Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4

can self regulate, get stuck in the brain stem. The
brain stem only knows to do three things to survive -
fight, flight or freeze. As a result, the body goes into
“hyperarousal” mode, also known as fight or flight,
where the heart races, we experience shortness
of breath, have a heightened sense of awareness,
become hypervigilant, and thoughts become chaotic
or rigid. The body may also go into “hypoarousal
Learning to notice when we are in
hyperarousal or hypoarousal states and
then take steps to help us feel calm and
safe is the practice of returning to our
window of tolerance.
state”, also known as “freeze”, where a person may
feel like they freeze, become numb or depressed,
withdraw and feel that they can’t think. Quite often,
when the window of tolerance is overwhelmed, the
person may alternate between hypoarounsal and
hyperarousal states.
Once we are back in the window of tolerance again,
we feel safe and content and are able to handle
different emotions, events and feelings.
The building blocks to return to the window
of tolerance are: feeling safe in our body,
feeling safe in our emotions/thoughts
and feeling safe in our environment and
relationships.
There are different skills that help with restoring
a sense of safety, including mindfulness. Others
include being in the here and now with grounding
exercises and walking and practicing different types
of breathing techniques to slow down the autonomic
nervous system.
As you go through the day today, ask yourself, where
you are in relationship to your window of tolerance?
Are you within your window of tolerance? Are you
above or below your window of tolerance? Can
you practice mindfulness, or go for a walk, or take a
deep breath for a few minutes to bring yourself back
into your window of tolerance?
Nesrin Abu Ata is a psychiatrist and a family physician
who trained at the University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics. I have an interest in integrative psychiatry.
Photo credit Becca Feauto.
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Siouxland Magazine | balance/ 49
Resource: The Body Keeps The Score
Author Bessel Van Der Kolk.