A Guide to Color Therapy and How It Can Promote Healing
What is Color Therapy?
Color therapy or chromotherapy is a therapeutic technique that employs the use of colors in order to stimulate the desired effect on an individual. Each color has certain energies and properties that correspond with specific moods, emotions, or mental states and can be used to help soothe or invigorate an individual. Color therapy also has a connection with chakras and crystals, since its color meaning and energy correlates to this therapy.
Colors are in everything we see and they have a huge impact on our moods. For instance, blue is calming, red is exciting, yellow is creative, and violet stimulates intuition and imagination. Some colors make us feel happy, and some can make us feel sad, for example, blue can be calming for most people but for some, it can promote sadness, so we need to be aware of how the colors affect us through time. The tone of each color also has its own effect, pastels are usually more calming and comforting while strong colors are more exciting and evoque stronger moods. There are several mood colors, calming, vibrant, soothing, exciting, warm, and cold colors.
How does it Work?
Some of the colors that we see every day can help us in both our work and personal lives. For example, if you are feeling down or stressed out, a blue or green color scheme might be what you need to calm your nerves. If you want to feel more productive at work, try wearing clothes with shades of yellow, orange, or red to boost your energy levels. The colors that are used in our home can also have an impact on our comfort levels. For example, if you live in a home with mostly white walls, you might feel more claustrophobic and anxious. Most homes have certain rooms that feel comfortable and cozy, which can be helped by using warm colors and patterns. Thus, to make use of color to improve our health we can use a pop of a specific color at home, work, or even ear that color. The color should be chosen thoughtfully and for a specific intention or place.
How each color can help us:
- Red's a passionate, energizing color and can help us with vitality and stamina when we feel tired. However, since it's such a bold and impactful color it can also trigger anxiety and tension, so use it wisely and with moderation.
- Blue is a soothing color and it is associated with self-expression and honesty. Darker shades of blue can help with sleeping problems.
- Green is associated with nature and it's a wonderful color for relaxation, a sense of peace, and forgiveness.
- Yellow is associated with feelings of joy, happiness, hope, self-esteem, and creativity.
- Orange also invites happiness and can stimulate appetite. Excellent for a creative boost as well.
- Violet and purple are associated with intuition, meditation, and spiritual practices. These are colors of spiritual energy.
Some of the benefits of color therapy are stress relief with colors like blue and green, energy boost and motivation by using red, yellow, and orange, boost the appetite with colors such as orange and other similar warm colors, and winter's blues by using warm and comforting colors like yellow or orange that we associate with the sun.
*This article is not a substitute for medical advice or professional treatment.