There are times when a client may get triggered and overwhelmed in the middle of difficult trauma work. For some clients this can look like anger, irritability, a rapid heart rate, and other signs of hyperarousal. But for other clients, you might see them become less and less responsive as their arousal drops. And this […]
Working with Emotional Distress – with Janina Fisher, PhD
When it comes to treating trauma, we’re often working with clients who have a low tolerance for distress. And when faced with traumatic memories or difficult emotions, they may respond by slipping into a state of hypoarousal to defend against the pain. So in the video below, Janina Fisher, PhD shares how she helps hypoaroused […]
How to Help Your Clients Understand Their Window of Tolerance [Infographic]
Clients are best able to cope with stressors and triggers when they can manage the resulting emotions. So how can we help clients who struggle to manage the anxiety, anger, and pain brought on by everyday stressors? In situations like this, psychoeducation can be one of our best tools – and one helpful concept is […]
How to Help a Client Come Back into Their Window of Tolerance
The window of tolerance is such an important concept when we’re working with trauma and dysregulation. For clients who have experienced trauma, that window often becomes quite narrow. They may space out and dissociate, or get too angry or anxious to focus. Or, they might fluctuate between hyper- and hypo-arousal. When they’re too far outside […]