Did that stir your attention a little? How does advertising have anything to do with treating depression or changing your mood? Advertising research is done on every aspect of the ads effectiveness, especially in print advertising. They know what colors create more response for positive advertising campaigns, and what colors play an important role in negative campaigns.

Who else knows these secrets? What about producers and directors in Hollywood? They know by simply varying the color of a scene, changing the color of a costume, or even the color of lipstick plays a crucial role in the emotions felt by their viewers.

Do these people know how to treat depression? Of course not, but they have proven a point which can be used by therapists and psychologists. Knowing that colors affects our emotions allows us to use colors during therapy to probe into deeper questions, to use colors to modify moods, and to evaluate a person’s inner health.

Every person has their own choices of favorite colors and shades, but there are many universal colors which have known effects. Changing from a beautiful earthy grass green to a dingy shade of gray brown is going to take a person from picturing life, growth, and spring, to picturing decay, lack of life, and the descent into winter. Which color is going to be more useful to someone trying to recover from depression?

Color therapy is not just something for a therapist to use to analyze your condition, and to help you recognize issues, it can be a powerful aid for yourself to use in treating depression. Choosing colors to surround yourself which reflect life, energy, and happiness are going to aid in turning your thoughts in a more positive direction. When you feel depressed you commonly will start leaving the lights turned down, wearing clothes with a more faded appearance, and not taking time to appreciate life. By making an effort to brighten your atmosphere, wear brighter apparel, and just noticing the colors, you can affect your mood. By itself it is not going to heal your depression, but it can help.

There is a little trick to using color therapy for depression for yourself. Do not become overly focused on the fact. Do not push yourself to have the emotions of the colors, just allow the colors to seep into your life, and to create their own influence. You already have enough stress and thoughts. Use color therapy to gradually turn your thoughts and emotions in the direction you desire. If you still have doubts, ask your therapist what impact he believes color plays in your life. You may have just found a new technique to help yourself, or a family member change their lives.

In chromotherapy, each color of light is related to a certain part of the body. In this system, blue deals with the throat, green to the lung and heart, yellow to the stomach and liver, orange to the sexual organs and kidneys, red to the legs and feet, and lilac to the head. Violet is also used as a way to meditate and is used for more subtle purposes. These colors are referred to as the chakras, and are applied to their respective body zone (an area of about 5 centimeters across) via a lamp. However, there are also other meanings for the colors that do not associate with a particular body area, but rather associate with the improvement of various physiological conditions.

The color red, in this capacity, is believed to activate circulation in the body and stimulate the nervous system. Pink is thought to clean and strengthen the veins and remove impurities from your blood. Orange is used to give energy and to help get rid of body fat. Yellows are useful for tissue and skin strengthening and purification. Greens are used to clean out infections and to relax the nerves. For joints and muscles, blues are thought to help aid regeneration and lubrication. Violet is believed to relax the nervous system and the immune system. Indigo is rather unique in that it is thought to also help one psychically as well as physically.

There are several colors that also have a third meaning; they are used to help get rid of certain illnesses. Problems with indigestion or the intestines are generally treated with yellow hues, while problems with the lungs such as asthma and bronchitis are treated with orange. Blues are used to treat throat infections, sinus infections, and colds, as well as to reduce tension and to get rid of stress. Indigo is used to help the eyes, while violet is used against urinary infections.

In the realm of science, chromotherapy does receive some criticism as there aren’t many studies that provide conclusive results about its effectiveness. However, there is a field of science that is currently testing out some of the ideas from chromotherapy with success. Photobiology, as it is officially called, studies the scientific effects that colors have on human and animal cells.

In some cases, chromotherapy will be applied during a massage, or along with aromatherapy. It is generally recommended that it is used as a complementary healing technique in addition to other methods of treatment in order to maximize effectiveness.