Healing with Light

Healing with light is gaining in acceptance and popularity as research demonstrates that we are indeed beings of light. With the discovery that our cells continuously produce light, or photons, and that these photons carry information throughout the body's energy field, healing with light is being further explored.

In some countries, bright light therapy and healing colors are being used in conventional and alternative medicine to treat a variety of ailments.

Bright light therapy is used successfully by many people who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder during the darker winter months. Light boxes emit intense artificial light that emulates the effects of sunlight on brain chemicals.

Jaundiced babies are placed in front of a sunny window to help them recover faster. They are put on a light bed before leaving the hospital.

Ultra-violet light therapy has been proven effective as a treatment for psoriasis.

Red or near infrared LED lights can penetrate skin and soft tissue up to one inch deep without producing heat. This helps to improve blood circulation and relaxes stiff, painful muscles. It increases cell metabolism and energy production. NASA developed this technology as a way to protect the bones and muscles of astronauts at zero gravity.

On a metaphysical level, healing with light is considered a form of vibrational energy healing because light and color frequencies are used to balance a person's energy.

Healing Colors

You can feel the difference in energy based on the colors. Predominantly dark blue windows feel cool and calming. Those with a lot of red, yellow or orange feel lighter, warmer and more stimulating.

Healing colors are used in modern day light therapy too. Colors are chosen based on the needs of the client. Practitioners determine which color frequencies are needed based on presenting symptoms.

Clients are exposed to one or more healing colors in sequence for ten to twenty minutes. Depending on the type of therapy being used, a person may sit between two colored lights or be exposed to a light from a specific direction.

A similar idea for home use would be to use bright, colored light bulbs or to put colored transparent plastic on a window that gets bright sunlight.

You can also bring the vibrational healing frequencies of light into your body in a variety of ways. Eat foods of that color, wear it and look at it in nature or in your home. Some people put water in a colored glass, let the sunshine hit it for a few hours and then drink it.

Green is considered a primary healing color. Looking at green plants and trees or putting your bare feet in the green grass brings its frequency into your field. So does eating green vegetables and wearing green clothes.

The idea is not that the light itself heals, but that exposure to the needed light or color frequency will facilitate the body's natural healing ability.

The Healing Sun

A prism allows you to see each color or light frequency in sunlight. Each frequency affects our bodies and minds in different ways. Everyday artificial lighting uses only part of the spectrum.

Using sunlight as a way of healing with light is the original bright light therapy. Humans and animals alike have an innate urge to get out in the sunshine on nice days. Animals live in closer harmony with nature than modern day humans. Household pets often seek out sunny spots to rest.

Naturopathic doctors, old time doctors and mental health providers used to bring patients out into the sunshine to facilitate mental and physical healing. There was and is great wisdom in the practice with healing with light from the sun.

Many people experience an immediate lifting of mood when a sunny day follows a period of bleak cloudiness. There's nothing quite like feeling the warm sun on your skin and the sunshine on your face after a long dreary winter.

Our biorhythms are in sync with light and darkness. The darkening night sky signals our brains to release melatonin to promote sleepiness. When we are exposed to sunlight, serotonin and dopamine production is stimulated. Serotonin improves mood and helps us feel calmer. Dopamine stimulates the pleasure center of the brain, and helps us feel more energetic and alert. Our bodies are designed to work together with sunlight to make vitamin D.

Part of living in harmony with nature is getting a safe amount of sun exposure whenever possible. People with darker complexions need more sunlight than those who are very fair.

Some medical conditions require people to avoid direct sunlight. If you have such concerns, consult your medical provider about the right amount and intensity of sunlight for you. It may be safe for you to enjoy early or late day sun, but not the more intense midday sun. It's never wise to get a sunburn.

If you live in a locale with very little sunshine, and you can't head south for the winter, you might benefit from using a light box or other device that provides bright full spectrum lighting.

Some practitioners and medical providers offer light therapy. For at home use, you can find FDA approved light boxes and infra red devices for sale on-line. Consult your health provider about which type of device is would be best for you. If you have a SAD or other condition that responds to healing with light, you might be eligible for insurance reimbursement.

An inexpensive alternative that may provide some positive effects is to replace a light bulb you use often with a good quality bright full-spectrum bulb.

Spiritual Healing with Light

Many healing meditations begin with the image of a bright white light or pearl above your head. From this light you bring down one rainbow color at a time into the body.

Different colors are related to the seven chakra centers and are often used in chakra meditations. These colors are also associated with different organs and parts of the body.

Healing with light energy as a spiritual practice, and using bright light therapy and healing colors in the world around you will influence the frequencies of your physical and energy bodies for the positive.

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