What is Color Therapy?

Colour Therapy is a complementary therapy for which there is evidence dating back thousands of years to the ancient cultures of Egypt, China and India. Colour is simply light of varying wavelengths, thus each colour has its own particular wavelength and energy.

The energy relating to each of the seven spectrum colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, resonates with the energy of each of the seven main chakras/energy centres of the body. If you can imagine the chakras as a set of cogs/wheels, they are rather like the workings of a clock or an engine; each cog/wheel needs to move smoothly for the clock/engine to work properly. Thus good health and wellbeing is achieved by a balance of all these energies. Balance of the energy in each of the body’s chakras is very important for health and wellbeing. Colour therapy can help to re-balance and/or stimulate these energies by applying the appropriate colour to the body and therefore re-balance our chakras.

Red relates to the base chakra, orange the sacral chakra, yellow the solar plexus chakra, green the heart chakra, blue the throat chakra, indigo the brow chakra (sometimes referred to as the third eye) and violet relates to the crown chakra.

Colour is absorbed by the eyes, skin, skull our ‘magnetic energy field’ or aura and the energy of colour affects us on all levels, that is to say, physical, spiritual and emotional. Every cell in the body needs light energy - thus colour energy has widespread effects on the whole body. There are many different ways of giving colour, including; Solarized Water, Light boxes/lamps with colour filters, colour silks and hands on healing using colour.

Colour therapy can be shown to help on a physical level, which is perhaps easier to quantify, however there are deeper issues around the colours on the psychological and spiritual levels. Our wellbeing is not, of course, purely a physical issue. Fortunately, many more practitioners, both orthodox and complementary are now treating patients in an holistic manner. That is to say, we are body, mind and spirit and none of these areas function entirely alone; each has an effect upon the other. This is why Colour Therapy can be so helpful since colour addresses all levels of our being.

As babies we first experience colour in the womb where we are enveloped in a nurturing and comforting pink. Then as a child we associate with colour as part of our first learning processes. These first associations contribute to our consciousness. As we get older we attach many different feelings, memories and meanings to certain colours and this can then become a feature in our subconscious. We can build up prejudices to colours which have happy, sad, or frightening connotations for us.

All life experiences make an impression upon us. Some experiences will be positive and some negative. It is these negative experiences which can manifest themselves physically over time as dis-ease. As an example:- perhaps we have, over the years, been in a situation where we have felt unable, for one reason or another, to speak our mind, or to express our own truth. This can manifest as a problem in the throat chakra. The throat chakra relates in the spiritual aspect to self expression. Thus, if our self expression has been blocked, the energy in this area will not be free flowing and in turn this can lead to a physical manifestation of dis-ease.

Noting strong colour preferences can also be a helpful aid to finding possible problems and working with the appropriate colour/colours to help to dispel negative feelings, free blocks and re-balance the body emotionally, spiritually and, in turn, physically.

Colour Therapy is a totally holistic and non-invasive therapy and, really, colour should be a part of our everyday life, not just something we experience for an hour or two with a therapist. Colour is all around us everywhere. This wonderful planet does not contain all the beautiful colours of the rainbow for no reason. Nothing on this earth is here just by chance; everything in nature is here for a purpose. Colour is no exception. All we need to do is to heighten our awareness of the energy of colour and how it can transform our lives. A professional therapist will help you to do this. The capacity for health and wellbeing is within us all.

Colour therapy is safe to use alone or alongside any other therapy whether orthodox medicine or another complementary therapy and is safe and helpful for adults, children and animals too.

Please be aware that no complementary therapy should be considered as an alternative to professional medical advice where necessary and no properly qualified complementary therapist would suggest that, neither would they suggest that you stop taking your medication etc. If you are taking medication you should consult the prescribing professional before you stop taking it.

Using colour to balance the Chakras of the body

Each of the spectrum colours is simply light of varying wavelengths, thus each colour has its own particular energy.

The energy relating to each of these spectrum colours resonates with the energy of each of the seven main chakras of the body.

If you can imagine the chakras/energy centres as a set of cogs/wheels, they are rather like the workings of a clock or an engine; each cog /wheel needs to move smoothly and at a similar speed for the clock/engine to work properly. Thus good health and well being is achieved by a balance of all these energies (or the smooth running of the cogs/wheels).

Colour therapy can help to re-balance these 'wheels' by applying the appropriate colour to the body and therefore re-balance our chakras. Listed below is each of the spectrum colours and the chakra which it relates to. Violet has the shortest wavelength and red the longest wavelength.

Wonderful effect of color therapy

The history of color therapy is very old. It dates back to thousands of years in the past. It was in vogue in ancient Egypt Greece and China. Egyptians were particularly advanced in this system of healing. They borrowed heavily from the nature. The blue of the sky was extensively used. The "Nei ching," a famous Chinese book of medicine s more than 2000 years old mentioned about healing effect of colors. But, this knowledge was lost with passage of time. Avicenna, an Arabian scholar in the period 980-1037 discussed color therapy and guessed that symptoms might be associated with various colors.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe in modern times credited with reinventing this system as he systematically studied the physiological effects of color. He published "The Theory of Color" which dealt with the subject in detail.Niels Finsen found that solar ultra-violet light inhibits the growth of bacteria. He studied the use of light in the healing of wounds. He used red to inhibit the formation of small pox scars. He started the "Light Institute" for the photo treatment of tuberculosis. Dinshah Ghadiali published "The Spectro Chrometry Encyclopedia which is regarded as cornerstone of color therapy. Today a large number of people are taking benefit from color therapy and its acceptance has increased over years.

How color therapy works?

Color therapy is a type of healing that uses the visible spectrum of light and color to affect a person�s mood and physical or mental health. Each color falls into a specific frequency and vibration that can be used to affect the energy and frequencies within our bodies. Certain colors entering the body can rejuvenate hormones and may start bio-chemical reactions in the body. It starts the healing process.

Blue color can calm down people and red has opposite effect. Green may be used to relax emotionally unbalanced people. Yellow can take you out of depression. If you colors of your aura can help you better understand your spirit.

Benefits of color therapy

Color that enters in our bodies through eyes passes through hypothalamus gland and from there to the pineal gland and then to the pituitary gland which regulates hormones in the body. When brain started processing this information resulting in hormonal changes in the body. Here are two examples where color therapy can be useful.

Autism in Children: Neurologists have observed that autistic children may be helped by the use of color. Slipping on a pair of red glasses, or orange or yellow has positive effect on such child.

Dyslexia: Often looking through the color blue or turquoise (aqua) will make reading significantly easier. Different colors work better for some people. The therapy is also beneficial for any other common problems. Stress has become a hazard and many professionals come home in a bad mood. Studies have also found that the leading cause of infertility in modern times is work stress. Color therapy works wonderfully in fighting stress. It has been found extremely effective in mental problems. Each color has its individual vibration and has unique effect on the body.

Experienced chromotherapists use colors to produce effect a reversal of negative reactions. But, modern scientific methods have not yet proved the effect of colors in healing. The chromotherapists believe that colors have both positive and negative effects on the body�s energy fields; with some specific colors in specified doses can effect the actual healing. The therapists use a whole range of color carriers and emitters such as gemstones, fabrics, prisms, light wands, and colored water in baths.

Effect of various colors

Yellow: Yellow cancels out feelings of oppression. It is used to treat diseases of the glands or the lymphatic system. It also has positive effect on nervous system. Systems.

Green : It is the color associated with calm and peaceful feelings and concentration.

Blue : It is universally the color of both peace. It has the power of providing is a state of peace and rest.