Colours and Healers.pdf

Evans: Colours and Healers

Foreword to this new PDF Version

It is with strange, mixed feelings that I come back to a part of my life that now seems far longer ago than 4 years. I am now

working in a different academic discipline and hardly, if at all, draw on this material anymore. However an HTML version of

this piece on the internet in 2000 gained some encouraging interest and when the site holding that version ‘died’ (through no

fault of the content) that only seemed to increase the demand, which I satisfied by emailing individual copies out to people,

who were encouraged by the cachet of a ‘rare’ or at least hard to obtain item, perhaps.

So, after a little reorganisation of the layout to suit the new file format and the removal of some redundant information it is

with mixed pleasure and trepidation that I present the report again. I welcome any feedback, to achad13@hotmail.com but

close questioning on the intricacies of the statistics (particularly) might be beyond me now, as I am not working with those

concepts every day anymore.

I have also written a more brief summary article of this research to allow non-statisticians to engage with the subject, see

elsewhere on www.occultebooks.com

For serious psychology researchers who are working in the field who might perhaps need material for a meta-study I can

happily supply about 10mb of the raw numerical data, in the form of Excel spreadsheets, if this will help with your work.

Dave Evans,

Devon, 1 st February 2003

This edition 2003 Published by El-cheapo Books ©

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this

interests of dissemination of information, no part of this publication may

be sold, reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without prior

permission of publishers.

www.occultebooks.com

Other e-publication:

My MA Thesis: “Aleister Crowley and the 20 th Century Synthesis of Magick” can be found on

www.occultebooks.com (this is a pay-for-download file, £3 UK- approx $5 US). I also write a regular free

column for the same site

Acknowledgements

Many people and organisations have been extremely helpful in the preparation of this report;

however gratitude is particularly expressed to (all at University of Wales-Bangor)

Professor Nick Ellis

Project Supervisor and unstinting level-headed constructive support.

Ms Janette Woolner

Personal Tutor; for picking up my pieces so often and so well.

Mr Maurice Charlesworth

(now retired)

Dr Rob Ward Invaluable remarks on the testing of visual neglect.

Ms Heather Jordan Information on lightboxes and colour stimuli.

UWB Central Print Unit Patient and helpful advice on Pantone colours.

This study could not have been contemplated, let alone completed without the long-range support and

encouragement of K, and A, and the financial support of both an educational grant from Buckinghamshire

LEA and the kindness and philanthropy of my Uncle, R.

Mr Edward Ingram and

Philosophical comments on perception.

Evans: Colours and Healers

The Reliability and Validity of Healers’ Colour-Classification Systems

David Evans

Presented towards B.Sc. Degree at the School of Psychology University of Wales-Bangor, Wales, in 1999. For

any queries please contact the author directly achad13@hotmail.com

Abstract

This field study assessed reliability and validity of healers’’ (n =5) professional schemes of reference for

colours, related to clients’ physical/emotional states and treatment needs. Healers are believed to base

therapy on coherent systems that associate alleged “aura” colours with disease states, and colour

visualisations with treatment.

Whether healing actually works is beyond the scope of this study. Hypotheses sought coherence within-

subjects over time and/or coherence between-subjects; measured by non-parametric (Spearman’s)

correlations. Since healing terms such as aura cannot be easily operationally defined, standardised colour

and word stimuli elicited verbal responses in the context of a therapeutic framework.

Overall, significant, positive but non-reliable correlations were found between-subjects. Within-subjects

correlations were also significant, with partial reliability. Many colour and word components within the

overall analysis showed highly reliable correlations.

Problems of empirically investigating ‘non-scientific’ areas and further study areas are discussed.

KEYWORDS: HEALERS, ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, COLOUR, WORD-ASSOCIATIONS,

RELIABILITY, VALIDITY.

Introduction

This study assessed the reliability and validity of healers’ schemes of reference for

colours, related to clients’ physical/emotional states and treatment needs. To aid the reader with

unfamiliar concepts, a glossary of healing-related terms 1 appears as Appendix A.

A General Practitioner (GP, or personal physician in the USA) should have a coherent system over

time of diagnosis based on examination, e.g., to consistently differentiate influenza from skull

fracture, and treat them accordingly. It was expected that healers basing diagnoses 2 a nd/or

treatments on colour have their own similarly coherent criteria; although these are less formal and

global; not the standardised diagnostic manuals used in medicine, psychology or psychiatry.

1 The first mention in the text of words included the glossary is followed by Θ i.e., Witches Θ.

2 ‘Diagnosis’ in this respect is not an ideal term. Many healers do not align themselves to any medical model; often

having spiritual or other frames of reference, so the term is used reluctantly here. As is ‘Spiritual’, reflecting that the

meaning of the term has not been defined fully by science.

Evans: Colours and Healers

Defining the terms

There are myriad definitions of healer (e.g., Aldridge, 1993a, 1993b, 1996; Aldridge, Brandt &

Wohler, 1990, Brennan, 1988). Healing, in this context, means practices loosely under the umbrella

terms of spiritual or “alternative” medicine.

Alternative medicine is diverse. The British Medical Association (BMA, 1986) described 116 kinds;

divided, in Table 1, into four classes:

Table 1: A classification method for alternative medicine; with examples (from Pietroni, 1986)

Class

Examples

‘Psychological’ therapies

Self-help, meditation Θ, breathing exercises 3

Specific therapies

i.e., massage, aromatherapy Θ, spirit healing Θ

Purely diagnostic systems that then

refer clients to relevant therapies.

i.e., iridology Θ

Complete systems of therapy

i.e., acupuncture Θ, homeopathy Θ; herbalism Θ

Healing in this study falls under class 2; ‘spirit healing’ although participants also work in other areas

(i.e., herbalism and massage). Labelling can mislead, much as ‘psychotherapists’ may be Freudian,

Jungian, Gestalt, cognitive-behavioural or an eclectic mixture; the latter varying over time and client

need. 'Healer S' is therefore generic; thus potentially confounding studies of different healing types.

What is Healing?

Physical healing is modelled on wounds forming scar tissue, etc. The dominant model of spiritual

healing is that illness originates on unbalanced mental-emotional-spiritual levels; affecting the

physical body (Brennan, 1988; Regardie, 1987). While surgery and/or pharmacology may relieve

physical symptoms, these may re-present if underlying imbalances remain. This is similar to

psychosomatic theories (Sapolsky, 1994), and has parallels with Humanist psychology (Gross, 1995).

Healing diverges from Humanism by restoring this balance via ‘universal energy’ Θ (Breakspear,

1995; Regardie, 1987; Crowley, 1912/1973).

Healing terminology is conceptual, often mystical. A central notion is the aura Θ; an allegedly visible

‘bioenergy’ Θ field surrounding living organisms (Montandon, 1977; Stevens, 1984). The aura is

damaged and/or discoloured in illness and repaired by healing.

“Kirlian photography” Θ (Kirlian & Kirlian, 1974) purports to record auras (Benoir, 1984). It has

been widely employed in acupuncture (Wei, 1975) and veterinary medicine (Milin & Molinier,

1982). In agriculture it reliably differentiates dead from viable seeds (McGinty, Pomeranz &

Rousser, 1975; Rud & Sukach, 1977). Kenneth (1932) found objective chemical and electrical

elements in auras, while others supported the validity of aura photography (Pace & Drumm, 1992;

Gruenner, 1978: Lerner, 1977; Murstein & Hadjolian, 1977). However, many claim mundane

explanations for this 'anomaly' (Borgdorff, 1978; Dobervich, 1974; Marks, 1986; Stanwick, 1996;

Greyson, 1989; Dale, Anderson & Wyman, 1978). Schwartz (1976) occupies the middle ground,

calling it a valid, but purely electrical phenomena, i.e., based on neural impulses.

The aura has subcomponents; localised energy centres called "chakras” Θ that are variously coloured

3 This seems contentious: breathing exercises have physiological effects too (Sapolsky, 1994).

Evans: Colours and Healers

according to health. Aura and chakra colours are thus a 'diagnostic' aid, but colour changes as health

is dynamic (Brennan, 1988). There are operational matters influencing treatment: a colour in one

chakra may differ in meaning if in another chakra.

Exactly what, if anything, healers do is highly contentious. The following is an amalgam from several

healing sources (Brennan, 1988; Regardie, 1986,1987; R.A. Wilson, 1977). Once ‘diagnosis’ is

made, treatment involves purported highly subtle 'energy transmissions' Θ; i.e., the universal energy

mentioned above; which healers ‘tap in to,’ control and direct to a site (such as a wound). This can be

done via direct contact; the stereotypical ‘healing hands’ approach; or via a purely mental method of

‘willing’ the energy to a site. Similarly to this there are associated applications of colour

visualisations (see Table 2; below); which can be from the healer alone or with the client also

visualising the same colour(s). These energies and visualisations are purported to heal. There is little

or no scientific support for these views, and (even if one accepts the existence of this energy)

numerous unanswered questions. This includes the matter of how can healers control the energy. All

belief systems seem to contain absurdities to ‘outsiders.’

Table 2: Colour visualisation functions in healing practice (edited from Brennan, 1988)

Visualised colour

Healing Function(s)

Red

Charging energy field, burning out cancer, warming

cold areas.

Orange

Charging energy field, increasing sexual potency,

increasing immunity

Yellow

Charging energy field, clearing a foggy head

Green

Charging overall field

Blue

Cooling, calming, restructuring etheric level Θ ,

shielding Θ

Purple

Connecting to spirit

Indigo

Opening an energy channel Θ , clearing head

Charging field, bringing peace and comfort,

removing pain

Gold Restructuring seventh layer Θ , strengthening

field, charging field

Velvet Black Bringing patient into state of grace, silence and

peace with ‘God’

Purple Blue

Taking away pain when doing deep tissue and bone

work

Assuming healers can control these energies, they can be used ambivalently (Regardie, 1987; Collins,

1988). The subjectively malevolent uses, i.e., ‘cursing’ are hard to study, this being generally via

retrospective qualitative studies (Davis, 1985). A further problem is different healing approaches

sub-divide the aura differently by both functional areas and number of associated chakras (King &

Skinner, 1977). This could result in no similar systems between subjects. This was supported by an

White

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