I created my own version of the ‘Window of Tolerance’ – called the ‘Circle of Tolerance’. I believe a new visualisation was required as the current ‘Window of Tolerance’ could easily be misinterpreted to suggest that when people go from hyper-aroused to hypo-aroused they go through the optimal zone/a state of calmness – which of course, they don’t. Many people, particular those impacted by trauma, move directly from hyper to hypo, and spend potentially very little to no time in the ‘Calm’ zone.
The ‘Circle of Tolerance’ is a more nuanced representation of how people move between different physiological states – including Increased Arousal, Fight/Flight, Freeze, a state of Calm or Lethargy. People can move between zones (rapidly or gradually) or also skip entire zones, particularly when triggered (e.g. go straight from Calm to Freeze).
It can be useful to understand where you are on the Circle, or which zones or states you are commonly in or move between, and how you can influence or shift which state you are in. It can also be helpful to visualise what happens when you experience a trigger (a real or perceived threat).
Some questions to consider include:
- Which zones are you in most and what are your patterns in terms of movement between zones?
- What happens in your body when you experience a trigger? Do you experience an expected increase in arousal, moving you into the ‘Increased arousal’ zone (orange or light red)? Or do you move straight to fight/flight (dark red zone), or freeze and shutdown (purple)?
- What helps you move between zones?
- i.e. what helps to reduce your stress response when you’re in the Fight/Flight zone (red zone)? (e.g. exercise, music, water)
- What helps you come out of the Freeze zone to gradually start moving close towards the Calm zone? (gentle movement? certain sensations?)
