Color as Therapy
by Cathy Embrey LMT, LMEi Color has many uses and its therapeutic function is expanding. We are used to seeing color used as warning devices such as stop signs and red lights. Businesses and organizations use color such as red to stimulate the appetite: green in hospitals for healing and relaxation, and pink in jail holding cells. Some therapists use static color found in flowers, wall color, blankets and artwork to stimulate the eye, mind or sense of balance. Color also has a vibration, like a wave frequency. The sun, reflective prisms, even light bulbs vibrate colors of the rainbow. Color became part of the healing process for many alternative therapists going back to the early 1980s. How can this be? Sometimes to open the mind to understanding new concepts, we have to briefly look at the use of the concept in our daily lives. We know that light penetrates flesh; we also know that without light there would be no color, color would cease to exist. Ultraviolet color waves are used to disinfect pools and kill bacteria on the skin. Deep, penetrating infrared lamps are used to warm muscle tissue. We describe feelings with color. We may hear, “He’s green with envy; They’re feeling blue; She’s in the pink; or I am so mad I’m seeing red.” We describe people as having a dark cloud over them, or she is absolutely glowing, usually referring to the color of white or gold. White and gold usually refer to a period of great joy, such as the birth of a child, or to someone traveling a path of enlightenment. Color is documented in history as a rainbow, the covenant symbol, from God made to Noah and his descendents to never destroy the earth again by water. The same color spectrum is found in body energy work most often described in the folklore rituals of Hinduism as Chakras. Note how the rainbow is color seen by anyone, the chakra colors are said to be seen by a few and invisible to most. But how do the colors affect the healing journey and is there a way we can incorporate them in to our daily lives? How is color reflecting your life? Red. We are in a physical body, the blood runs red, and discussions of color often begin here. It is known as the root, the base of sexuality, passion, action, ambition, also of anger. Red can boost your energy level, increase the heart rate, and release adrenaline. It promotes action and movement. It reflects living with passion. Red is stimulating of both positive and negative passions (love and hate). It...
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