Colour Therapy
What Is It?
How Does It Work?
What Happens During Treatment?
What Is It Used For?
Side Effects/Cautions
Recommended Books
What Is It?
Colour therapy is the use of colour to promote healing by balancing
energy in areas of the body where it is lacking. Also known as chromotherapy
or light therapy, colour therapy is used to treat both physical and
emotional problems. Therapists use tools such as coloured light bulbs
or fabrics, crystals and prisms.
The colours that we see are a result of light vibrating at different
frequencies, and it is thought that these unique frequencies can affect
our health in different ways. Scientists recognize that colours bring
about emotional reactions, both positive and negative, which differ
in each individual. Our reactions to certain colours may indicate where
energy imbalances lie.
The origins of healing with colour can be traced back to ancient times,
when Egyptians and Greeks used coloured minerals, stones, crystals,
and dyes as remedies, and in India, practitioners of Ayurveda linked
different colours with the seven chakras, the energy centres that represent
organs, emotions, and spiritual aspects. Modern colour therapy was
established with Edwin Babbit’s publication of The Principles
of Light and Color in 1878, where he described his work in chromatotherapy
(healing with coloured lights), suggesting it as a treatment for a
variety of ailments. More detailed work on coloured light therapy was
carried out by Dr. Dinshah P. Ghadiali (1873-1966) who researched the
effects of colour on disease and developed coloured filters. In 1947,
Swiss psychologist Dr. Max Lüscher introduced the Lüscher
Colour Test, a form of colour therapy still widely used by many psychologists.
Support for Luscher's theories on colour therapy was provided by the
Russian scientist S. V. Krakov, who established that the colour red
stimulates the adrenal glands while blue and white light has a calming
effect.
More recently, variations of colour therapy have arisen, including Aura
Soma, a therapy that uses coloured bottles of essential
oils and extracts to bring about a deeper understanding of oneself,
and the Liley system which matches the wavelength
of a colour to that of a disease, virus or infection, and employs
a machine that uses high frequency electronic vibrations.
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How Does It
Work?
Light consists of electromagnetic waves of energy, with different wavelengths
creating different colours. Light falling on the retina is converted
into electric pulses which then travel to the brain. Research suggests
that parts of the brain respond differently to these varying wavelengths
of light (colours) which interact with the endocrine system to stimulate
or reduce hormone production.
Research into the hormones melatonin and serotonin have shown the
effects that the presence or absence of light can have on a person’s
moods and behaviour. Serotonin, a mood-lifting hormone, is produced
during the day, while melatonin, which has a depressive effect and
is linked to sleep, is produced more at night. It is well known that
a lack of bright sunlight during winter months can cause depression
in some people. This is thought to be a result of lower levels of light
triggering increased production of melatonin while levels of serotonin
are suppressed.
Advocates of colour therapy suggest that if the presence or absence
of light can have such strong effects on health, then individual colours
that make up light must do as well. However, there have been few clinical
studies to support or refute these claims.
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What Happens
During Treatment?
A variety of methods are used by colour therapists. Some use special
instruments which shine coloured light onto specific parts of the body.
Some will provide coloured swatches of cloth or coloured stones for
you to focus on. Because colours can have both a positive and negative
effect, specific colours and accurate amounts of colour are critical
in healing.
Your therapist may suggest techniques to try at home, for example
wearing clothing in the appropriate healing colours, or draping a coloured
cloth over a sunny window and sitting in the light this creates. You
can also visualize or imagine yourself bathed in the colours you need.
Coloured light bulbs can be used to beam light onto your body
and into the surrounding area.
In your everyday life pay attention to the colours that attract you
and take notice of any colours that you strongly dislike
as well. Sometimes the colours you dislike can indicate areas where
there are blockages.
The length of treatment required will depend on the methods used and
the type of ailment you have.
What Is It Used
For?
Colour therapists treat a wide variety of ailments, both physical and
emotional, including allergies, viruses, arthritis, bacterial infections,
skin problems, digestive disorders, colds and flu, aches and pains,
nervous disorders and sleeping problems.
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Side Effects/Cautions
Colour therapy should not be used as a replacement for conventional
medical treatment for serious health problems.
When coloured lights are used in therapy, avoid looking directly at
the light. Instead, look at an object which reflects the coloured light.
References
Find a Colour
Therapist
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Recommended Books
Prices are in US Dollars
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Discover Color Therapy
Helen Graham
This book is the first step to learn how to heal with colors,
either in clothing, decoration of furniture, or wall colors.
Some examples of color therapy go from cheering a blue day,
to the increase of the immunological system. This is an excellent
book to learn how to help heal yourself with colors. Carolina
Mendez - Amazon Reviewer.
Learn
more... |
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Healing with the Rainbow Rays: The art of color
energy therapy
Alijandra
Alijandra's wonderful new book fills a void. Missing from
our lives has been a book that has both information and techniques
on color healing, multi-dimensions, hyperspace, alchemy and
advanced psychic arts. Until now! 'Healing with the Rainbow
Rays' does that and more. Further, it is simply written,
well-explained and well-illustrated. More than that, it is
practiced (and tested) by the author and others in a classroom
setting. Alijandra carefully and cogently explains the philosophies
and basis of color healing, and coordinates them with the
practical exercises to put this integral therapy to good
use...It carries the reader to a deeper understanding of
your own life and your possibility of growth by presenting
a mirror that exposes imbalance...'Healing with the Rainbow
Rays' is a key that can open your door to betterment! (Richard
Fuller, Metaphysical Reviews)
Learn
more...
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Color Therapy at Home: Real-Life Solutions for Adding
Color to Your Life
Mark McCauley
Color Therapy at Home presents an imaginative investigation
into the subtle yet powerful effects of color in our everyday
lives. Mark McCauley, an accomplished interior designer,
explains why we associate certain emotional, physical, or
intellectual traits with reds, yellows, greens, or blues.
Blues, for example, provide feelings of restoration and clarity.
Reds, on the other hand, lend an active, dynamic energy to
a room. Dozens of dramatic photos illustrate how colors work
alone and in combination to achieve desired effects. A clear
vase of vibrant red cherries, for example, forms a witty
complement to a wall painted a nurturing pale green.
Practical designer tips, such as how to test your color choices,
tint ceilings, or dress your interiors in colors you love
to wear, enhance the inspiring photographs and engaging text.
The book closes with a chart of 264 traits one may wish to
increase in one's life - such as healing, trusting, or understanding
- then keys each trait to specific colors. For anyone planning
to redesign an entire home or simply repaint the kitchen
pantry, Color Therapy at Home is provocative guide to color's
profound effects on our interior well-being. -Mary Ribesky
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more... |
More
Colour Therapy Books
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