We know that light is essential to our emotional and physical wellbeing, as is color.
Recent studies have emphasized the importance of green spaces in our environment to calm our nervous systems. One psychological methodology, Emotional Transformational Therapy (E.T.T), unites both variables in a cohesive approach to address emotional and mental imbalances. ETT was initially developed in 1991 and is the brainchild of Steven Vazquez, Ph.D. After observing hundreds of people who were exposed to rhythmic colored light, he composed a comprehensive system to maximize the effects of light and color. This system has undergone several significant advances in the last twelve years.
Light is a powerful catalyst for transformation. Natural sunlight we know is a powerful instrument for wellbeing, as are other light sources and they can be used to deepen or speed up improvement in a variety of personal transformation methods. Musical stimulation, electrical impulses, and light stimulation can be part of many individual tools to nudge emotional and psychological change.
I distinctly remember the experience of wonderment and calm that descended into my mind and brain when I volunteered to experience a specific tool with light and shadow. All day, in the ETT training, I had struggled with the restless difficulty of staying focused and on task. My body was full of agitation, my mind was impatient, and I felt caged, irritated to be cooped up inside on a Saturday, typically a day of rest and restoration. As I focused on the effects of light in my eyes, I experienced a complete release of agitation in my brain as if steam was lifting off on the top of my brain releasing the caged energy that had accumulated all day. I was stunned by the speed at which my body and mind experienced relief. And, better yet, the relief lasted through the evening and the next day.
The same release experience gets repeated in my office, sometimes slowly, sometimes at… well, the speed of light! Recently, I was working with a client with a lot of separation anxiety in from her pet when she left it at home. The client knew that the level of stress was above “reasonable” and yet she could not shake the experience as she was settling in her chair for her session. Talking about the tension seem to aggravate it, so I used a protocol of ETT to alleviate it. To her great surprise, when finished, her anxiety was gone entirely, and it never returned!
So remember to go take a sunbath or a greenery bath the next time you feel a little off and let your eyes bathe in color and light.