How Does Color Therapy Work Within our Bodies?
Can we use color therapy on our own, without the presence of a practitioner? Sure we can – we just have to know how. It is important to understand first of all, that the human eye can actually differentiate more than 7,000 hues or colors. This in itself shows us the intricacy of the human body that we all inhabit. Once you understand how each color affects you personally, you can put these colors to use whenever you need to. If our spirits need lifting and our mood improving, we can use the colors that we know are able to help us on this path. Colors can be divided into several categories for each person, as their effect can be different for everyone.
The first set of colors that we should be familiar with are known as ‘beneficial’ colors. For example, the color that we think of to soothe a beating heart is most definitely a beneficial color. The second set of colors that can cause our emotions to enter a negative zone – creating either anxiety or sadness, would be called irritants. Different colors yet can make us feel more energetic, and these would be called stimulants. The neurological responses that we experience from color are so individual in their interpretation and the power they yield – we must be in tune with what each color does for us personally, in order to achieve the most from color therapy. In truth we are only just starting to understand this field.
We can tap into the power of color in our physical scope by means of several different channels:
- Our Mind: If it is calmness that we are looking for, we can use our mind to envision a color that makes us calmer. If we need more energy at any given moment, we should think of a color that will make us energized and invigorated. Sometimes we do this without even thinking. If we are at the dentist for example feeling stressed, you might imagine you are lying on the beach or in a park. This is helpful for stress reduction not just because these are both places where one feels ‘calm’, but also the colors blue, as associated with the sea, and green, which is always a symbol of nature, can be very calming on our nervous systems.
- Our Pain Receptors: Not only do we see color but we actually feel color! Is has already been scientifically proven that light is actually made up of vibrations, and these vibrations enter our eyes and are then ‘translated’ by our brains into colors. A fact that is lesser known is that light can also permeate our skin and affect our bodies and their healthy function. An example of this would be the effect that green light is said to have on pain. If you search the web for information on ‘Pain Management with green light’ you will find some very interesting articles on this type of treatment for certain ailments. In a few words it is said that concentrated green led light can reduce pain as much as 50 percent! This is quite a feat. Green light treatment is said to be effective because it works in conjunction with the receptors in our mind that control pain levels. Green light can increase the amount and effectivity of these receptors and therefore reduce pain levels.
- Our Skin: Another example of the use of color as a healing technique, would be with the modern LED light face masks that have become very popular in recent times, to reduce acne. These masks generally use a combination of BLUE and RED light. The Blue light is said to reduce activity in the sebaceous glands, so they produce less of the oil that can clog up our skin with sebum, leading to acne. Blue light may also kill acne-causing bacteria known as Cutibacterium acnes. The use of red light in these masks targets inflammation and redness. (These masks are of course not the classic cream masks but masks made to radiate light to the face and be re-used multiple times). Anyway you choose to use these masks, or indeed whenever you are looking to treat a medical condition using LED light therapy, always confirm the diagnosis first with a physician first, to ascertain that is the right treatment for you.
If we put our faith in the large cosmetic companies who have spent years and countless financial resources to create these masks, we must surely understand there is something of value behind the power of color
