Chromotherapy is the use of color and light to bring health and balance into one's life. As a psychologist, I feel that there are many ways to create a sense of well being. I'm open to all kinds of experiences, and like to hear when people try something new that has been meaningful to them.Chromotherapy has been around since ancient times. Notably, Egyptians built solarium rooms with colored glass to achieve certain therapeutic benefits. The sun would shine through the glass and flood an ill person with color.
Today, there are many practitioners who use color and light in interesting ways. Some Color Therapists have a box with a mechanism that flickers light into the eyes. They report success in speeding the recovery of stroke victims and people who experience chronic depression. Other Color Therapists recommend the wearing of eyeglasses with colored lenses to achieve benefits of color exposure. Another kind of color therapy example is the practice of Feng Shui, where color is strategically placed into your home and work spaces for optimum balance of energy[1].
Using Chromotherapy doesn't only involve bathing yourself in color in a physical sense. Another form of Chromotherapy is "Color Breathing"[2]. This is a meditative practice that can easily be performed before going to sleep, or when waking in the morning, at work or at home.
With "Color Breathing" you choose a color to suit your needs. Simply hold the color in your mind's eye. Then, as you inhale a deep, slow breath through your nose, you visualize that color. Imagine where you've seen this color before. Imagine the deepness of its hue. Allow yourself to linger in the color in your mind's eye. Then you exhale slowly through your mouth, continuing to visualize and experience the color.
Breathing Colors
Red: Increase energy and power. It has been known to affect the heart by increasing pulse rate, and the muscles by increasing their tension. Red influences vitality and increases body temperature. Red is often associated with excitement and sensuality.
Orange: Has been known to help reduce procrastination, improve attention, stimulate creative thinking and enthusiasm.
Yellow: Like the sun, yellow strongly stimulates happiness, brings on a sense of security, as well as a strong feeling of well-being.
Green: Regulates the pituitary gland, fights depression, bulimia, and other psychosomatic conditions affecting the gastric system. It is useful in calming the nervous system, fights irritability, insomnia and can be used to assist in reducing anxiety.
Turquoise: Improve immune system, increases intuition and sensitivity.
Turquoise is important for respiratory system and in strengthening the metabolism.
Blue: Is one of the best colors to calm, soothe and relax. It has been used to reduce high blood pressure, slow breathing and heart rates.
Purple: Deep hues of this color have been used to Boost self worth, decreases sensitivity to pain, and help with detoxification.
Pink: Helps to heal grief and sadness. Induces a sense of youthfulness.
White: Provides energy and balance by stimulating the production of serotonin, a substance which regulates both sleep and the nervous system.
Black: Is a power color and can bring authority. It can also provide protection, calm, and silence.
Brown: Increases decisiveness and concentration. This color also provides stability, grounding, conservation, protection. Brown can help awaken common sense and discrimination. It brings us back down to earth.
Do you have a favorite color?
Footnotes:
[1] Institute for Chromotherapy - http://www.ifct.net/
[2] About.com "Color Therapy" accessed @ http://healing.about.com/
