The Healing Effects of Color, Light and Art
I met Leanne Vanier a few months ago and found that she had a very interesting perspective of the healing effects of color, light and art. I connected with that concept because of previous articles I wrote on How Light Effects Melatonin and Sleep and How Light from Electronics Effects Sleep. Then I found her lecture on YouTube in three-parts. All three are embedded here with my summary notes.
PART-1
Leanne describes how our bodies absorb and use different light frequencies and the latest scientific research on medical applications of color and light for treating cancer and other illnesses. In one example, she described using bright sunlight or blue light therapy on newborn babies with jaundice. Another example was about soldiers whose war wounds heal faster in natural open-air sunlight. She also described an experiment where full spectrum adjustable lighting was used in schools and adjusted to emit more blue light in the morning and afternoon. The result was:
- 35% increase in reading speed,
- 45% drop in the number of errors, and
- A whopping 77% reduction in restlessness & hyperactivity.
Blue light, which is also in natural white sunlight, reduces the production of the hormone melatonin, which affects sleep, appetite, and other body functions. That hormone is what causes us to be sleepy at night and alert in the daytime. A Melatonin deficiency can disrupt our sleep cycle, but it’s also tied to:
- Increased Heart Disease,
- Obesity (carb craving),
- Diabetes,
- Breast Cancer (and other cancers),
- Severe Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), and
- Reduced Estrogen Levels (and fertility issues).
Melatonin deficiency is also related to: insomnia, jet lag, autism, bipolar, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other brain-related disorders.
Besides Metatonin supplements, other solutions include taking vitamin D to make up for not getting enough sunlight. Changing the colors and lighting in our homes can also help. Use full spectrum lights during the day, and eliminate blue light sources, from TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones, 1-3 hours before bedtime. I once used f.lux, a free PC app that Leanne mentioned, but now Night Shift is a standard part of Apple’s operating systems. It automatically adjusts the screen brightness and color temperature at night, based on time-of-day.
PARTS 2 & 3
These next two videos show how original artwork is used for healing in hospitals and describes the healing characteristics of different colors, where human responses to individual colors are like individual vitamins.
- Red (survival, stumulating, procreation/sex, joy, attention, alertness),
- Orange (ambition, self-confidence, sex, social ability),
- Yellow (cheery, appetite/digestion, laughter, mental energy),
- Green (balancing, calming, clarity, compassion, love, peace, harmony, renewal),
- Blue (calming, trust, peace of mind, expression, dependability, wisdom, loyalty),
- Indigo (sedating, spiritually uplifting, perception), and
- Violet (tranquilizing, meditative, artistic, visionary, spiritual).
The Chinese 5-Elements system tie 5 colors to specific energies and organ systems: Red (heart), Yellow/Orange (spleen), White (lungs), Green (liver), and Blue (kidney)
Survey:
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite color for your clothing?
- What is your favorite color for your home environment?
- Is there any particular color you’ve been feeling drawn to lately?
About Leanne Vanier
Leanne Venier, BSME, CP AOBTA, is an international award-winning artist, scientist, engineer and expert on color and light who regularly lectures about the healing effects of color, light frequencies and art at major medical centers, MENSA and elsewhere. She now combines her art with her past careers as a mechanical engineer, acupuncturist and eastern medicine practitioner to teach medical practitioners and lay people about the latest medical research on how to use color and art for healing purposes. She is available for personal or business Healing Color Consultations. (http://www.leannevenier.com/)
Blue light makes us hyper – can red light calm us down?
The blue part of the light spectrum is very strong in smart phones, tablets, television and other electronic devices with light-emitting screens. Blue light affects the biological clock and sleep-regulating neurons in the brain. Evening exposure, therefore, can make it difficult to settle down in the evening for a restful night of sound sleep.
Research has focused so strongly on blue light, that other colors of the spectrum have been neglected somewhat. Van der Meijden and colleagues from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam have now for the first time systematically evaluated what happens after exposing ourselves to many minutes of intense red light only. Prior red light had some unexpected effects that were mostly opposite to the effects of blue light. After red light, it took participants more effort to perform a task requiring attention. Their reaction times also slowed. Most surprising, prior exposure to intense red light also made it easier to fall asleep. The findings, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, suggest that red light might counteract some of the adverse effects of blue-light emitting screens. Red light may even turn out to be useful as night cap.