Healing with Color Therapy
By now, you’ve probably heard of many different holistic remedies and healing modalities within the spiritual and wellness communities. However, one thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is the benefit that color has on a person’s overall well-being. Color therapy has been around for ages. In fact, it can be traced as far back to the Mayan culture, incorporated into ancient Egyptian healing, and is even used in Traditional Chinese Medicine through associating color with different functions of the body.
Whether you notice it or not, you’re taking in the energy of color every day. We are constantly absorbing color from the vibrational wavelengths that each individual frequency gives off. Just observing the colors around you, as you take in the light reflected into your eyes, can be healing in itself.
Your Favorite Color
A common question you might ask someone that you are getting to know is, “What is your favorite color?” Perhaps when you reflect back on your childhood, you realize you had one color you’ve loved your whole life; or in other cases, maybe your favorite color changed quite often.The reason you would find yourself drawn to one color over another at times is because it is a good indication of the color you need in that moment. It is important to note though that an excess of gravitation towards a certain color can be a result of an avoidance of others. That is why it is just as important to pay attention to the colors you feel resistant to. Ultimately, you want to strive for balance.
Color Therapy and Its Benefits
So now you may be asking yourself, “How does color therapy work and how have I not noticed its effects before?” You may have…but perhaps only subconsciously. I find that color therapy works best when done with intention. That is why it is most commonly used among Reiki Practitioners, Acupuncturists, and during meditation or breathwork exercises. Essentially, color is a method of energy healing because, well, color is energy.
There are many benefits to working with color. It helps with overall well-being; physically, mentally and emotionally. Physically, it can reduce swelling or inflammation, and alleviate pain or chronic illness. Some even say it’s a great anti-aging treatment. The mental and emotional healing works more on a subconscious level, which can be reflected in your relationship with yourself and others.
That being said, color therapy restores balance to the body, especially through the chakras. Think of how each chakra has a corresponding color. As children, we often associated all these colors with the image of a rainbow, or when singing songs about our friend Roy G. Biv. You probably learned in high school that white light is comprised of all these colors, and that they can be split into different wavelengths when refracted through a prism; picture the Pink Floyd logo for example.
The concept of white light containing all color frequencies makes the sun a natural and accessible resource for energy healing. Consider how much happier and energized you typically feel in the summer months versus the winter months when the sun is not out for as long. While basking in the sun may feel nice at times, there are other, more intentional ways to incorporate color healing into your life.
Ways to Use Color Therapy and Healing in Your Daily Routine
- An easy and free option is through visualization and meditation. You can integrate a specific color into your meditation practice in whatever way you intuitively feel guided to do.
- A common use of color therapy is seen today through infrared saunas, or red light therapy, and chromotherapy. These methods involve applying colored light directly to the body.
- Absorb colors through the clothes you wear or the elements that you use when taking a bath. This could vary from bath bombs, essential oils, or even solarized water.
- Release energy into your auric field by lighting colored candles and setting intentions with them.
- Apply crystals to your healing, whether through reiki, during meditation, or just simply wearing them as jewelry.
Choosing the Right Colors
I find it best to work with whatever color I feel called to or whatever chakra I am focused on balancing. Keep in mind, using the associated color of each chakra can help balance or strengthen it, but when working with an overactive chakra, you may want to consider using its complementary color.
Chakra Color Associations
- Root = Red
- Sacral = Orange
- Solar Plexus = Yellow
- Heart = Green
- Throat = Light Blue
- Third Eye = Royal Blue
- Crown = Violet
Whatever methods you choose to use, it is most important to take note of your relationship with each color, as I mentioned earlier. Ask yourself which colors you feel drawn to and which ones you could use more of. Then pay attention to how you feel and notice any shifts within yourself after incorporating them into your life.