The green light reflex is activated by the muscles of the back of the body that perform stretching.
Too many simultaneous decisions, an excessive sense of responsibility, and a beehive of thoughts in the head are typical traits of people with an active green light reflex, also known as the Landau reflex. This reflex allows a person to create the conditions necessary to move toward a goal. It can be compared to drawing the string of a bow in archery. A taut string offers the potential for a shot, but it doesn’t release the arrow by itself. To release the arrow, the string must be let go—this is equivalent to releasing the green light reflex. Only then does readiness for action become actual action. A person trapped in chronic activation of this reflex often stands like a drawn bow—ready to act, tense, anxious, nervous, and stretched—but because they don’t know how to release the reflex at the right time, or they chronically fear the consequences of action, they are ineffective at converting readiness into movement and productive effort. Overstimulating this reflex, when it becomes habitual in the unconscious, leads to problems.
The Landau reflex begins very early in life, between three and six months of age. It first triggers in the cervical region, then later in the lumbar spine and/or along the entire back. Activation of the green light reflex engages the muscles on the posterior side of the body. The body assumes a soldier-like posture, ready for action and change. The back arches, gluteal and hamstring muscles and calves tense, shoulders pull back, the head lifts, and internal tension rises.
Common issues caused by a chronically active green light reflex include: sciatica, lower back pain, neck and shoulder pain, disc herniation, jaw pain, and tension headaches, to name only the most frequent.
A person with a green light reflex typically rushes, even when unnecessary, and often makes decisions for others to avoid taking action themselves. They are overly concerned with others and fail to see the disorder in their own life that they should be resolving with the energy provided by the green light reflex. When they have nothing to do, they feel guilty—this guilt stems from the high internal tension they don’t know how to shut off or release. In reality, they can’t truly relax, because their chronic resistance to action results in many unresolved matters and recurring problems.
Chronically activated green light reflex impairs its own full activation and blocks the action for which it created potential energy. It’s like seeing both a green and partially lit red traffic light: though the green is stronger, hesitation occurs, leading to higher stress and lower efficiency than if only the green light were showing.
Subconscious, constantly active green light reflex drives a person into continuous activity. As they enter middle age, they become increasingly tired and interpret this as a lack of fitness or strength. They add physical training to an already stressful lifestyle, usually losing moderation in the process. Sports and recreation become coping mechanisms for everyday stress from work or family disorder. They walk fast, take short steps, lean forward, have hips pushed back, and their mind is often elsewhere. Inability to release this reflex turns them into someone who is constantly doing, working, or planning, yet ineffective in execution and completion. Thus, they fail to solve problems well enough to reduce their number, preventing any relief, and instead amplifying the reflex’s activity, which causes even more issues.
