Sir Isaac Newton (~1643-1727) was a tiny premature baby who became one of history’s most influential scientists. Along with his interests in gravity and calculus, Newton was keen to improve the telescopes of his day so that images were clearer. That led to his work on colour in the 1660s.

Newton worked out that the white light we see is actually the combination of light from all the colours of the rainbow. He designed a telescope that used mirrors to focus all the colours on a single point, resulting in a more accurate image. As part of that work, Newton mapped the colour spectrum onto a circle – which we know today as the colour wheel. 

The colour wheel shows the relationships between colours and is the basis of colour theory.  Colour theory helps interior designers and marketers to evoke emotional responses by using certain colours – that’s why you might feel energised by red or calmed by green. 

That brings us to colour therapy – using colour to improve health and wellbeing. 

Colour therapy

Chromotherapy (colour therapy) is based on the idea that colour and coloured lights can trigger subtle changes in your body or mood that can improve your health. 

Newborns with jaundice are often placed under blue lights. Their skin and blood absorb the light waves, which helps remove excess bilirubin from their systems.  A 2009 study found that red was the most effective colour at enhancing our attention to detail, while blue was best at boosting our ability to think creatively.

A 2013 review of the evidence found that colour influenced memory performance by increasing alertness and attention, especially if the colours were high-contrast and were used consistently.  

Colour as part of brain-based therapy

At Neurofit, we provide brain-based therapies to support people with neurodiversity, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions. We emphasise that the brain works best when its two sides (hemispheres) are working well together. 

So, where does colour therapy fit in? 

The brain is quite amazing. It’s constantly changing in response to the stimulus it receives. At Neurofit, we use a range of different therapies to stimulate the right areas of the brain to ease your symptoms. One of those therapies is colour. 

Red or blue glasses with lights on the side can be used to try and target certain areas of your brain. Blue lenses and a left-sided light are used to stimulate the right side of the brain, while red lenses and a right-sided light are used to stimulate the left side. 

How can Neurofit Brain Centre help?

At Neurofit, we rarely rely on only one method. Instead, we combine several different therapies in a process known as co-activation, stimulating your brain in many ways as part of your therapy. 

If you’d like to learn more about colour therapy at Neurofit Brain Centre, please book an appointment. 

Disclaimer

All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Neurofit Brain Centre can consult with you to confirm if a particular treatment approach is right for you.

References

• Canva, Color wheel, https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/, [Accessed 2 November 2023]
  
• Healthline, How does colour therapy improve your mood? https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/the-mood-boosting-benefits-of-color-therapy, [Accessed 2 November 2023]
  
• Science Daily, Effect of colors: blue boosts creativity, while red enhances attention to detail, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205142143.htm, [2 November 2023]
• Dzulkifli MA, Mustafar MF. The influence of colour on memory performance: a review. Malays J Med Sci. 2013 Mar;20(2):3-9. PMID: 23983571; PMCID: PMC3743993. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743993/, [Accessed 2 November 2023]