
Based on Dag Nordanger ’ s video on the window of tolerance : https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = ugC4EdmsKWc ( In Norwegian .)
DISCUSSION
Discussion . Applying the window of tolerance .
In plenary or in pairs , ask the participants to discuss how they can use the window of tolerance to understand over-activation and under-activation , and apply it as a tool to help a survivor remain within her optimal arousal zone .
END OF DAY 2 .