Have you ever thought of colors lightening your depressive moods? Or saw yourself looking at a color and feeling a particular emotion? As much as it is surprising, colors impact an individual’s state of mind and emotions. In a clearer sense, colors can make you sad or happy or angry. This is one of the reasons why psychologists use color therapy as one of the major depression therapy. Depression can be crippling. It can eat out your mind and stop you from working with full potential. This is where intervention is required. There are plethora of ways in which one can notice the color therapy benefits in depression.
The quest of ‘how to overcome depression can worry you at different stages. Whether your depression is mild or aggravated, it is necessary to counsel and get the best help. Color therapy for treating depression opens new avenues for the psychiatrist or psychologist to locate naf know the depression’s cause. With various sub methods involved, this depression therapy has more benefits and less side effects.
Depression in working people is common these days. With the workload piling up and lack of respite, working individuals are often seen juggling. This juggling between work and life is one of the main reasons for depression in working people. Depression can be present before working or can develop while working. We will look out at these two possibilities in later part of our blog,
In this article, we will understand color therapy as a prominent depression therapy. We will also shed light on the working of color therapy. Further we will understand the application of color therapy in depression in working people. Finally, we will sum up the benefits in treating depression in working people.
Takeaway
As much as it is surprising, colors impact an individual’s state of mind and emotions. In a clearer sense, colors can make you sad or happy or angry. This is one of the reasons why psychologists use color therapy as one of the major depression therapy.
What Is Color Therapy- Tracing The Origin
It would be hard for you to digest, but color therapy has been a therapy since ages. Its practice dates back to the time of ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, the Greeks built temples for color therapy. They also had space for sunlight to enter. It was believed that these temples would become the source of healing for the people in Greece. Famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle has been credited for the earliest studies on color therapy. While Aristotle developed the connections between color, it was Hippocrates who connected mental health with colors.
In Egypt, it is believed that color therapy was introduced by God Thoth. The particular mention is an integral part of Egyptian mythology. The color therapy is more evident during this age as it has been recorded in the papyrus as ‘color cures’. The Egyptian also believed that the sun mixed with colors, gives different light for treating various ailments. So, they built temples with different rooms, having varied colors when left to mix with the sunlight.
In India, the old scripture, Artharvana Veda, mentions color therapy. The practice of Ayurveda, incorporated the light as a source to heal various ailments in ancient India. The scripture believed that colors have the power to enter the body and treat the internal energy centers, in case of negativity. Apart from colors, the scripture also emphasizes on infusion of taste to treat the people.
These instances stand as evidence of the use of color therapy in treating depression. Therefore, the color therapy is not a recent but a very long practice as one of the depression therapy.
Takeaway
Color therapy has a rich history. It dates back to the time of ancient Greece, India and Egypt. It has various concepts in the scriptures of these three places.
Color Therapy As Depression Therapy
Color therapy had a proper introduction to the world in 1950. It stemmed out of the branch of psychology, known as color psychology [1]. According to color psychology, different colors can affect the moods of an individual. This can further initiate different responses or behaviors in the individuals.
In the most simplest inferred meaning, color therapy is a ‘holistic’ and ‘non-invasive’ therapy which sources treatments out of colors [2]. This therapy as depression therapy believes that colors have a strong relation with the human psyche. Color therapy for treating depression, includes a set of harmonious colors to mentally heal the individual [2]. It believes that every body has a specific characteristic in terms of energy. The corresponding color can be used to treat the ailment in reference to the characteristic of particular energy [2].
Research studies suggest that the human mind already is aware about the basic studies of color therapy. For instance, exposure to the red color for more than 30 minutes can increase blood pressure and heart rate [2]. Color therapy for treating depression used bright colors. These colors increase the neuro-chemical efficiency of the brain that is often cut during the depressive state.
Color therapy believes that there are different energies in the body. Identifying this energy is essential in executing the color therapy. Depression in working people can reflect the energy reduction mentally. Hence, it is an essential part of the color therapy to identify the mental state, before using the color.
Let us understand more about color therapy through various examples.
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Takeaway
Color therapy uses color as the driving force to treat depression and reduce depression symptoms. It connects various body energies with the mental state and corresponding color for treatment.
Color Therapy Through Examples
Color therapy uses a different set of colors to treat both mental and physical ailments. We can understand it better with the below examples.
For instance,
Example-1
Suppose a person is suffering from arthritis. In such a situation, what can color therapy do?
Color therapy will use a combination of blue, green and orange to treat arthritis. This set of colors provides calmness, energy and vibrance. It reduces the pain due to arthritis and also makes the person vibrant.
Example-2
Suppose a diabetic patient plans to treat him or her through color therapy. In this, the colors that would be used are green and yellow. Both these mixes of colors are said to have a calming effect on the person. It gives them the feeling of hope and brightness. However, the yellow color may seem frustrating if it is too bright to the patient’s vision.
Example-3
Are you suffering from dandruff? What if color therapy has a cure for it? As much as it is surprising, color therapy can also be used for treating dandruff. Color therapy uses indigo color to treat dandruff. The color is said to provide coolness. In addition, indigo leaves are used in the hair pack, as it naturally provides respite from dandruff irritation.
Example-4
For depression in working people, color therapy can be an ideal depression therapy. Combinations of bright and neutral colors are used to treat depression in working people. Color red is used for infusing ambition into a depressed mind. Orange is used for infusing the idea of ‘joy’. Blue color is used to create a calm mind. Green color is used as it is the color for ‘healing’.
These are some of the examples that emphasize how color therapy is used for treating various ailments. Color therapy is a reliable depression therapy which has no side-effects as it only uses principles based on colors.
Takeaway
The color therapy is used to treat various physical and mental disorders. This is elucidated through various examples.
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Color Therapy Benefits In Treating Depression
While we already know how color therapy is a major depression therapy, we do not know its benefits. Color therapy for treating depression has a plethora of benefits. It is not just the ideal way to know how to overcome depression. It also infuses an ample amount of benefits. Below are some color therapy benefits in treating depression.
Color Therapy Activates Attention Span
With color therapy, depression in working people can be reduced significantly. If the working individual is suffering from lack of attention, color therapy can be used. An exposure to colors such as red, can promote ambition and passion. Similarly, colors like brown and indigo can bring in reliability and balance in work.
Color Therapy Treats Aggressiveness
Color therapy is used to treat agitation, aggression and frustration amongst working individuals. Colors like green, blue and yellow can initiate healing, calmness and vigor. Orange color is also used to increase the excitement level for the work. The white color is used for building up neutrality for the work.
Color Therapy Helps In Sleep Completion
For any working individual suffering from depression, insomnia is a common symptom. The lack of sleep can be due to built up stress or tiredness. Color therapy uses neutral shades for increasing the required sleep hours in the working individuals. Colors like pink, pale green, pastel blue are used for providing calmness to individuals. This will increase the sleep capacity and provide the required resting period.
Color Therapy Helps In Avoiding Vision Uncertainties
Hours in front of laptops, PCs and mobile phones can surely exhaust a working mind. If left untreated, it is one of the causes for depression in working people. In such a state, color therapy is better than taking in eye-drops and getting temporary healing. For increasing the vision, colors of pastel categories are used, such as pastel blue. Other light neutral colors like beige are also used. The pastel shades are used to give less stress on the vision and provide relaxation.
These are some of the color therapy benefits in treating depression. This therapy is an ideal depression therapy as it minimizes the use of medicines or sedatives. Color therapy is free from the medical part of treating mental illnesses. It drives color as the main force to treat mental illnesses.
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Takeaway
Color therapy has various benefits for treating depression in working people. These are:
- Color Therapy Activates Attention Span
- Color Therapy Treats Aggressiveness
- Color Therapy Helps In Sleep Completion
- Color Therapy Helps In Avoiding Vision Uncertainties
Parting Note
Have you ever thought of colors lightening your depressive moods? Or saw yourself looking at a color and feeling a particular emotion? As much as it is surprising, colors impact an individual’s state of mind and emotions. In a clearer sense, colors can make you sad or happy or angry. This is one of the reasons why psychologists use color therapy as one of the major depression therapy.
Depression can be crippling. It can eat out your mind and stop you from working with full potential. This is where intervention is required. There are plethora of ways in which one can notice the color therapy benefits in depression. In the most simplest inferred meaning, color therapy is a ‘holistic’ and ‘non-invasive’ therapy which sources treatments out of colors. Research studies suggest that the human mind already is aware about the basic studies of color therapy. For instance, exposure to the red color for more than 30 minutes can increase blood pressure and heart rate.
The above article discusses the various examples of color therapy for treatments, both physically and mentally. The four examples elucidate on the use of color therapy usage in treating different ailments. Further, the article also has a discussion on the color therapy benefits in treating depression. It elucidates on how this depression therapy can treat depression in the working class. These benefits are:
- Color Therapy Activates Attention Span
- Color Therapy Treats Aggressiveness
- Color Therapy Helps In Sleep Completion
- Color Therapy Helps In Avoiding Vision Uncertainties
These are some of the color therapy benefits in treating depression. This therapy is an ideal depression therapy as it minimizes the use of medicines or sedatives. Color therapy is free from the medical part of treating mental illnesses. It drives color as the main force to treat mental illnesses.
Commonly Asked FAQs
- What is color therapy?
Color therapy had a proper introduction to the world in 1950. It stemmed out of the branch of psychology, known as color psychology [1]. According to color psychology, different colors can affect the moods of an individual. This can further initiate different responses or behaviors in the individuals.
- What are color therapy benefits?
The benefits of color therapy are:
- It helps in expanding attention span
- It helps in normalizing blood pressure
- It helps in maintaining mental well being
- It helps in treating illnesses and ailments
- What is color therapy as depression therapy?
Color therapy believes that there are different energies in the body. Identifying this energy is essential in executing the color therapy. Depression in working people can reflect the energy reduction mentally. Color therapy as depression therapy, uses colors as the force to treat mental retardation or illnesses.
References
[1] Birren, F. (2016). Color psychology and color therapy; a factual study of the influence of color on human life. Pickle Partners Publishing.
[2] Amber, R. B. (1980). Color therapy: healing with color. BestHowToBooks.