Green Language describes what is real in our lives rather than labels or judges any event, process, or person. The use of Green Language activates the prefrontal cortex and related areas in the human brain and steers the attention of speakers and hearers into the be-here-now moment, the moment where choices for goal-directed action are made. To live Green is to live "owning," aware that I am responsible, (response-able) for my own choices while fostering conditions for others to experience the same awareness. This results in one being "in-control" rather than being "control-ing". Being conscious of oneself, "in the Green," in the Be-Here-Now moment, is to attend to the "facts of life", the Four Basic Elements of personal experience: Observations (factual space-time events); Feelings (bodily information about needs in the form of emotions and sensations); Thoughts (all mental operations, be they influenced by Green memory or by Red, 'Victim-Rescuer-Persecutor', memory); and Wants (specific actions that I want to do or that I want others to do). Green Language is about learning what for most of us would be a whole new way to communicate with each other. While this often applies to parents and their children, it encompasses any and all interactions that involve communication. Between spouses, between co-workers, between friends and maybe even enemies. Even within myself -- between me and me. It's a type of communication that remains free of the kinds of words that can imply negative or judgmental references, words that can activate the amygdala (fight-or-flight region) in the human brain. As a treatment element for anxiety disorders and depression, Green Language usage can increase cortical control over the amygdala and its fear-related memories. Try an experiment: Look at an object, and speak the name of the object. Notice how your consciousness zooms into the now: Green Language promotes that kind of clarity and presence. For an understanding of the prefontal cortex and the amygdala read these books: DEEP SURVIVAL by Lawrence Gonzales and THE SYNAPTIC SELF by Joseph LeDoux. Eight Assumptions of the Green Language Model: 1. View of Reality is Memory. 2. My Speech Reflects How I Think. 3. Change My Speech to Change My Thinking. 4. My Thinking Drives My Behavior. 5. Change My Thinking to Change My Behavior. 6. Change My Behavior to Change My Habits. 7. Change My Habits to Change Me. 8. Change Me to Change My Relationships for the Better.

VRP: You did not come home when you said that you would. more

Green: You came home two hours after you said that you would be here. more

VRP: You were rude. more

Green: You walked out of the room while she was speaking. more

VRP: You were not listening. more

Green: You began speaking while she was telling the story. more

VRP: I am not happy about what you said. more

Green: I felt embarrassed and surprised when I heard you tell her that I am selfish. more

VRP: I don't think that she was finished giving her report. more

Green: I think that she had more to say on the subject. more

VRP: Now I feel pressured. more

Green: I feel frustrated. I think that she was preparing to summarize her remarks and give us her conclusions. more

VRP: I feel uninformed and mistreated by your actions. more

Green: I feel disappointed, frustrated and sad. more

VRP: I don't want you to speak until she stops talking. more

Green: I would like you to be silent and hold your remarks until she sits down. more

VRP: I want you to be polite and give her a chance. more

Green: I would like you to ask her questions on her presentation after she gives her conclusions. more

VRP: I'd like you to not be judgmental when you talk to her. more

Green: I would like you to tell her in a factual way what she did, in a way that a camera might record, and then tell her specifically what action you would like for her to do next. more