🌿 Window of Tolerance
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org

🧠 What Is the Window of Tolerance?
The Window of Tolerance is the range of emotional and arousal states in which a person can function effectively — feeling, thinking, relating — without getting overwhelmed or shutting down.
Within this window:

• You can sense distress but stay grounded
• You can access thoughts, awareness, choice
• You can recover from stress or activate coping

Outside the window:

• Hyperarousal (above): fight, flight, agitation, overwhelm
• Hypoarousal (below): numbness, shutdown, dissociation

Life stress, trauma, and attachment disruptions can shrink or distort the window. The therapeutic aim is often to widen it and restore flexibility.

📝 Awareness Practice
Developing awareness of your own window is the first step toward regulation. Try asking yourself:

• Can I notice when I am within my window of tolerance — the “optimal” zone?
• Can I notice what sent me out of my window, into hypo-arousal (shut down) or hyper-arousal (overwhelm)?
• Can I notice what helps me come back into the window?
• Can I track early warning signs before I leave the window completely?
• Can I explore which resources (breath, grounding, movement, safe contact) support me most reliably?

📄 Download this as a printable PDF:
👉 ​Window of Tolerance – Ashley Russell

🖋 Created by Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
✴️ Adapted from the work of Dr. Dan Siegel.
​🖼️ Image Source & further information: BrisbaneCouncellingCentre.com.au
Please share with credit to keep the care connected to the source.

Visual Guide - Window of Tolerance