Early trauma can dysregulate the autonomic nervous system, producing arousal extremes through sympathetic or parasympathetic overactivation. Individuals with trauma histories can experience hyperarousal—characterized by high energy, hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, increased heart rate, and muscle tension—or hypoarousal—characterized by depersonalization, numbness, detachment, flat affect, immobilization, and decreased reactivity. The Window of Tolerance model identifies an optimal arousal range for adaptive functioning; arousal outside this window leads to hyper- or hypoarousal. Arousal extremes increase vulnerability to addictive behaviors as individuals may use substances or compulsive activities to relieve or alter internal states. Treatment should assess trauma and teach adaptive arousal-regulation strategies apart from addictive behaviors.
Early trauma can have a multitude of detrimental effects and consequences-one of which is dysregulated arousal. Traumatic experiences can disrupt the normal functioning of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and cause arousal extremes through overactivation of the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system (SNS and PNS, respectively). Indeed, individuals with trauma histories can experience hyperarousal (fight or flight mode; SNS activation) or hypoarousal (freeze or numbing; PNS activation) in response to perceived threats (Corrigan et al., 2011; Ogden et al., 2006).
When arousal levels go beyond the tolerance window, individuals can enter either the hyperarousal zone or hypoarousal zone. Hyperarousal is marked by high energy, hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, increased heart rate, and muscle tension (e.g., fight or flight mode), while hypoarousal is marked by depersonalization, numbness, detachment from emotions, flat affect, immobilization, and decreased reactivity (e.g., freeze mode; Ogden et al., 2006).
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