Color Therapy for Kids

While working towards becoming an energy healer over a decade ago (I became a Certified Reiki Master back in 2001), I absolutely loved learning about the healing powers of color.
As I learned more about the different qualities of each color, I began to notice which colors I gravitated towards: what colors I felt like wearing each day, the colors I painted my home, etc. For example, our kitchen was yellow to promote health and vitality and our bedroom featured blues for a calming, restful sleep.
Now that I know Penelope has Sensory Processing Disorder, I am pulling out every healing tool from the depths of my brain and soul and trying them out in different ways to work with her. Here are some ways that we are working through her SPD with color therapy:

Calming Color Circles. After school, Penelope needs an opportunity to integrate everything that got poured into her “sensory cup” so that she is not so overwhelmed. I like to give her a quiet activity to give her senses a break. I put out two calming color combinations to choose from, pink and light blue, and orange and dark blue, and let her pick what colors she wants (similar to working with crystals, kids know EXACTLY what color they need to work with). Then I ask her to draw a page of circles. Over and over again she fills the pages with circles and begins to calm, process, and organize her system after the craziness of school.

Green Walls. Green lies in the middle of the color spectrum; being neither warm nor cold, so it creates balance. We often retreat to the green of nature when we need space, calm and a sense of peace. Using green within decor helps create a feeling of harmony and balance. I purposefully painted Penelope’s room before she was born a very light shade of green, and before we moved last Spring, I went to great lengths to line up a painter to come and paint her room the exact same color so that it was there for consistency and I knew it was the color she needed.

Play Silks. These have long been used for play in the hippie/homeschool community familiar with Waldorf and Montessori styles of education, and I am sure instinctively this crowd new about the healing properties of color too. Penelope and I will play with the silks in a playful way but also set our intention the the color is what is needed for healing in that moment.  Again, I will display them all for her and ask her what color she needs.  Then I let her hold it and play it with it as she wants.  Then at some point I ask her to lay down so I can cover her in the color silk she picked or wrap her up in the silk.  And because I am Catholic who also happens to believes in things like energy healing, crystals and color therapy, I always pray too.  I pray and ask that God, who created the light and the colors, use the genius that He created to heal Penelope and balance her nervous system. These are the play silks we have, I like that they are softer shades of the rainbow, because Penelope is so sensitive to bright colors.
School clothes.  It is no wonder that Penelope’s favorite color is pink and she picked over half of the school uniforms to be pink. She also picked purple and blue.  We were forced to buy a dark green shirt, because although the kids can pick what color uniform shirts or dresses they wear, they all have to have at least one dark green shirt for all school functions and field trips.
Crystals. Crystals are a form of color therapy because they are well, colorful!  So the other day when I cleaned out my jewelry box, I gave her some of my shorter length crystal necklaces that I used to wear in collage.  So now she has a collection of necklaces-turquoise, amethyst, garnet, amber and rose quartz.  I let her pick which necklace she wants to wear for the day in the morning when she gets dressed.  And sometimes I will get out my crystal collection and just let her pick one to put in her pocket or play with. Again, she knows exactly what she needs.
If you are interested in color therapy for yourself or your kid, here is a run down of what each color means and energy it gives:

RED is hot, initiating, pushes through, fire, igniting, stimulating, vitality, anger, life-force energy, revolution, change, ambition, grounding, Earth, power, war, passion, alert, danger, pioneering, activity and force without consciousness, blood, positive, aggression, liberation, survival, material side of life, primal, awakening, emerging. In relation to the physical body, RED is good for circulation, chronic illness, non-infected wounds, scar tissue, strengthens kidneys, heart, muscles, blood, lungs, bones. RED lives in the Root or Base Chakra.

ORANGE is joy, happiness, warmth, creativity, pleasure, sensuality, sexuality, generosity, moves energy gently, awakening to wisdom within oneself, sociable, aspiring, gregarious. In relation to the physical body, ORANGE is good for depression, cramping anywhere in body, relaxant, sclerosis, heart disease, boosts immune system, circulation, raises blood pressure, artery disturbance (especially in legs), genitals, fear (alternate with blue), endocrine balancer (when used with blue), cleans and purifies hormonal system. ORANGE warms the Sacral Chakra of creativity.

YELLOW is mental activity, learning, intellect, acquired/learned knowledge, little will, individuation, alertness, concentration, focus, cheerful, sun, warmth, cleaning, fear, left brain, empowerment, self-esteem, confidence. In relation to the physical body, YELLOW is good for combating fear (obsessive, habitual), digestion, stomach, gall bladder, liver, immune system, fortifies endocrine and nervous systems, nerve tonifier, motor stimulant, assimilation, lateral disturbances, helps chronic to become acute. YELLOW clearly says “here I am” in the Solar Plexus Chakra.

OLIVE speaks of new beginnings, hope and peace. It is the color of new spring growth, life coming out of dormancy. lives in the area of the xyphoid process which is the bridge between the lower and higher Chakras.

GREEN is sedative, cooling, calming, soothing, fluidity, growth, balance, money/prosperity, birth, new beginnings, nature, health, healing, heart, loving, expansion, curiosity, good for people who do precision work, space, trust, feelings, integrity, harmony, seeking Truth, relationships. In relation to the physical body, GREEN is good for liver, swelling or growth, anti-inflammatory, eye problems, bronchial catarrh, gout, diabetes, cysts, tumors, pituitary stimulant, washes out endo-toxins, promotes healthy bones, painful joints, allergies. GREEN abides in the Heart Chakra center.

TURQUOISE is bridging color, higher heart, making contact with yourself, communication of the heart, creative communication, studying and gathering information, learning, unconditional love, self-respect, respect for all life, taking individual responsibility, silica technology: crystals, computers, media. In relation to the physical body, TURQUOISE is good for immune system, skin (burns and infections), mental relaxation, acidic, tonifier, regulates lung/large intestine systems. TURQUOISE stimulates the Thymus center, or Higher Heart Chakra. This Chakra has only been recently awakened by cosmic time. TURQUOISE resonates at the Higher Heart Chakra located at the thymus gland.

BLUE is calming, deep inner peace/”peace that surpasses all understanding”, nurturing Mother and protecting/benevolent Father, deep, restful, openness, cooling, relaxing, assists in making deep changes, higher mental activities (3rd eye), insight, wisdom, sky, water, sadness, faithful/tru blue, unity, safety, godliness, communication that comes through us, clarity. In relation to the physical body, BLUE is anti-bacterial, anti-infection, anti-cramping, headaches, helps farsightedness, facilitates restful sleep, pain relieving, nervousness, insomnia, hemorrhage, herpes, warts, lowers blood pressure, fever. BLUE creates the open space for clear communication at the throat and resonates with the Throat Chakra.

INDIGO/ROYAL BLUE is the higher mind that is connected to the all-that-is, the akashic records, the cosmic library. It is the color that makes contact with your “inner vision” or intuition, that part of you which sees beyond the five senses. It resonates at the causal Chakra at the back apex of the head. INDIGO/ROYAL BLUE says claim your inner power. INDIGO/ROYAL BLUE resonates at the 3rd Eye Chakra.

VIOLET is stimulates emotions, meditation, inspiration, intuition, inner emotional release, opening inner doors, stimulates dreams, wisdom, spirituality, higher mind, power, Thy will, letting go, vision, transformation, alchemy, loyalty, synthesis, integration, mysticism, clairvoyance/clairaudience/clairsentience, service, union, artistry, balance of male and female. In relation to the physical body, VIOLET is good as for menopause, spleen, sedative, relaxant, build leucocytes, lymphatic relaxant, soothes solar plexus, neutralize mercury from fillings, anti-viral. VIOLET, a combination of blue and red, connects the spirit and matter of yourself at the Crown Chakra.
WHITE/CLEAR pigment is the lack of any color, while WHITE/CLEAR light contains all colors. Since all colors are present, white does everything on all levels: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (PEMS). White is about purity, innocence, softness, illumination, release, brilliance, radiance, transcendence, merging with God/Goddess/Universe/Nature/Spirit or whatever you call your higher power. In relation to the physical body, WHITE/CLEAR is good for everything as the innate intelligence of the body will take whatever colors it needs. WHITE/CLEAR, being all color, resonates with not only all Chakras, but everywhere in our Being. WHITE/CLEAR lives in all the Chakras, but is often associated with the Crown Chakra.

MAGENTA is bridge to Spirit, connection with Divine Love, caring in the little things, Love from above, beyond passion into compassion, abundance that is always there. Magenta connects us to what it is like to exist out of our physical bodies as pure Spirit. It is the bardo state, when we have left our physical shells and before we incarnate into a new physical lifetime. MAGENTA is that in-between place, the place beyond the veil of physical illusion. MAGENTA resonates above the Crown Chakra at the Transpersonal or Soul Star Chakra. More…

GOLD is the the ancient wisdom lying deep within the soul, an eternal seed planted eons ago, ready in this new age to sprout once again and usher forth the knowledge of the ancients. GOLD resonates at the Naval, Crown and the higher Chakras above the Crown.
ROSE/PINK is softness, gentleness, motherly unconditional love. It represents self-acceptance, self-love, self-forgiveness and non-judgment. It can also denote romantic love. ROSE/PINK is the happiness and joy from loving and being loved. ROSE/PINK resonates at the Root or Base and Heart Chakras.
If you have no idea what the heck a chakra is, no worries I will do a post soon and explain, but this post and this post about energy healing will kind of give you an idea.
And I just want to add a little side tip for color therapy with babies-they are more sensitive to color than adults, so dressing them in bold, busy patterns and decorating their room in busy, bright colors can overwhelm there senses and energy systems. Sticking to very plain, very calming, pastel colors are the way to go.  Or just be conscious of it to wear something calm on busy days, and wear the brigth busy stuff on the calm days.