Color therapists believe that touching a color can provide the same benefits as looking at it. Colors work according to their vibrational wavelengths rather than the brain’s interpretation of that color.
The faster the vibration, the warmer the color; the slower the vibration, the cooler the color. Research into the effects of color has shown that people who are blind from birth can learn to differentiate colors through their fingertips by picking up on the vibration of the different colors.
Practitioners of color therapy also believe that the colors have vibrational frequencies that can affect specific cells and organs of the body.
Professor J. L. Morton of the University of Hawaii’s School of Architecture who also serves as an international lecturer and consultant for companies such as Eastman Kodak reports conclusively that the skin CAN see color.
In his modern classic, The Organism, famous neuropsychologist Kurt Goldstein notes that stimulation of the skin by different colors leads to different effects. He states, “It is probably not a false statement to say that a specific color stimulation is accompanied by a specific response pattern of the entire organism.”
Science Behind ‘Chromo’
Because of the findings of such research in color therapy, many studies have demonstrated which colors produce which effects on the human psyche. Many people are familiar with studies from 1948 in West Germany that showed that the use of the colors yellow, orange, and red in the classroom raises student IQ levels.
Further studies in the U.S. in 1973 showed that red light causes the blood pressure and heart rate to rise and that orange causes hunger pangs; hence, many restaurants use the color orange in their decor and their dishes to stimulate the appetite. Many advertisers also use the theories of color therapy to promote their products.
Blue and green are good choices for promoting a “spiritual life.” Blue corresponds to the throat of a person and green to the heart. Coincidentally, these are the two tools we use to worship when we recite and pray.
According to studies (U.S., 1973), blue can lower blood pressure and heart rate; decrease hunger; and inspire relaxation, peace, and tranquility. Doctors use color therapy to treat insomnia, an overactive thyroid, and panic attacks.
Blue is the color of honesty and loyalty. In fact, in the field of web design, blue is thought to be “the safest global color.”
In The Ultimate Healing System, Donald Lepore says that he uses blue when he lectures because it energizes the vocal area, and causes people to respect what he says more. This may be one of the reasons that a ‘khutbah’ given in a blue mosque is so much more effective than one recorded on cassette tape.
Blue is also noble, as in the concept of “Blue Blood.” Mary (mother of Prophet Isa – AS) is usually portrayed in Christian icons as wearing a blue veil or robe for this is the color of serenity, perfection, and protection. It’s also a cooling color that is good for wearing on very hot days.
Physically, it is good for patients suffering from shock, inflammation, and nervous breakdowns. Blue helps control feverish conditions, stop bleeding, with nervous irritations, and with burns. However, too much blue can leave a person cold, depressed and sorrowful; therefore, it should be balanced with the use of orange.
Green invokes feelings of harmony, balance, sympathy, and devotional love as well as relieving nervous tension.
According to Dr. Lepore, green provides the natural balance between the powers of red and blue.
Green also balances blue (a highly spiritual color invoking a sense of awe in most people as they gaze at the sky or sea) and yellow (said to be a very “mental” color that, in studies, affects subjects’ abilities to study and learn).
Healthy Effects
As the combination of these two colors, it helps people to merge their spiritual “heavenly thought” with their earthly “mental thoughts.” Green is the color of self-esteem. People who suffer trauma may hate it can cause aspects of the trauma to surface.
Creating harmony and hope, it helps with the heart area. It’s also good for nerves as it balances the emotions and brings a feeling of calmness. It stimulates growth so it is good for helping to heal broken bones and re-growing tissue of all kinds.
However, exposure to too much green can deprive us of the challenges that we need. Its bluer tones suggest optimism and hope and are more spiritual than its other tones.
Next time you visit the mosque, reflect on the healing inherent in the colors around you. For indeed, Allah has sent us cures in many things; even in many places where we wouldn’t expect to find them.
This article is from our archive, originally published on an earlier date, and now highlighted for its importance
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