Color Therapy

Color therapy is one of the most ancient therapies dating back to Ayurvedic practices 5,000 years ago in India. In Heliopolis Egypt, ancient Greece and China “color halls” or rooms were painted different colors to treat ailments. Pythagoras used color in healing, and even Hippocrates experimented with color in medicine. Churches continue to, and have long provided color healing through stained glass windows.

In 1932, two California scientists demonstrated that blue has a calming effect on humans, while red light has a stimulating effect. This remains a principle of color therapy that red is stimulating and warming. While blue is sedating and cooling, producing a tranquilizing and anti-inflammatory effect.

Light is the purest and fastest form of energy that we know of. All life and growth is dependent upon light. This is readily apparent with plants and photosynthesis, yet hemoglobin, the molecule that allows our blood to carry oxygen, differs from chlorophyll only in that a magnesium molecule is replaced by an iron molecule. Perhaps we should embrace the idea that humans are as intimately dependent upon light as plants are.

As light creates chemical changes and growth in a plant through photosynthesis, different wavelengths of light can bring about different chemical reactions in a human. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found in experiments on animals that their hormonal systems had unique responses to specific colors, apparently distinguishing among colors. As an example, green light was found to potently affect changes in the temperature cycle of rats.

The scientific researcher, Alexander Schauss, found that viewing the color pink decreased the elevated blood pressure in human subjects agitated for the experiment. No surprise. However, he got identical results in colorblind subjects, eliminating the influence of color perception by the eyes and interpretation by the mind. He concluded that color had a physiological effect.

Medical science continues to discover more important benefits of vitamin D in cancer prevention. Vitamin D can be manufactured by the body from sunlight. I would encourage the reader to think of light as a nutrient. The white light of the sun, containing all seven visible colors (the “nutrients” – red through violet), is absorbed through the skin, chakras and eyes.

In optometry, there is an alternative therapy called Syntonics, where the application of colored light is directly into the eyes. This permits direct access to the brain via the optic nerve.

Classically, color therapy is applied to the skin using light projected through color filters or gels. Early in the 20th century color therapy practitioners felt that a blockage, congestion, or imbalance in an organ would result in disease. Each organ had a frequency associated with health. The application of the correct wavelength of light would restore the organ to its optimal frequency.

I prefer to apply colored lights through the chakras. With a basic understanding of the seven chakras, a logical application of color therapy follows. The color (ROYGBIV) associated with a chakra (1-7) will stimulate an underactive gland associated with that chakra. Treat the organ through the chakra.

Applying this concept to gemstone therapy, the color of the gem tells you which chakra to wear the stone on and which organs would benefit.

Chart A

Medicine has always looked at the nervous system as the way messages get communicated from the brain to every part of the body, and from the body to the brain. Remember that modern quantum physics perceives the body as an electromagnetic field rather than a collection of particles. In its denser levels, this electromagnetic field manifests as the physical body. Less dense is the etheric body, a magnetic field that interpenetrates the physical body and extends 1 ½ inches out from it. The subtler, finer aspects of the field compose the spiritual bodies, sometimes described as the light body. At those dimensions our energy field is literally composed of light. I believe that color therapy impacts the subtler aspects of our field, which then impact the physical body in an “as above, so below” manner. 

Biophysics is beginning to examine the photon, a particle/wave of light, as the relayer of information in the intercellular communication of our bodies. In field theory, the communication between cells is instantaneous and holographic, as information is relayed by photon rather than neuron.

Chart B

Red brings warmth, energy and stimulation. Therefore, it is beneficial for fatigue, the common cold without a fever, lethargy, and a low body temperature. Red energizes the heart and circulation, and would be appropriate for low blood pressure but contraindicated for high blood pressure. Red is very good for anemia, as it causes hemoglobin to multiply. In fact, red can be used for any blood-related condition to strengthen the blood.

Red is stimulating to all five senses. Red links with and stimulates the root chakra, at the base of the spine, causing the adrenal glands to release adrenalin. This results in greater strength. It increases libido. Red stimulates both ovulation and menstruation. Red can help energize a person who is too passive or introverted. Never use red with cancer, because this color will stimulate cell growth!

Orange The energy of orange is warm, cheering, and non-constricting. Orange is stimulating to digestion, the lungs and the immune system. Orange can be used for an underactive thyroid. It relieves muscle spasms and cramps, including menstrual cramps. Orange increases discharges, so it is effective in drawing boils and abscesses to a head.

Yellow is associated with the mind and the nervous system. It helps strengthen the nerves and awaken mental inspiration. Besides being stimulating to the nervous system, yellow is used for stomach, liver and intestinal conditions as it speeds up digestion and assimilation. It has also been used to aid healing of scar tissue. Yellow is stimulating to the pancreas, helping with stabilizing the blood sugar levels for both diabetes and hypoglycemia. Yellow has also been used for the eyes and ears, as it is stimulating to the optic and auditory nerves.

Green being in the middle of the color spectrum is neither cooling like blue and violet nor warming, like red and yellow. It is the master balancer and often improves results when used in conjunction with other colors. Green is the predominant color in nature. It can increase the body’s ability to fight infection and cancer by stimulating the immune system through its influence on the thymus gland. It speeds up the healing of cuts and bruises. Green has a soothing effect on the body and the mind as it is the essence of balance and harmony.

Green is beneficial for the heart and vascular system, through its influence on the heart chakra. Green can be used to balance hormones particularly when used to stimulate the pituitary gland through the third eye chakra. Green is beneficial to the gall bladder, and lemon yellow, which is yellow with a hint of green, can be more powerful than yellow for the liver. Green has also been used for healing the kidneys.

Blue is a relaxing and cooling color. It is good for burns, fever and inflammation due to the cooling nature. Inflammation includes rubor (redness), calor (heat), dolor (pain) and tumor (swelling). Blue reduces all of these, and itching. Its relaxing nature makes it good for insomnia.

Blue is good for headaches. It reduces stress, anger and brings tranquility. Blue is useful for any condition associated with speech, communication, or the throat, such as laryngitis, because of its connection to the throat chakra.

Blue is related to oxygen. Green is related to nitrogen, which makes up 78% of the air we breathe. Red is related to hydrogen.

Indigo purifies the bloodstream and helps fight infection. Like blue, indigo is cool, electric and antiseptic. Associated with the third eye, indigo can benefit concentration, meditation, and intuition. It acts on the pituitary gland, the eyes and the ears. Indigo clears the head and can benefit mental problems. Indigo can reduce an excess of the fire element in the heart meridian, reducing anxiety and aiding sleep.

Violet is calming to the nervous system and as such it relaxes muscles. Violet fights infection by stimulating the spleen and bone marrow to build more white blood cells. Lavender and silver help fight parasitic infection, as they have a purging effect on the energy field. Violet has an inspirational effect on the arts.

Color therapy is not limited to the 7 colors of the rainbow. All the wavelengths of visible light in between are available.

Magenta is a blend of red and violet, and as such is an emotional balancer and a spiritual bridge connecting passion to compassion.

Scarlet is red with a hint of blue. It acts as a stimulant. It strengthens the blood.

Purple is blue with a hint of red. It acts as a depressant. It can also help reduce pain.

Turquoise is a blend of green and blue. It is beneficial to the skin, lungs, and large intestine. Turquoise is an antiseptic. It can relax stress and increase intuition. It strengthens the immune system by its action on the primary organ of the immune system, the thymus gland. Turquoise is good for dizziness. Some would say the heart chakra, which is green, is more connected to the atria (upper part) of the heart, and that there is a “high heart” chakra, halfway between the fourth and fifth chakras, at the thymus that is turquoise.

Lemon is yellow with a hint of green. It influences the organs associated with the 3rd chakra, such as liver, gall bladder and solar plexus. Particularly, the liver and the gall bladder because they are wood element meridians in acupuncture, which is associated with green. Lemon can also be used for purifying the blood, and issues at the top of the head or the feet.

Olive green is green with a hint of yellow. It can be used to cleanse a space, or one’s own field. As such it is useful for therapist and client before and after a massage or therapy session.

Pink is red mixed with white. It heals grief and sadness. It helps to bring one in contact with their soft and tender feelings. Feminine and youthful.

Finally, white is all the colors in perfect balance and harmony. There is the “White Light of the Christ” for healing and protection. Purification and cleansing on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. White raises one’s vibration to protect against negativity.

One surefire way to produce changes in hormonal secretions all over the body is to focus colored light on the sixth chakra, the third eye. Its corresponding organ, the pituitary, is the master gland of the endocrine system. The front part of the pituitary is glandular tissue, while the back half is central nervous system tissue in direct contact with the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that regulates vital functions like temperature and appetite. Since the pituitary instructs all the other endocrine glands, treating the pituitary balances all the hormones.

Healing can come through the senses; touch, vision, smell and hearing. A tender touch or massage, color, aromatherapy, music or words. One of my favorite applications of color therapy is the Aura Soma oils. These brightly colored oils, when applied to the skin at the region of the body associated with that chakra color, make for a unique form of color therapy. There are over 100 combinations of two colors in each bottle.

The Rainbow Diet 

A very practical way to do color therapy is to consume the foods of that color. Chart B has a list of one or two foods of each color.

Color of the Day

Each day of the week is ruled by a heavenly body in our solar system according to Vedic Astrology. Wearing clothing or jewelry of that color on that day, or eating foods of that color help you to absorb its energy.

Color Breathing

In Color Breathing, one mentally visualizes the life giving radiation of colored rays of light pouring in from the atmosphere surrounding us. Sit comfortably in a chair and close your eyes. Pick the color you wish to work with and the corresponding chakra body part or body system needing purification and healing. Breathe slowly and deeply as you focus your mind on the color. When visualizing a color, as in color breathing, or when you wish to hold a frequency in your auric field, it is important to “be” that color because “thinking” produces the yellow color. So, if you “think” blue, red, green, etc. you produce yellow in your auric field. It is best to breathe the color in through the nose and send it to where it is needed. Feel the colored rays being absorbed into that area, swirling fast in a clockwise direction for one minute, and then let the swirling slow and come to a stop for cleansing.

Practical In-Home/Office Application

A simplified form of color therapy that you could make for using over your healing table involves purchasing an eight-bulb light bar that is typically used over the sink in a bathroom. These are available at hardware or home improvement stores. Purchasing a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and a pink bulb allows for treatment of the first seven and the eighth chakra. The eighth chakra is nine inches above the crown chakra. The light bar is suspended from the ceiling using two ceiling plant hanger hooks and the chain that comes with them. When your average height client is positioned on your healing table, align the light bar so the orange bulb is over the second chakra and the indigo bulb is over the sixth chakra. With my light bar I added a dimmer switch, and I highly recommend this feature. If a certain color is not desired for a certain client, simply unscrew that bulb. Don't worry; consciousness determines how we take light in and what portion we take in. This is a simple, inexpensive way to begin using generic high-tech, color therapy in your home or office.

Fire agate as a gem essence is useful to be taken prior to the application of color treatment as it facilitates receptiveness to the benefits of color therapy. It can be purchased from Pegasus Products (1-800-527-6104).

EK and Color Therapy

I utilize applied kinesiology to determine which chakras would be treated, and then which color would be projected onto that chakra. The applied kinesiology part of the procedure is performed as follows:

The patient may be in any position – prone, supine, sitting or standing. However, over 95% of the time the patient was either sitting or supine. The decision was usually made by whether the patient was accustomed to sitting for meditation or lying down. Comfort was also a factor, as a back pain patient may prefer lying down. The advantage of sitting is that it allows access to the front and back of the body for color light application. Presuming the patient’s right arm flexor muscle group is strong (in the clear); I would use my left hand to test the strength of their right arm. As I touched with my right hand over (challenging) the patient’s chakras beginning with the seventh, a weakening (temporary reflex weakening) of the right arm flexors would indicate that the patient would benefit from the application of colored light onto that chakra at that time.

Moving downward through the chakras I would determine which chakras were to be treated, and then return to those chakras to determine which color would be utilized. Now the patient uses their right hand to touch (therapy localize) each of the chakras that previously tested weak, while I test the strength of the patient’s left arm. This leaves my right hand free to touch (challenge) the different glass gels and filters to determine the preferred color for that chakra. The arm strength changes with just one color. For the glass gels, I touch each individually, while for the filter, I created small swatches of each color applied to white cardboard for ease of testing. For those who are accustomed to using a pendulum, this entire procedure can be adapted to pendulum testing. Simply set your intention as to what movement is a “yes,” and what is a “no.”

After the lights are set up to project the colors on the chakras, and the regular overhead lights in the room are shut off, the patient is left by themselves. For twenty minutes, they will be bathed in colored light in an otherwise darkened room. They have time to meditate, or just be with themselves, without conversation, in a receptive state. These circumstances facilitate the appearance of their guides, who can direct healing through the light, in much of the same way the guides work through a healer.

There is no limit to the different ways one can utilize and appreciate color in their lives. Be creative. Have a colorful day.