National Color Therapy Month
When you think of the spring season, what images do you see? Maybe you have an image of flowering cherry blossoms speckling the tree limbs with flakes of pink and magenta. Maybe you envision lush green pastures rising from dormancy. Maybe you see vibrant flashes of cardinal red and robin blue as songbirds herald the warm weather and cool breezes. Whatever you imagine, chances are your mind’s eye becomes filled with colorful imagery of rebirth, making the coming of spring the perfect time to celebrate the color in your life during March’s National Color Therapy Month.
National Color Therapy Month was founded in 2011 by author Eleyne-Mari with the motto: “Change your Colors… and you change your World!” Since ancient times, mankind has used colors for emotional expression, symbolism, and even medicinal purposes. Color Therapy – a method of treatment using visible spectrum colors of electromagnetic radiation to cure disease – has been explored for centuries, particularly within Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese cultures. This has aided in the development of alternative medicines, such as Ayurveda, allopathy, acupuncture, Unani, homeopathy, magnetotherapy, physiotherapy, radiotherapy, aromatherapy, and reflexology. The founder of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, used colors as archetypes to conceptualize our subconscious experience and even theorized personality types linked to the colors red, blue, green, and yellow. Jung ventured, “colors are the mother tongue of the subconscious… [and] express the main psychic functions of man.”
While there is limited research into the efficacy and pathways of color therapy, it has been established that the perception of color elicits observable physical reactions in our bodies. Research indicates the presence, absence, and quality of light affect our hormonal systems, including the hypothalamus, pituitary and hormonal glands. Furthermore, our biological and cultural perceptions of color do seem to have an influence on our mental experience. For example, warmer colors (reds, oranges, and yellows) stimulate blood circulation and our sympathetic nervous system, and cooler colors (blues, greens, and purples) activate calming pathways of our parasympathetic nervous system. As our ability to observe electromagnetism and light frequencies grows with technology, researchers hope to further investigate how colors interact with our human experience.
Though there is much to learn about the relationship between color and mood, we can all agree that color brings beauty to our world! There are many simple ways you can celebrate Color Therapy Month and learn more about how the colors you see, choose, and create can empower your emotional experience. Color therapy can be as simple wearing your favorite color, doodling, redecorating your home, or changing your lighting. Below are some helpful links to learn more about Color Therapy and how to bring a little more color to your life!
31 Ways You Can Celebrate Color Therapy Month
WRAP in Color: A Coloring Book from Wellness Recovery Action Plan
A Post from the Founder of National Color Therapy Month
National Library of Medicine Chromotherapy Analysis Article
Color Therapy in Mental Health and Well Being Dr. Rakesh Gupta
Blog written by the AC Counseling Center
