FAQ Color Therapy
What are colors
Color is a form of light, of electromagnetic radiation. Energy that vibrates in the same way as heat, sound and radio waves. The colors present in the (sun)light are absorbed, absorbed or reflected, reflected by the things on which the light falls. We see things in the color of the reflected light. By reflecting certain light colors we see, for example, blue clouds, an orange carrot, a colored bar of soap, etc. If all the light colors are absorbed by an object, we say that the object is black. An object is white if it reflects a relatively large amount of light. When there is no light, that is, in the dark, no colors can be distinguished.
Colors and emotions
When ten people look at the same shade of blue, they will all react differently. For one person it evokes (sometimes unconsciously) unpleasant memories because he/she was bullied by someone who always wore a blue coat, while for another it might be a beautiful memory of that happy holiday by the sea comes up with clear blue water and a sky blue sky.
In general, bright colors make us happy and energetic, and dull/dark color therapy makes us gloomy.
Color Therapy Has a Long History
This is not new news. Egyptians built healing temples of light four thousand years ago, bathing patients in specific colors of light to produce different effects. Now, before you begin to pooh-pooh the pyramids, consider these factual goodies. Research shows that a blindfolded person will experience physiological reactions under different colored rays. In other words, the skin sees in Technicolor. Noted neuropsychologist Kurt Goldstein confirmed this information in his modern classic The Organism, where he notes that stimulation of the skin by different colors creates different effects.
Color is Visible Light
Scientifically, it makes sense. Color is simply a form of visible light, or electromagnetic energy. Let's break it down. what exactly is light? It is the visible reflection off the particles in the atmosphere.
Color makes up a band of these light wave frequencies from red at 1/33,000th's of an inch wavelength to violet at 1/67,000 of an inch wavelength. Below red lie infrared and radio waves. Above it: the invisible ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays. We all understand the impact of ultraviolet and x-rays, don't we? Why then wouldn't the light we can see "as color" not have as big an impact? Color is Visible Light
Lack of Color Causes Depression
How we "feel" about color is more than psychological. The last decade has proven that lack of color, or more specifically, light, causes millions to suffer each winter from a mild depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) . Because of the complex way in which exposure to various colors acts via the brain upon the autonomic nervous system, exposure to a specific color can even alter physiological measurements such as blood pressure, electrical skin resistance and glandular functions in your body. And they most certainly can affect how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Learning about color's qualities and putting it to use can enhance your spirit, improve your health, and quite ultimately, expand your consciousness.
Color Therapy and Your Aura
Color therapy, also known as chromo therapy, is used by alternative health practitioners who use color to balance energy wherever our bodies are lacking, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental. Angie Arkin, Intuitive Healer in Key West, uses color during her sessions with clients, and often works with color during her own personal meditations.
"Your aura is just an energy field that surrounds you," Arkin says. "In your aura, there are different layers, and in each layer, there are different colors that may be used for clearing and rebalancing your energy field. An aura reading is looking at the colors found in your aura. Knowing what colors are in your aura brings you closer to your spirit. If you can consciously bring that out, you have more advantage in clearing and healing your life. It's really just another layer of knowing."
Jasmine Sky, also a Florida Keys resident, brings healing and color therapy to clothing. "Painting on silk and installing healing prayers into the silk seemed to marry all parts of me - the part of me that was a healer, the part of me that was an artist, my love of fabrics and many years of sewing, my love of tropical islands with sarongs being their indigenous clothing," she says.
Jasmine, having studied color therapy, takes this into consideration when working with clients for their custom design. "Specifically I work with customers on the emotional space they want to be in, and recommend colors accordingly. This informs the prayers and Reiki symbols I paint in to the silk. And the silk itself has unique energy and healing properties. I also draw on my own intuitive resources to make recommendations." All this is part of the reason Sky talks to each customer before creating a garment, even if it is one of the standard designs.
Sky also refers customers to, and works with Arkin, in applying color readings to garment design. They are currently working together to integrate Arkin's readings into The Dreaming Goddess Web site.
Resources:
Angie Arkin, Intuitive Healer, www.beyourownhealer.com
Jasmine Sky, The Dreaming Goddess,
Laser puncture involves beaming the light from a hand held laser device. The light beam targets energy points on the body, stimulating cellular growth. These target energy points are from the meridian energy system that has been used in acupuncture treatments for centuries. Research studies have indicated laser therapy benefits include acceleration of natural healing time for wounds, pain reduction, improved blood circulation, and decreased tissue swelling.
Laser therapy has been used in Europe and Asia since the 1970's. Laser therapy received US FDA approval in 2001.
Laser Therapy Uses
- Heal Damaged Tissue
- Regenerate Cells
- Regenerate Bone Growth
- Reduce Pain
- Retard Inflammation
- Boost Immune System
- Restore Chi Energies
- Laser Dentistry
Some Conditions Treated With Laser Therapy:
- Skin Diseases
- Tissue Damage
- Circulatory Problems
- Nerve Damage
- inflammation
- Headaches / Migraines
- Neck, Shoulder, and Back Pain
Laser therapy is being used for treating hair follicles as a remedy for balding and thinning hair. There are a variety of laser combs marketed for this purpose. Studies are also being done on the effects of laser therapy for smoking cessation.
Infrared Light Therapy for Treating Toe Nail Fungus
Light therapy technology for treating toe nail fungus is being used by some podiatrists in their practices. Podiatrist Gabriel Maislos, DPM, of Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston has reported infrared light therapy as 87 percent effective in the treatment of toe nail fungus.
For anyone who has had their toe nails removed in order to better treat the nail bed with anti-fungal creams or for those who have been reluctant to try prescription drugs that may put your liver at risk, light therapy is a very hopeful alternative.
Is Your Laser Pointer a Magic Wand? Maybe so.
Medical doctor and acupuncturist, Dr. Yang Ahn, suggests home use of 3-5mw strength laser pointers. The light from a laser pointer can be applied directly to superficial