The use of color as a therapy has a long history. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks built healing temples of light and color. The use of color became deeply embedded in Chinese and Indian medicine, and it remains an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine. 

In Europe and the U.S., interest in the therapeutic use of color developed during the second half of the 19th century. In 1878, Dr. Edwin Babbitt published "The Principles of Light and Color," in which he recommended various techniques for the use of color in healing. In 1933, a definitive work on color therapy called "The Spectro Chrometry Encyclopedia" was written by an Indian scientist Dinshah Ghadiali. This was a landmark publication and laid the foundation for most of modern color therapy. Around the same time a form of color therapy, known as "Syntonics," was developed in the U.S. by Dr. Harry Riley Spitler. He found that he could produce profound physiological and psychological changes in his patients by altering the color of light entering their eyes. 

Interest has grown in color therapy steadily since. Today there are hundreds of practitioners using a wide variety of color-related therapeutic techniques in the US. Today, color therapy is a well-accepted technique in complementary medicine. 

Next Topic: The Meaning and Power of Colors

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