The stress reflexes
We have two basic responses to stress. Both focus on the middle of the body, at the centre of gravity. They are distinguished from each other because they are two very different forms of stress.
Red light reflex
The first response to stress is the withdrawal response. It could be described as distress.
Red light reflex is sometimes called the startle reflex. It is a stress response to threatening or worrisome situations, and is common to all vertebrate organisms.
If something suddenly scares you, your involuntary response is to tighten your belly and round your shoulders. Your pelvis tucks under, your hip flexors tighten and your knees bend and press inward. Your head juts forward and your chest becomes depressed. Your breathing becomes shallow. You are braced for impact.
Does the red light reflex sound familiar?
People with a predominant red light reflex slump forward, causing neck pain, hip and knee pain, and shallow breathing, which leads to increased blood pressure and heart rate. All that pressure in the abdomen can also lead to incontinence.
Green light reflex
The second response to stress is the action response. It could be described as eustress, meaning “good stress”.
We call this the green light reflex.
The back muscles contract in preparation for forward movement. This the reflex that responds when we are called to get things done.
Also called the Landau Response, this reflex pattern first fires in us when we are around five months old and we contract our back muscles to lift our head and begin to move forward in the world to meet our own needs.
People with a predominant green light reflex look like they are standing at attention, with shoulder pulled back, anterior pelvis tilt, a pronounced lumbar curve, and feet facing outward. This causes back and neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs and jaw pain among other conditions.
Opposing forces
The red and green light reflexes are muscular responses that oppose each other — the red light muscles involve tightening the front of the body and the green light muscles involve tightening the back of the body. When one set of muscles remains partially contracted, the other cannot contract fully.
In aged bodies we will often see the senile posture. This is where the two opposing reflexes habituate into a tense compromise between the two patterns. The green light reflex pulls the lower back and neck into a curve while the red light muscles pull the trunk forward, rounding the back and shoulders and projecting the head forward.
When the body’s two major muscle groups (front and back muscles) are held in an involuntary habituated contraction in opposition to each other, a dark vise results.
There are a number of effects from this contracted state: limited movement and stiffness in the body, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, chronic shallow breathing, and high blood pressure.
How do I release these reflex patterns?
In order to find more movement and less pain, we need to learn to release these muscles, starting from the centre of the body.
While a regular somatics practice with a teacher will be the most beneficial, there are simple things you can do to help notice and release your contracted muscles.
Healthy habit
Release from your centre
Press play for a short exploration you can do standing, sitting or lying down.