The Asian Age - Chromozone

Chromozone

Uma Devarajan

Colours. Like death and taxes, there is no escaping them. We blossom amid colours, and wither in drabness. Thereâ€^TMs something about the world of hues that is at once palpably physical and mysteriously mystical.

Colours donâ€^TMt just brighten up our world, they also have miraculous healing powers. From ancient Indians to Egyptians to Chinese, the science of healing, or chromotherapy, has been used to treat an entire gamut of psychological and physiological ailments. Red was used to stimulate the body and mind, yellow to excite the nerves and purify the body, orange to strengthen the lungs and increase energy levels, blue to soothe illnesses and treat pain, and indigo to alleviate skin problems.

Alternative medical practitioner Dr Kaajol Karia says of her research, "I came to realise that colours are like shy living creatures. They need to be handled with gentleness and respect, and when channeled have miraculous powers of healing the mind, body and soul."

Colours are intrinsically linked with our astral plane. Since we are constantly in a state of mental and emotional flux, the astral colours form an auric kaleidoscope. "The aura is created from our personal animations of energy projected through the physical body and energy centres called chakras, which are vortexes of energy and supply the body with life force," says Dr Karia.

She further explains, "Each of the seven chakras in our body has a different colour and function, represented by the colours of the rainbow. Every bone, fluid, cell, organ and gland has different vibrations and wavelengths that radiate colour. In an ailing person, the vibration/colour of the unhealthy body part reduces or increases creating an imbalance, in turn affecting the bodyâ€^TMs own delicate balance. So colours play a very important role in helping us balance our energy, thus balancing ourselves."

These experts scan the aura by visualising or touching it, or by using a pendulum, dowsing rods or colour cards. Various colour therapy techniques are then used to heal the chakras at different intervals, combining them with other healing sciences like Reiki and aromatherapy.

"There are many different ways of rectifying imbalances. The client can visualise himself breathing a specific colour, or wear garments of the colour. Special coloured crystals can be placed on affected areas to give the required healing. Oils energised in coloured bottles can be used in massage or as bath oils," says Dr Karia.

The ancient science of Ayurveda also had elements of chromotherapy. Dr Ajith Kumar of Cholayil Sanjeevanam centre in Chennai says, "Ayurveda is based on the idea that every individual contains the five basic elements of the universe: earth, water, air, fire, and ether (space). These elements are present in specific proportions unique to an individualâ€^TMs personality and constitution. When unhealthy living habits throw these elements out of balance, illness results. Ayurveda uses the energies inherent in the colours of the spectrum to restore this balance."

The ancient system had patients wrapped up in coloured cloth chosen for its therapeutic hue. "Patients suffering from depression may be wrapped in reds and oranges chosen for their uplifting and energising properties. They may also be bathed in light from a colour-filtered light source to enhance the healing effects of the treatment," says Dr Ajith.

Ayurvedic medicine also has the patient drink colour-treated water. Translucent coloured paper or plastic is wrapped around the glass before placing it in the sun. The water soaks up the restorative properties and vibrations of the colour, thus bringing the required healing.

Colours have a profound influence on our lives, some that stare us in the face, others blink-and-you-miss ones. We know certain colours uplift our soul and certain others make us turn away for no apparent reason. We know they change the mood of a whole place. What is yet not fully comprehended is the deeper role these hues play in our psyche. Apparently, colours can be used to heal a whole range of psychological illnesses too.

Dr Alok Kumar, consultant rehabilitation specialist at Manovikas Comprehensive Rehabilitation & Research Centre in Delhi, avers, "Colour therapy is very useful in modifying behaviours and emotions and enhancing the learning of an individual having anxiety, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mania/bipolar disorder, depression, substance abuse, anorexia/bulimia and any kind of developmental disabilities."

At his centre where he conducts research studies related to sensory development and disability issues, Dr Alok has successfully used colour and light to uncover the causes of psychological stress and sensual impairments, and promote healing of children with autism, ADHD and developmental disabilities. "Many children have sensory integration problems due to neurological imbalance in their physical and mental systems. Colour therapy along with other sensory modulation training helps the child to receive the proper stimulation to promote the learning and acquisition of any skill," he says.

A battery of psychological, behavioral, sensory and neurological tests is conducted before executing the therapy. Since the treatment is considered powerful, a trained practitioner is required to select the colour, frequency, wavelength and exposure time to avoid creating imbalances in the bodyâ€^TMs energies. The light is projected to parts of the body and is controlled by computer-aided software and devices.

Dr Alok relates the case of a six-year-old child Girish who came with profound ADHD and was found to be hypersensitive to sounds and lights, and had extreme reactions to everyday objects like cookers, TV and streetlights. "The sensory pathway model was initiated with colour therapy, and he started responding to various wavelengths and frequencies of lights controlled by different sounds. Within a year, the child calmed down and learnt self-help skills," he claims.

The colour perception that we take so much for granted today is the result of millions of years of evolution. Most creatures have a very different view of the world from us, with a very limited colour sense. Somewhere along the line, our ancestors decided that it would be useful to classify objects according to colour, the brain rewired itself, and voila! A whole new world made itself visible to human eyes.

Colours used in our living and work spheres also play a strong influential role. Certain hues aid our professional efficiency, while others prove mentally distracting. A light shade in the bedroom would prove restful, while colours of dark drama might make the mind restive. Says architect Sudhir Diwan, who runs the Sanskruti institute of interior design at Mumbai, "Colours speak an emotional language to us. Some evoke feelings of warmth, others of coolness. We find colours to be vivid, irritating, bright, depressing or relaxing through association. This one aspect of design influences the creation of atmosphere, modulates spaces, adds emotions and contributes to the comfort of an interior or exterior space, if used logically and sensitively. The wrong or indifferent use can mitigate the pleasure associated with well-designed interiors, while the correct use can introduce a bit of paradise in your lives."

A single bright spot in a dreary area can work miracles. Sudhir explains, "We did an office for Space Toon TV at Andheri that had a hall with 17 doors, which could have been very disquieting for someone to walk into. We simply added a very bright yellow sofa and a silver wall, which took the attention away from the doors and gave a completely new look to the place."

The celluloid screen likewise transforms the imaginary world entirely purely by employing the right mix of colours. Films take us into such a different plane each time that we fail to notice how the whole palette of colours is put together. Movie stylist and designer Anaita Shroff Adjania studies each star in depth before settling on their look. "Some people have colour identity. It does not necessarily depend on their mood â€^TM it is more to do with their personality. Iâ€^TMve found that Hrithik and pink go very well together. It isnâ€^TMt his choice; itâ€^TMs mine."

Shah Rukh Khan looks great in a standard black and white combination, she adds. That we agree with entirely, but Hrithik and pink? "I donâ€^TMt relate colours to masculinity or femininity; itâ€^TMs more about the character within their films. We create a character profile; along with that we create a colour pattern. Itâ€^TMs nice to break stereotypes, and pink happens to work amazingly well with Hrithik ^TMs skin tone," she says.

Most of us tend to gravitate towards certain colours. Actress Soha Ali Khan is caught wearing orange-hued apparel so often that she came to be associated with the colour. When asked, she disagreed, saying, "Strangely, I donâ€^TMt like the colour orange. I like white in my surroundings as I find it calming and therapeutic."

White happens to be a favourite colour of many, perhaps pointing to our inner craving for peace. Says actress-model Anupama Verma, "Iâ€^TMm a very white kind of person and tend to pick it up often. It ^TMs a very fresh colour â€^TM it gives me peace and calmness. I need it because Iâ€^TMve always run away from difficult situations. Iâ€^TMve always liked pretty colours like peach and lime green, Iâ€^TMve never been a purple and grey kind of person."

She is sceptical about following chromotherapy, though. "Itâ€^TMs not that I donâ€^TMt believe in it â€^TM itâ€^TMs just that I wouldnâ€^TMt let that guide my day. On a hot summer day if the colour suggestion is for dark colours, I wouldnâ€^TMt go by that," she says. The seven hues in the solar spectrum, and their infinite combinations, are something we simply cannot imagine our world without. And their influence on the physical, emotional and transcendental planes are something that we are just beginning to fathom.

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