Color Therapy: The Healing Art of Chromotherapy
Color Therapy: The Healing Art of Chromotherapy
As we experience ever-increasing anxiety levels in today’s world, you might find that there is seemingly no end of things to be worried about. To help, it’s important to look for methods of healing that can work to deal with your stressors. We’ve found that some of the most unique – yet simplest – methods of healing to implement into your daily life include elements of color therapy.
Color therapy, otherwise known as chromotherapy, can come in many forms and features many inexpensive methods you can use every day to combat stress.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about the healing art of this life-changing therapy.
How Colors Affect Us
Our world is full of all kinds of wondrous colors. Close your eyes and think of all of the colors you have come in contact with just today. Each and every one of these manifestations of light has its own one-of-kind frequencies that can impact your life, whether positively or negatively. Have you ever felt drawn to certain colors more than others colors? Have you ever felt your mood change after going out in the sunshine, walking through fall foliage, or swimming in blue waters? These feelings are not just in your head.
As humans, we are naturally drawn to certain colors and their corresponding frequencies that have an enhanced effect on our mood. In fact, colors can have a wide range of effects, like boosting mood, stimulating appetite, and even restoring a sense of health. However, since they are all around us, it can be easy to overlook and underestimate the incredible impact that colors have on all aspects of our world. Still, when you reflect on the way colors make you feel, you can begin to see how true this is.
From the paint on your bedroom walls to the clothing that you choose to wear each day, colors truly shape the spaces around you and the emotions you evoke in others. These hues can even influence what you choose to do, how you behave, and the emotions that you feel. As you begin to develop an understanding of which colors have a positive influence on you, you can utilize them in countless ways. In a very simple example, using crayons or colored pencils in colors that give you positive vibes can help you reduce anxiety.
Understanding Chromotherapy
With colors possessing such a strong power, it makes sense to harness their healing impact to be a therapeutic force in your life. Color therapy, also called chromotherapy, is a method of healing the body and establishing inner harmony via the colors on the visible light spectrum. Whether you are basking in the warm light of a colored lightbulb or gazing into a field of a particular color, you will find that this experience can create a sense of calm and can almost immediately impact your body. These experiences can also have a profound impact on your mental and sometimes even your physical health.
What Are the Benefits of Chromotherapy, and What Can It Treat?
There are two major benefits to trying out color therapy. Not only will you add some pops of fun colors into your daily life, but you will also have a chance to begin addressing some hard-to-treat physical and mental health problems.
For example, you might benefit from color therapy if you find yourself in any of the following situations:
- You struggle with feelings and physical manifestations of anxiety
- You find yourself experiencing symptoms of depression or are feeling down
- You are stressed or tense
- Your doctor has told you that you have high blood pressure
- You suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- You’ve been dealing with bouts of low energy
- You experience aggression or physical manifestations of anger
- You have been having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or relaxing
- You frequently suffer from indigestion or lack an appetite
- You are frequently tempted to overindulge in unhealthy substances like alcohol
Where Did Chromotherapy Come From?
While you might not hear much about chromotherapy in Western medicine, healers who understand the impact of color have been sharing what they know for centuries. Ancient teachings from India posit that every person has seven centers of energy called chakras. These energy systems are related to organs in the body and are governed by a specific color. This means that exposure to the color that governs a certain chakra can have a healing effect.
The reason color can impact our chakras is that it comes in energy waves. Since every color’s wave is different, every color can affect you in a different way. When these waves hit the body, it provides us with energy that has a unique impact. For example, it is believed that red governs the root chakra that is at the base of your spine, so chromotherapy involving red may impact the vital flow of energy throughout the body.
The Effects of Each Color
Every color of the rainbow is unique, as are the impacts they can have on your life. Understanding how each color can potentially affect different parts of your body will help you understand what you might need out of your color therapy techniques.
Orange
Have you ever heard that it is best to put out orange-colored plates when you are serving food to guests? That is because orange can stimulate your appetite. This bright, warm color can also stimulate a range of positive emotions and mental activity. If you need an optimism boost or a shot of creativity, orange might bring the vibes you need to your body.
It is also believed that orange’s warm influence can help with abdominal problems such as bloating, cramping, indigestion, and even stomach cancer. If you find that you are having problems with digestion or with your kidneys, the influence of orange might be the healing force you need.
Yellow
Similar to the uplifting orange, sunny yellow can also give you creative inspiration if you have been lacking it. It is also considered to be a mood booster and can give you a more optimistic outlook on your day. Often, you can find yourself seeing things more clearly and calmly as a result of color therapy incorporating yellow. Some also believe that it can have healing effects on the skin and the nervous system.
Red
As we mentioned earlier, fiery red is said to govern the chakra at the bottom of the spine, one of the most important centers of energy in our bodies. It is, therefore, unsurprising that it is considered to be the most energizing color in chromotherapy. If you are feeling cynical, tired, or just altogether run-down, red can give you the energy boost you need to improve your outlook.
Red might also be able to reduce stiffness in your muscles. As you become more and more energized and the blood is pumping through your body, you may get more nutrients flowing, which is key to having you up on your feet in no time. You should keep in mind that if you are already feeling tense or angry, exposure to red might intensify your emotions. You may need a more calming color to help you relax and destress.
Pink
While its darker cousin, red, can be risky for those who are already feeling angry or violent, the softer, calmer pink can have the opposite impact. Pink is considered to be a cleansing, relaxing shade that can help discourage aggressive behavior and renew our inner innocence. Given this impact, many chromotherapy enthusiasts encourage the use of pink for addressing symptoms of PTSD and intense stress.
Purple
Whether indigo, violet, purple, or something else, this shade is known for being one of the most calming colors. In particular, purple is associated with stimulating deep contemplation and meditative reflection. It is also associated with enhancing the immune system by boosting the production of white blood cells.
Blue
Like purple, this cool shade is known for increasing your ability to relax and stay calm. If you have trouble sleeping and putting your stress aside to rest, color therapy with blue is probably the route for you. It is also believed that chromotherapy with shades of blue can help minimize unhealthy habits, from substance use to cravings for unhealthy foods.
Green
Have you ever gone out into a nature-filled area like a forest or park and felt more relaxed or inspired? You are not alone. Green is another calming color that is associated with bringing renewing, relaxing energy to our bodies. In addition to bringing us a sense of peace, it is believed that green is good for lung and heart health.
Examples of The Healing Art of Color Therapy
Color therapy can work in many different ways, giving you many options to choose from depending on your needs and what you are comfortable with. For instance, you can experience chromotherapy through any of the following practices:
Meditating on Specific Colors
One of the most effective ways that color therapy works is to become surrounded by the color whose impacts you need for a significant amount of time. For example, sitting in a sauna filled with a colored light like red and meditating on the color can really help you soak in its effects. A milder version of this involves a blank room with a comfortable chair filled with the colored light of your choice.
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Avoiding Specific Colors
Another important way to ensure you get the right energy from the colors you need is to avoid colors with the opposite effects. For example, if you need a boost of energy, then you should try to surround yourself with brighter colors, such as orange or red. It’s just as important to avoid the colors that help you calm down and rest, such as blue and green.
Doing a Colorful Art Project
Tap into your creative side and start using colors to express how you are feeling. Depending on the colors you need, choose a range of shades of select colors to create a work of art. Whether you use paints, pastels, pencils, crayons, or any other type of colorful tool, let your energy flow and create whatever comes to mind. It is all about using your chosen color to make something that you can experience during the creative process and as you view it afterward, allowing the color’s energy to penetrate your own and bring its healing effects along with it.
Redesigning Your Space
Since one of the key tenets of chromotherapy is surrounding yourself with the color you need, you should consider integrating your most influential colors into spaces you are frequently in. For example, you could consider painting your bedroom a calming blue color and purchasing lighting of the same hue. If you do not want to make a major transformation, you could accessorize with various shades of the same color.
Implementing Color Into Your Wardrobe
Wearing a color on your body is one of the most effective ways to get in touch with its energy. Need an optimism boost? Throw on a bright yellow or orange sundress. Need to relax? Put on a cool blue sweater and go for a walk in nature. Leaning into the colors and their unique effects and implementing them into parts of your daily life via your style can begin to change your life before you know it.
Using Color Baths
One of the most effective ways to immerse yourself in the color you need is to use a color bath. Purchase bath products in that color infused with the appropriate aromatherapy essential oils. Then, choose lighting in that color, or purchase floating (or built-in) chromotherapy lamps and make the bath light up with its energy. As you soak, you will be completely surrounded in the color you need, allowing you to harness its healing powers for as long as you need.
Transform Your Life With Color Therapy Today
Now that you are armed with an understanding of how each color works and how its energies can change your life, you can easily incorporate some of these color therapy ideas into your routine. Whether you need to relax, re-energize, or change your mood, start surrounding yourself with the colors that can give you what you need. You won’t believe how fast the healing impacts of color can elevate your life.
Resources:
Azeemi, S. T. Y., & Raza, M. (2005). A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2(4), 481–488. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/neh137
