Whenever my mother wanted to convey her shock or disbelief, she would begin with the phrase, “What on God’s green earth…” When she was little my daughter used this phrase regularly (often out of context) which leads me nicely to the question “What on God’s green earth is a Green Prescription?”
Well, not the colour of the paper its printed on as are prescriptions in the UK, nor is it a green pill or indeed the kind of green one might roll up and smoke. Put simply, a Green Prescription is a healthy dose of the great outdoors, and research suggests it can be more effective than drugs.
Mounting evidence points to the health benefits of being out and about in nature – less tension, stress, depression, lower blood pressure, improved immune system, lower levels of obesity, milder ADHD symptoms in children.
Green prescriptions can make you feel more confident, happy, relaxed and have more energy, improve cholesterol levels and sleeping habits, keep your bones strong, cope better with asthma and breathing problems, increase flexibility, mobility and reduce the pain of arthritis and even reduce the risk of some types of cancer. (source www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/food-activity-and-sleep/green-prescriptions)
These green prescriptions are nothing new to New Zealanders whose Ministry of Health rolled out a scheme known as the GRx back in 1998.
Today (20 years later I grant you) a handful of forward thinking and open minded doctors in the UK are handing out these delightful prescriptions to patients presenting with a whole host of issues and ailments.
“This is all well and good!” I hear you say, but what if you don’t live, work or go anywhere near green pastures?
The answer? Hypnosis.
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It involves the induction of an induced state of deep relaxation whereby you are in an enhanced state of awareness, concentration and focus. In this state, the conscious mind is quietened down and the subconscious mind is more responsive to positive suggestions, ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations.
It is widely accepted that every thought has a physiological response and so with guided visualisation techniques, a trained hypnotherapist is able to guide a client on a creative mental journey through, in and around nature or in fact, any place. By utilising the creativity of the subconscious mind, we can travel to any destination, any corner of the planet and indeed the universe just by closing our eyes.
Guided visualisation works because the neurons in our brains interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-life action. So when we visualise something, the brain generates an impulse that tells our neurons to “perform” the movement. This creates a new neural pathway that primes our body to act in a way consistent to what we have or are imagining. All of this occurs without actually performing the physical activity, yet it achieves a similar result.
Here follows a classic example of how your mind has a direct effect on your body’s chemical response…
Take a deep breath in and then out. Breathing as slowly as you can and allow yourself to relax for a moment.
Close your eyes and imagine in the palm of your hand sits a plump, fresh, juicy lemon. Visualise yourself holding the lemon, feel its weight, the texture, the temperature, hold it close to your nose and breathe in the zesty fragrance. Now place the lemon on a chopping board, cut it in half with a knife, feel how the flesh gives way as the lemon splits in half. Notice the vibrant colour, the pale yellow of the pulp, the whiteness of the inner peel, notice if you’ve cut through a seed or two. Now cut one of the halves in two. Notice a few drops of lemon juice has pearled on the surface of one of the quarters. Now imagine lifting this lemon wedge to your mouth, smell the sharp fresh scent. Bite into the sour, juicy pulp now and notice how your tongue responds, how your taste buds have been immediately stimulated, you will be salivating by now, even though you know this was an exercise, your subconscious mind produced the same responses as if it were a real event.
There are many examples of this phenomena – perhaps closing your eyes and thinking of the first time you laid eyes on the love of your life, your new born baby, your first kiss, your most memorable holiday, a bungee jump, skiing down a mountain, the excitement of passing an exam or getting a promotion, relive the experience in glorious technicolour, feel what you felt, see what you saw, be there in that very same moment.
Our minds are utterly amazing, boundless and limitless, and used wisely… can lead not only to better health, but to a better life.
Learn more about hypnosis by reading the book: https://gailmarrahypnotherapy.com/the-book/
