Window of tolerance: what is it and how does it affect us emotionally?

Let's see what the window of tolerance consists of and what its emotional zones are.

Some people can remember their experiences with an uncontrollable emotional overflow. They are people that by a simple stimulus related to a traumatic experience, all kinds of disturbing memories come to mind that can both paralyze them and provoke the most serious of anger attacks.

Each person has limits of calm, a phenomenon called the window of tolerance. These are the levels of calmness at which we can function optimally, without being overly excited but not paralyzed either. It is the functional calm within certain parameters, which differ from person to person.

In the following we will discover exactly what this window of tolerance is all about and what can cause it to be narrowed.

What is the window of tolerance?

The window of tolerance model was developed by Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton and Claire Pain (2009), although based on a concept of the psychologist Dr. Dan Siegelwith the intention of explaining in a simple way how the regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System and the response to certain stressful or emotionally disturbing stimuli occurs. Within the framework of the polyvagal theory, this system is made up of two branches: the Sympathetic Nervous System is related to alertness, while the Parasympathetic is related to relaxation and calmness.

When a person does not have the capacity to prevent defensive responses to an emotionally disturbing stimulus, his or her nervous system may be in a state of distress, his or her nervous system may find itself in a constant state of survival-focused strategies.. In this sense, one of the following two strategies can be used: mobilization survival strategies (hyperexcitation) or immobilization survival strategies (hypoexcitation).

People who do not have sufficient capacity to regulate the activation of their autonomic system may have different problems. Among these problems we would find psychosomatization, cognitive deficits and socially dysfunctional behaviors that would end up in distressing relationships and desperate search for security and relief. Mental disorders can appear and aggravate because the person is hyper- or hypoaroused..

The tolerance window model presents three differentiated activation zones, two pathological and one optimal: the optimal activation zone, the hyperarousal zone and the hypoarousal zone.

1. Hyperarousal zone

The zone of hyperarousal is the state in which the person experiences an increase in all types of organic and psychological sensations.. It occurs when one is above the maximum level of tolerance and corresponds to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

When you are in this zone you have increased emotional reactivity, hypervigilance, experience intrusive images and memories and all your cognitive processing is disorganized. Hyperactivity also makes it difficult to sleep and eat.

2. Optimal arousal zone

The zone of optimal activation, also called margin of tolerance, is the zone in which psychologically and biologically well-regulated people find themselves.. We would say that it is the zone of calm and, thanks to it, the individual is able to integrate the information received in an effective way, connecting with our emotions and being able to think about our physiological and mental states in a functional way.

3. Hypoactivation zone

The hypoactivation zone involves several symptoms, all associated with low energy and low responsiveness.. In contrast to hyperarousal, this is below the range of tolerance.

Symptoms include relative absence of sensation, numbness of emotions, slowing of cognitive processing and slowed movements. Tiredness, confusion, distractibility or embarrassment would also be experienced.

It would correspond to an excessive increase of the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

• Related article, "What is Physiological Psychology?"

Trauma and emotional dysregulation

The autonomic nervous system and trauma are related. What makes a given situation a traumatic experience has to do with the individual's perception of it, especially if he or she perceives it as potentially life threatening.. If this is the case, the person puts into practice several survival responses, which can become chronic if not properly managed. If this happens, this is when emotional dysregulation occurs, either by hyperexcitation or hypoexcitation.

Stressors can be internal or external: internal stressors can be intrusive memories, physical discomfort causing health concerns, overwhelming feelings and sensations; while external stressors are usually social situations, although they can also be stimuli such as smells, tastes, tones of voice or any element that is unpleasant for the person receiving it.

• You may be interested in "What is trauma and how does it influence our lives?"

What does it mean to be outside the window of tolerance?

Sometimes emotions get the better of us. The reasons for this are many. It can be due to lack of trust, shortage of strategies to manage emotions, difficulties to reflect... The two limits of the window of tolerance correspond to two extreme states of the ideal activation of the organism, the previously mentioned hyper- and hypoexcitation.

Depending on one's life experiences, we develop a pattern of response to different stimuli. a pattern of response to different stimuli. As everyone has their own particular way of responding to certain experiences, there are some people who may be very reactive, suffering panic or anger attacks. Others, on the other hand, may be disconnected from their body and mind when they are in front of a certain stimulus, their mind becomes blocked and, practically, depersonalized.

When faced with dangerous or traumatic situations, our organism acts to survive and sets in motion mechanisms that sometimes fail to return to their normal state. People who find themselves outside the window of tolerance are often because their window is very narrow, making it difficult for them to find themselves in a basal state of security, calm and relaxation. At the slightest touch, these people find themselves hyper- or hypoactivated.

How to expand the window of tolerance?

The narrowness of our window of tolerance depends on our life experiences, especially those of our children.. Childhoods full of traumatic experiences often give rise to adults whose hyper- and hypoarousal to stressors are easily activated. If one has not yet overcome one's traumas, it is quite likely that one will very often manifest symptoms ranging from anger attacks to mental block.

We cannot change our past, but we can work on our present to have a better future. The traumatic events of the past will not cease to exist, but we can change the narrowness of our window of tolerance, widen it so that they will be more tolerable in the future.We can widen it so that fewer and fewer stimuli induce psychological tension in us.

We can use various techniques to remain in our window of tolerance and gradually expand it. First, it is essential to recognize what this window of tolerance is, to know what its limits are so that, working from there, we can make them wider and wider. Among the techniques that can help us we have:

• Being physically active: walking, running, going to the gym....
• Recognize negative thoughts and reformulate them in a positive way.
• Share our thoughts and concerns with a trusted person.
• Practice guided breathing and meditation.