The Window of tolerance is a term that was created by Daniel Siegel, in 1999. It refers to the levels of arousal that can be experienced, ranging from Hyperarousal (feeling too much and being over stimulated), all the way to Hypoarousal (feeling nothing at all and dissociating).
This 'window' can differ in size. This means that some days your window may be small, making it very easy to become over/under stimulated. But, on other days your window can be large, meaning you have no issues staying calm and collected.
This is a diagram that can be found on page 215 of Coping with trauma related dissociation, written by Kathy Steele, Onno van der Hart, and Suzette Boon
The diagram shows where the optimal arousal level lies compared to the levels of arousal someone is actually feeling. From this we can see the person had a slow incline until they reached Hyperarousal, when they suddenly dropped to Hypoarousal, before returning to 'normal'. This sudden change of mental state can be seen in those with dissociative disorders and trauma disorders. A trigger can be so powerful that I makes everything seem uncontrollable and intense, causing distress, anxiety, panic attacks and sensory overload. The mind then quickly counteracts this by dissociating and becoming 'numb' or distant. Once the trigger is removed (or in DID, a switch has taken place), the mind can be regulated.
Another way of viewing this idea of a scam is to try and rate what you are feeling on a scale from -5 to 15. The optimal range would be 0-10 allowing 5 either side for hyper or hypo arousal.
Hyperarousal:
Things like emotional triggers, nightmares or flashbacks, are examples of what can cause someone to experience hyperarousal. This can result in sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, anger, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, intense emotional responses, energy spikes and even cause physical pain (chronic pain). This is also often called the fight or flight response.
Hypoarousal:
This is often experienced as a numb or disconnected feeling and occurs when your mind is under stimulated. Things like dissociation, depression, chronic fatigue, derealisation, depersonalisation, emptiness, loneliness, low blood pressure and disconnection, are all results of hypoarousal. Sometimes called the freeze response.
These states are found in those with trauma and dissociative disorders because during childhood, self-regulation of emotions wasn't developed. Typically during early childhood development, caregivers will comfort, nurture and protect the child during times of emotional distresss. This allows the child to learn how to calm down and control their emotions. Adults who have developed tequniques to self regulate will know when they are feeling overwhelmed or underwhelmed and be able to correct that before they experience dissociation or high anxiety.
Can people with childhood trauma regulate themselves?
Without know how to, no. Instead of developing these skills when they where younger, those with trauma need to learn these skills as an adult. Mindfulness, breathing, grounding, emotional awareness, positive self talk, and other psychology techniques can help regulate these emotions before the window of tolerance is exited. When someone is noticing a triggering situation is about to unfold, they could counteract it by moving away from the situation and grounding themselves. This can be very hard to do though as spikes in arousal can be quick and unexpected.
DID and dealing with hyperarousal:
To complicate things more, what happens if an alter is experiencing too much and having high anxiety? Here are some tips and tricks that may help:
-Listen to some music that the alter experiencing these emotions actually enjoys listening to.
-Invite several alters to engage in mindful activities to make decrease anxiety levels (group breathing or meditation)
-Allow all alters to talk about their feelings and what is on their minds
-Ask the upset alters if they want to have some time alone to regulate and allow them to switch if need be.
-Suggest that a caring or helpful alter stays with them until the feeling pass
DID and dealing with hypoarousal:
Alters who often experience depression, dissociation, or numbness, may have no empathy for the body, other alters, or people around you. This isn't them being rude or mean, this is just due to a lack of nurturing and stimulation. Try to:
-Get up and do something (not a marathon, maybe 5 star jumps)
- Wiggle your fingers and toes (this will keep you grounded and present)
-Ask the alter what is maligning them so lethargic and if they are feeling numb on any body parts (don't judge the answer, just observe)
-Use tequniques to keep the mind occupied (write a word for each letter of the alphabet or count to 10 in another language)
-See if a more active alter can help them get out of bed and busy.
-Make sure all parts of you know what day and time it is (this limits likelihood of getting stuck in trauma time)
-reassure all alters that you are safe and okay.
The goal is to remain within an optical arousal zone. This allows good decision making, awareness, calmness and stable mental state. Our emotions are valid, but do not control us. We can learn to self regulate and develop the techniques that should have been there since childhood. This can be a difficult concept to understand so try not to get caught up on the terminology or definitions too much.
I hope that you found this helpful and informative. feel free to look into the sources below for more information about this topic. I am not a professional, this is just my private research and experience. Thank you for reading.
Jen xx
Sources:
Coping with Trauma related dissociation- Kathy Steele, Onno van der Hart, and Suzette Boon
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