What Is Color Therapy? Benefits and How It Is Used in Therapy

Color therapy or chromotherapy uses colors or colored lights in the therapeutic process. Color therapy has rapidly gained increased traction since research established its links with the mind and body. At least once in your life, you may have played the "color" game. "What comes to mind when we name out a color?" Some would say danger, passion, and love while thinking about red; others would think of peace, serenity, and calm while thinking about white. This is a universal human experience as colors bring about emotionally charged memories and experiences.

Architects, designers, and artists rely on color theory to find the perfect color combinations. Color theory is a science in which colors complement each other and form a harmonious relationship. Artists, therapists, and designers often use color harmony to elicit certain thoughts and emotions.

The importance of colors can be dated to time immemorial. The concept was not associated with esthetics but was seen to have a supernatural value. As sunlight is revered as a vital source of life, color being a manifestation of it holds divine value. Color continues to hold much significance beyond clothes, art, or nature. Many domains now recognize the integral value of colors in their output or experience, and seek ways to innovate on incorporating them.

Benefits of Color Therapy

Color psychology is the study of how colors influence human perception and behavior whereas color therapy as an ancient practice focuses on how certain colors can impact your energy and also your physical and mental health. While color therapy has received skepticism from the scientific community, color psychology has found its way through art therapy techniques and tools.

The human eye can perceive seven million colors. Some enhance our mood, some upset us and others make us happy. So, we just don't see the colors, we also feel them.

Talking is not for everyone

Many are comfortable talking just enough. There are others for whom being introverted affects their social interactions. Expressing their thoughts and feelings, problem solving, and interacting with the world can be made better through the use of art and color therapy. It will help them connect better. Many pop culture stars also turn toward art to improve communication with their clients.

Creative tools

Colors are basic to our everyday experiences; therefore, it is important to integrate the use of colors in a conscious manner. In settings where people need color, such as in intimate spaces like homes or for commercial purposes like brand logos or websites, colors become creative tools. Users should be drawn toward the overall presentation through a careful combination of colors. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow represent life, happiness and new energy. Colors like blue and gray demonstrate calmness and functionalism. Green symbolizes possibilities. The use of color therapy is supported by the idea of wavelengths. Red has the shortest wavelength and is the most visible to us. Therefore, all warning and emergency signs are in red and not in other cool colors.

Let the colors and emotions flow! (Photo by valerie titova via unsplash)

Physical changes

Certain colors like blue and green are thought to have soothing effects on people who experience stress or anxiety. Warm colors, on the other hand, increase your appetite. Fast food chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Coca-Cola have bright logos and interiors in their restaurants. Advertisement companies appreciate the impact of these colors on our mood and advertise accordingly.

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Applications in Therapy

Therapists try to understand thought patterns and behavior by looking into color preferences. Although there are some colors that don't "suit" us, there are some that we can see and wear day in and day out. Professionals try to harness these observations and come up with techniques.

1. Emotion Wheel

The emotion wheel's overall goal is to clarify what's happening in our inner world, hone in on the specific nuances of that emotional state, and understand the depth and purpose behind those emotions. Sometimes, naming and labeling emotions can become confusing and overwhelming. Using this wheel, one can easily pinpoint our emotions and have more clarity over our responses or actions.

2. Light Therapy

Another form of color therapy is using light. Many researchers are looking into the effects of light therapy on pain. This therapy has achieved positive results in some cases whereas it has failed for others. Most studies point to the pain-relieving effects of green color (especially concentrated green LED light). For a similar result, you can just step out into a green neighborhood, look at the trees and plants, and let the effect soak in.

3. Free-Flowing Use of Color

Professionals assess the colors and patterns drawn by patients to draw conclusions about their mental challenges. For example, scattered red and black may indicate feelings of restlessness or anxiety. Too many colors mixed up might mean frustration and inability to make a decision. This is one of the tools they might rely on and they could collect additional data to confirm their analysis.

You can explore your emotions and thoughts using colors. (Photo by cottonbro via pexels)

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Takeaway

Individuals who have experienced trauma in their lives may not respond to direct verbal questions or may not be able to explain their emotions clearly. Words are restrictive, but colors aren't; colors do not have stringent rules of use. This allows trauma survivors to express pent-up emotions and process their memories. However, the evidence behind color therapy is still not conclusive, so the same colors may not elicit similar emotions in different people or in the same person in different circumstances. Therefore, a trained professional backs up the use of colors with well-established parameters and markers for the assigned purpose.