Color Therapy for Anxiety

Color and light affects people's moods. Color therapy, or chromatherapy, is used to balance the body's internal energy. An imbalance is thought to lead to mental or physical diseases. Color therapists use colors to get emotional reactions in people. The correct color in the right area can promote healing, they believe, but too much color in the wrong place can cause adverse health effects.

Color Choices

• Indigo is the color used to treat mental illness. It is placed on the lower part of the forehead and has a calming, sedative effect. Violet on the top of the forehead is the color for emotions. It is used to calm the nervous system and relax muscles. Blue is also thought to calm and relax the muscles. Pink is known for stress relief, relaxation and a calming effect.

How It Works

• Color therapists will usually spend some time talking to a patient. They will then observe the patient's aura, or the field of energy that surrounds the body. The aura is made up of different colors that change as people's moods change. This helps color therapists diagnose problems. During color therapy, color and light are applied to specific areas of the body. The color can be put on the body through fabric, gemstones, glass or even in a bath. The most common way color therapy is administered is with a white light shined on color filters and pointed to a specific area of the body.

Medical Studies

• Color therapy has been used for thousands of years, since the time of the ancient Egyptians. But there is little medical evidence on the practice and limited acceptance in the medical community. Also, a color therapist may be hard to find.