INTRODUCTION
We are
swamped with colour from the moment we are born. Colour is an aspect of
everything we eat, drink, touch and are surrounded by. We use colours to
describe our physical health, attitudes, emotions and even our spiritual or
psychic experiences. Colour is an intimate part of our being, even though
most of the time we take it for granted.
However,
it is impossible to be indifferent to colour. It affects every home
environment, as well as those of factories, offices, schools and
hospitals. Even the colours of your clothes reflect your personality and
influence your mood, assuming that you are not restricted to wearing a
particular uniform during working hours.
From
light come all the colours, each as you will see with its own impact upon our
systems.
Many of
our healing needs can be met by the use of colour to bring about harmony and
balance within the psyche and the body. The invisible vibrations of
colour can either relax or stimulate us according to which colour is
used. Apparently studies have shown that even blind people can develop a
sense of colour, by allowing their fingers to pick up the vibrational energy of
different colours.
Colour
therapy is when colour is used in healing treatments. In this method all
the colours of the crystal spectrum are utilized. They are marginally
different to the colours of the chakras due to the fact the colour therapy uses
eight colours and not the seven colours of the rainbow. The colours used
in colour therapy are as follows: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise,
indigo, violet and magenta being the eighth colour.
Every
colour is believed to vibrate with its own energy and to have specific effects
on individuals. When colour is absorbed through the eyes and the skin, it
has the power to heal imbalances in the body – physically, mentally and
emotionally. All the cells in the body also have a frequency that
resonates strongly and positively when we are healthy; when we are unhealthy
this frequency becomes distorted.
A
colour therapist will choose a colour that vibrates at a frequency that will
bring about healing and restore your diseased cells to balance. The
therapist’s skill is needed to administer the correct colour and quantities, as
each colour has both positive and negative attributes.
Clinical
research into colour therapy has shown that it can help treat disease.
For example, it has been proven that red will raise blood pressure whilst blue
will lower it. In the 1970s and 1980s it was shown that coloured light
triggers biochemical reactions in the body. Later research confirmed that
blues and greens have a soothing effect and help lower stress. Warm
colours such as orange and red have been shown to have a stimulating
effect. Pink has been shown to have a relaxing effect in the short term,
although in the longer term it can trigger irritability.
Healing
with colour has a long tradition, dating back to ancient times. The Pythagoreans
believed that white light, the Spirit Head contains all sound and colour and
that the seven colours of the spectrum correspond to the seven planets and the
eight notes of musical scale (both the first and the eight notes are a form of
red).
In 1st century
Rome, the physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus wrote about the therapeutic use of
colour but with the coming of Christianity such ancient wisdom came to be
associated with pagan beliefs and was disallowed by the Church.
In the
9th century the Arab physician Avicenna systematized the
teachings of Hippocrates. He wrote about colour as a symptom of disease
and also as a treatment, suggested for example, that red would act as a
stimulant on blood flow whilst yellow could reduce pain and inflammation.
However, by the 18th century philosophers and scientists were
more concerned with the material world, and insisted on visible proof of
scientific theories.
Despite
the fact that colour healing has been in use for centuries, it was not until
the late 19th century that it began to receive attention in the
Western World. In 1878 Edwain Babbitt published The
Principles of Light and Colour, reaffirming the Pythagorean corresponces of
music, colour and sound.
In the
1930s Dinshah Ghadiali proposed that imbalances are created by too much or too
little of particular colours, and that balance can be restored with the use of
coloured lights.
Today
modern colour therapy or healing uses several techniques, which involve the use
of coloured lamps as well as coloured foods, and drinks in coloured
containers.
Many
colour therapists also work with the aura and its seven main energy centres,
the chakras. If that colour therapist is also blessed with physic
abilities they are often able to see deficiencies in the aura’s colours.
Since the chakras are all linked to a specific colour, when someone is unwell –
either emotionally or physically – this will show in the colour of the affected
chakra.
How the
Colour Therapist does Treatment
On your
first visit a colour therapist will take details of your medical history and
any current health problems. For diagnosis, therapists may use several
different methods. They can use the Luscher Test, Kinesiology, Dowsing or
a Colour Diagnostic Chart.
Different
Treatment Methods
Luscher
Test
This
entails being the patient being shown eight coloured cards and then they are
asked to choose three that appeal to them. These colours relate to the
patient’s emotional, mental and physical health and may reveal imbalances that
need to be corrected.
Kinesiology
Kinesiology
involves muscle-testing techniques to identify any bodily weakness. To
find out which colour is needed, a therapist will normally ask the patient to
hold up each colour in their left hand, while holding their right arm
horizontally across their body. As the patient look at each colour, the
therapist will gently push the right arm. When no resistance is felt in
that arm, it means that the patient needs the colour they are holding.
Dowsing
Dowsing
is a technique to assist in diagnosing any colours that the patient is
lacking. A pendulum hanging from either a cord or chain is used ad
normally swings clockwise or counterclockwise in response to each question ask
with a “yes or no” response. The therapist works through the eight spectrum
colours searching for a “yes” response to show the colour required for this
patient.
Colour
Diagnostic Chart
This is
a method based on the 32 vertebrae of the spine. The spine is divided
into four sections, each containing eight vertebrae, relating to one of the
colours of the spectrum. From the trop of the spine downward, the first
eight vertebrae make up mental health, the second eight emotional wellbeing,
the third eight metabolism and the last eight to physical health. When
therapists use this system, they ask the patient to sign the back of the chart
along the spine. The patient’s signature contains their vibration and
acts as a “witness” (showing the patient’s energy or lack of thereof).
The therapist then dowses down the spine to see which vertebrae need attention.
Lets Take a Look at which colour does
what.
Reds - Blood pressure, respiration,
and muscle tension all increase on initial exposure to red. This jazzy
hue also boosts spirits and stimulates creativity, conversation, and the
appetite (which is why it is used in many restaurants). Red is also a popular
color in casinos—people are more likely to gamble in a red environment than in,
say, a blue one. Rooms with a lot of red feel warmer, heavier, and time seems
to pass more slowly in them. Red may increase passion, but also aggression,
anger, and restlessness. In clothing red conveys energy, power, and
leadership, but can also signal romance and sensuality, depending on the
garment.
An interesting note: when you have two objects of
identical shape and weight, one red and one blue, most people will think the
red one is heavier. (Might be one reason to rethink that red
wardrobe! On the other hand, red accents could perk up your image.)
Orange - the colour of
self-reliance and practical knowledge. Its role is of the
assimilator in your intestines. Orange is also the good of genial
optimistic, tolerance, benign, warm-hearted. It is friendship, the
life and soul of the party. It breaks down barriers. Orange
can eradicate. It brings up the energy of the past evens that needs
to be assimilated. Orange’s strength is subtle not loud like red but
it stimulates gently. This is also the colour of courage.
Yellows -Vibrant yellow, bright and
easily visible, is a great color to wear on dull, dark, or rainy days to add a
little sunshine to your life. (It's also a good color to wear after
dark if you're walking along busy streets.) The color projects love,
light, warmth, and wealth, enhances communication, learning, mood, and energy
level.
Generally, yellow combats gloom and fatigue. It
opens up or brightens rooms, and pale tones are good choices for classrooms;
warm tones are good for play areas and living rooms. It's the most
visible choice of background color for signs (with black lettering). People who
wear yellow are perceived as sunny, intelligent, warm, and compatible. So
wear gold (also in jewelry) or yellow when you're asking for a raise.
Greens are the color of American
dollars, but also the idea of balance, harmony, and control, green exudes
prosperity and well-being. It increases the ability to concentrate, while
reducing muscular tension and stress. Refreshing and restorative, green
is an ideal room color for sedentary or monotonous tasks—a good color for
learning and doing. Rooms feel cooler and fresher.
Turquoise and light green are good
choices for kitchens, since they make room temperatures feel cooler and time
and tasks seem to pass more quickly. Wear green to give the impression
that you feel in control. It's a good color to wear if you're trying to
keep the peace, mediate, or generate team spirit.
Blue hues lower blood pressure,
respiration, and pulse and convey a sense of peace, serenity, and tranquility.
Blue objects tend to feel lighter than they are. A pale blue
bedroom creates a light, airy atmosphere and is likely to create a peaceful,
restful environment that helps lull you to sleep. Rooms feel cooler, and
time passes more quickly. Blue is also a good formal color for living
rooms. However, choose the hue wisely, because it can also be depressing
in bathrooms or dining areas, making people's complexions look gray. Wear
blue to inspire trust and loyalty, encourage communication, and convey a sense
that you belong.
