Traditional color associations
See the panel alongside this section for the seven-color set most commonly used, tied to the chakra system: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Color and the chakra system
Color therapy borrows the same seven-chakra framework used in reiki and crystal therapy, assigning each chakra a corresponding color from red (root) to violet (crown) — following the visible spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength. Practitioners describe imbalance as being addressed by introducing more of a chakra's associated color into a space, clothing, visualization, or diet.
How color therapy is practiced
Methods include colored light or lamp exposure (sometimes loosely called "light therapy," distinct from the clinically studied bright-light therapy used for seasonal mood changes), water charged in colored glass (traditionally called "solarized water"), visualization of a color during meditation, and everyday application — choosing colors for a room, wardrobe, or workspace intended to support a specific mood or quality.
Color psychology versus color therapy
It's worth distinguishing the two: color psychology is a mainstream, separately researched field studying how color affects perception, mood, and behavior — for example, studies on how color affects appetite or perceived urgency — with mixed but genuine evidence. Color therapy/chromotherapy makes broader energetic and healing claims that go beyond what color psychology research supports, and is best treated as a traditional/wellness practice rather than a medical treatment.