A BRIEF HISTORY OF COLOUR THERAPY
Colour Therapy aims to balance
and enhance our body's energy centres/chakras by using the seven colours
of the light spectrum, which can help to stimulate our body's own
healing process.
Each of the seven colours resonates with one of the main seven chakras.
The ancient Egyptians have been recorded to have been using colour for cures and ailments.
They worshipped the sun, knowing
that without light there can be no life. They looked at nature and
copied it in many aspects of their lives. The floors of their temples
were often green - as the grass which then grew alongside their river,
the Nile. Blue was a very important colour to the Egyptians too; the
colour of the sky. They built temples for healing and used gems
(crystals) through which the sunlight shone. They would have different
rooms for different colours. We could perhaps relate our present methods
of colour/light therapy to this ancient practice.
There are lists on papyrus
dating back to 1550 BC of colour "cures".
Their deep knowledge and understanding of the healing powers of the
colour rays was so nearly lost when, later on in history, the Greeks
considered colour only as a science. Hippocrates, amongst others,
abandoned the metaphysical side of colour, concentrating only on the
scientific aspect. Fortunately, despite this, the knowledge and
philosophy of colour was handed down through the ages by a few.
The Chinese also apparently practiced Colour Healing. The Nei/ching, 2000 years old, records colour diagnoses.
In holistic therapies different colours are associated with different moods and qualities and influence.
- Red is stimulating and energetic found in the aura it is often associated with anger and restlessness
- Orange is stimlating and enquiring especially the mind and seeking knowledge
- Yellow is good for stimulating learning
- Green/Pink soothing and healing especially for affairs of the heart
- Blue is healing, calming and aids communication
- Indigo is good for inner peace, tranquility and healing
- Violet is deeply spiritual and enlightening and healing
So it's not unusual how the colour of a room can influence our mood which leads to the article below from the DAILY MAIL
Want a good night's sleep? Find out which colours you should use in the bedroom (and avoid) for a decent kip
- Blue is thought to slow the heart rate and even reduce blood pressure
- People sleeping in a blue room get seven hours 52 minutes sleep per night
- Purple rooms can stimulate the brain, making it difficult to nod off
Those with bedrooms this colour tend to get the best rest – nearly eight hours a night – and wake feeling happy and positive.
According to a survey, it is linked to calm, soothing feelings and is thought to slow the heart rate and even reduce blood pressure.
Calming: People with a blue bedroom manage to get the most sleep per night
However, it’s best to avoid purple, which is too stimulating and can cut nightly hours of rest to less than six. Grey and brown get the thumbs-down for being too dreary and depressing.
The study, carried out by Travelodge, looked into 2,000 homes across the country to investigate the influence of colour on quality of sleep.
They found that people sleeping in rooms decorated in calm colours, such as yellow, blue or green, received the best night’s sleep.
Chris Idzikowski, Sleep Expert from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre said: ‘This is an amazing result, as there are specialised receptors called ganglion cells in the retina part of our eyes, which are most sensitive to the colour blue.
‘These receptors feed information into an area deep in our brain that controls 24 hour rhythms, and affects how we perform and feel during the day. That interaction between light, sleep and wakefulness is supremely important.’
Stimulating: But bedrooms that are painted purple could encourage creativity and stop the brain from relaxing
They say that the reason for this could be that the colour purple is mentally stimulating which makes it difficult to switch off after a busy day.
The other two least favoured colour schemes are brown, where sleepers obtain on average six hours and five minutes sleep per night and a grey colour scheme which results in individuals getting on average six hours and twelve minutes sleep per night.
Colour Therapy & Holistic Interior Design consultant, Suzy Chiazzari, said: ‘Your bedroom décor can certainly impact upon your quality and quantity of sleep per night.
HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES EACH COLOUR GIVE?
| Blue | 7 hrs 52mins |
| Yellow | 7 hrs 40mins |
| Green | 7 hrs 36 mins |
| Silver | 7 hrs 33 mins |
| Orange | 7 hrs 28 mins |
| Red | 6 hrs 58 mins |
| Gold | 6 hrs 43 mins |
| Grey | 6 hrs 12 mins |
| Brown | 6 hrs 05 mins |
| Purple | 5 hrs 56 mins |
‘Purple has a strong connection with the more artistic community being a colour reported to stimulate creativity and the unconscious mind. Therefore sleeping in a purple room is more likely to promote vivid dreams or even nightmares; resulting in you feeling tired in the morning.’
The study also found that colour affects other bedroom activities. Couples who sleep in a bedroom that is decorated in a caramel make love on average three times per week. But those who sleep in a red bedroom make love just once a week.
Britons who have a grey themed bedroom are the ones spend the most time shopping online in bed, while a fifth of Britons who have a silver décor in their bedroom reported they are more motivated to exercise in their bedroom.
‘I have spent the last 12 months working with our customers to create a purpose built room for them. In today’s modern world, Britons want a high level of co-ordination between colours, shades, patterns and features.
'They are no longer happy with everything being the same colour. Tastes are also moving away from dark shades; today hotel users want a clean, fresh and calming colour scheme.’
Gilded: People who have luxurious gold rooms do not get a proper full night of sleep, with only 6 hours 43 minutes
