Wiki Index
Overview
- overview — High-level synthesis of the Window of Tolerance knowledge base; four pillars, key principles, course arc
- about — What this wiki is, how it's compiled, citation policy, and scope/limitations
Concepts
- window-of-tolerance — Dan Siegel's framework for optimal arousal bandwidth and neural integration
- three-zones — Regulated, hyper-arousal (fight/flight), and hypo-arousal (shutdown/freeze) zones
- polyvagal-theory — Porges's three-tier phylogenetic model of the ANS; origin in the Vagal Paradox
- evolutionary-stack — Ventral → Sympathetic → Dorsal hierarchy; Jacksonian Dissolution; ladder metaphor
- neuroception — Subcortical safety/threat surveillance scanning external, relational, and internal domains
- interoception — Eighth sense; neural pathway from organs to cortex; lead time; granularity
- interoceptive-dimensions — Accuracy, Sensibility, and Metacognitive Awareness; the Anxiety Gap
- allostatic-load — Chronic stress accumulation; baseline drift; how the window shrinks from the inside
- vagal-brake — Nucleus Ambiguus acetylcholine signal that keeps resting HR below intrinsic ~100 BPM
- no-skips-rule — Recovery from Dorsal must pass through Sympathetic thaw; cannot skip rungs
- co-regulation — Mammalian nervous systems are not closed loops; safe connection as metabolic funding
- respiratory-sinus-arrhythmia — Breath-coupled HR oscillation; the functional signature of a healthy vagal brake
- hrv — Heart Rate Variability as biomarker for regulatory reservoir; RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF
- orchids-dandelions — Orchid/Dandelion/Tulip spectrum; ARAS gain; Differential Susceptibility; evolutionary sentinel role
- antifragility — Taleb's Black Swan + Robustness vs. Antifragility mapped to Orchid/Dandelion; Cassandra problem
- predictive-body — Brain as prediction machine; top-down models vs. bottom-up signals; prediction error
- theory-of-constructed-emotion — Barrett's model: emotion = affect + context + past experience
- sympathetic-nervous-system — Mobilization branch; two-wave adrenaline/cortisol activation; not inherently pathological
- parasympathetic-branch — Recovery/anabolic branch; acetylcholine; split into Ventral and Dorsal Vagal pathways
- fight-flight-freeze — Fight/flight as sympathetic mobilization; freeze as simultaneous Sympathetic + Dorsal Vagal co-activation
- progressive-overload — Training-science framing: controlled exposure to window edges expands window size
- ventral-sympathetic-blend — Simultaneous Ventral safety + Sympathetic activation; the signature of regulated high arousal
- shadow-work — Engaging avoided emotional material; requires a Ventral-Sympathetic Blend to avoid flooding or numbness
- somatic-nervous-system — Voluntary motor system; breath as the one overlap with involuntary ANS; deliberate access point
Entities
- dan-siegel — Window of Tolerance, neural integration, Interpersonal Neurobiology
- stephen-porges — Polyvagal Theory, neuroception, Social Engagement System
- lisa-feldman-barrett — Theory of Constructed Emotion, interoceptive granularity
- vagus-nerve — Cranial Nerve X; 80/20 afferent/efferent; two pathways (Ventral/Dorsal)
- ventral-vagal-complex — Myelinated modern vagus; Nucleus Ambiguus; Social Engagement System
- dorsal-vagal-complex — Unmyelinated ancient vagus; Dorsal Motor Nucleus; conservation-withdrawal
- social-engagement-system — Face, middle ear, voice hardware for safety broadcasting/receiving
- nucleus-ambiguus — Brainstem origin of vagal brake; direct training target for practices
- insular-cortex — Posterior (raw data) → anterior (subjective feeling) gradient; Salience Network; trainable
- nucleus-of-solitary-tract — Brainstem gatekeeper; first relay for vagal afferents before thalamus and insular cortex
- hpa-axis — Slow cortisol wave; second wave of Sympathetic mobilization; funds prolonged metabolic demand
Practices
- physiological-sigh — Double-inhale + long exhale; fastest reset for acute hyper-arousal
- extended-exhale-breathing — 1:2/1:4 ratio; tuning tool for sustained low-arousal baseline
- resonance-frequency-breathing — 0.1 Hz / 6 BPM; baroreflex synchronization; Cardiac Coherence; structural vagal training
- box-breathing — 4-4-4-4 ratio; arousal titration; CO2 tolerance; shadow work container
- hrv-biofeedback — Real-time brake monitoring; calibrating resonance frequency; building felt sense of coherence
- body-scan — Systematic interoceptive mapping; insular cortex plasticity reps; blank-area navigation; habituation pitfall
- yoga-as-training — Vagal brake and interoception under physical load; yellow-zone training
- meditation-as-vagal-training — Vagal brake reps + OM/PFC training + Metta as internalized co-regulation; State vs. Trait
- somatic-movement-discharge — Neurogenic tremors, pandiculation, TRE; discharge vs. reintegration; Training vs. Tending
- grounding-techniques — 5-4-3-2-1 sensory sequence and proprioceptive input for exiting Freeze/dissociation
- cold-exposure — Mammalian Diving Reflex via Trigeminal V1; state-independent vagal reset; Richer 2022 evidence
- humming-chanting-gargling — Laryngeal vagal stimulation; NTS as "internal status dashboard"; Bhramari, OM, gargling
Sources
Course Lessons
- lesson-1 — Introduction, Window of Tolerance framework, three zones, window shape
- lesson-2 — ANS (Sympathetic/Parasympathetic), vagus nerve, fight/flight/freeze, allostasis
- lesson-3 — Orchids/Dandelions, Polyvagal Theory origins, evolutionary stack, No Skips Rule
- lesson-4 — Three circuits (VVC/SNS/DVC), neuroception, Social Engagement System
- lesson-5 — Riding the polyvagal ladder, co-regulation, practice implications (meditation/shadow work)
- lesson-6 — Interoception: eighth sense, neural pathway, insular cortex, predictive processing
- lesson-7 — Constructed emotion, interoceptive training, body scan and yoga as practice
- lesson-8 — Vagal brake mechanics, HRV, what moves HRV, HRV biofeedback, structural tone
- lesson-9 — Breathwork: physiological sigh, extended exhale, resonance frequency, box breathing
Research Papers
Syntheses