Colour is a holistic treatment, working with a person on the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical levels. It treats the whole person, not just the disease. Because of this, it can help all who choose to be treated by it, including animals and plants.

Animals and plants respond beautifully to colour treatment for they erect no barriers through not fully understanding or believing its curative powers. They just accept.

I have a wonderful cat called Suzie. She became ill with a high temperature and refused to eat or drink. She just lay listless on a chair. I took her to the vet and he said that she had picked up a virus. He gave her an antibiotic injection and prescribed antibiotic tablets. The tablets had an adverse effect and she got worse instead of better. In desperation, I treated her with colour by allowing it to be channelled through me. She lay very still whilst I placed my hands over her body. Two hours after treatment, she started to lap water. I carried her and put her on to my bed, this being where she normally sleeps, and gave her another treatment before I went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I was woken by a furry head and purring body trying to get into bed with me. The next morning she ate a little food. I gave her two further treatments and she made an exceedingly fast recovery.

If we, as humans, could completely accept in the same way as animals do, then colour would work wonders for us. Unfortunately, we are endowed with a thinking capacity which enables us to intellectualize and to erect barriers. It is these which stop us responding. This has been proven in the use of placebos. Patients, some of whom have been terminally ill, have been given placebos, believing them to be a new drug which is capable of curing their disease. Believing this, they have actually started to recover. When they find out that the supposedly new drug is in fact only a tablet composed of sugar and water, they immediately go into relapse. This shows how the mind affects the body. In the same way, the body can affect the mind. There are times when it is to our advantage to adopt the trust of a child or animal.

When a person attends for treatment, they are always asked if they have sought the advice of their doctor. If not, they are recommended to do so. I feel very strongly that complementary medicine should be what its name implies. Complementary to orthodox medicine. If they choose not to seek medical advice, then that is their choice and responsibility.

If a patient has undergone surgery, then colour therapy can speed their recovery. If they are receiving treatment for a disease, whether of long or short duration, colour can again assist with this.

Case Histories

Physical Conditions

Mr. A had just come home from hospital, having undergone a heart by-pass operation the previous week. His wife came to me and asked if I could help him. She said that he was depressed and anxious, and was experiencing a great deal of tension around his neck and shoulders as well as pain in his chest where his rib cage has been opened in order to gain access to the heart. I said that I would try and arranged to visit him.

I found Mr. A to be a very sensitive and gentle man, but unable to talk about his own feelings. He said that he had always had this problem. He confirmed what his wife had already told me – that he was unable to sleep due to the pain in his shoulders, neck and chest. I carried out a colour treatment, finishing by massaging his neck and shoulders with solarized oil. I recommended that he take arnica tablets, a homeopathic remedy for shock and bruising, and arranged to give him another treatment in three days' time. The next day, his wife telephoned to say that he had slept soundly and that he had made a marked improvement.

On the next visit, he said that he felt much better but was still having neck and shoulder pains. After the normal colour treatment, I again massaged his neck and shoulders with solarized oil. He said that this gave him great relief and was very relaxing. When I attended him a week later, he looked much better. Treatment was continued at weekly intervals for a further six weeks, by the end of which time he had made a complete recovery.

Colour practitioners never claim to cure people. The only person who can bring about a cure is the person to whom the ailment belongs. For this to happen, the cause must be found and worked with. For many people, this can be a very painful procedure.

Counselling plays a very important part in colour therapy. Colour practitioners frequently find that those attending for help have no one in whom they can confide. Because the practitioner is a stranger, and because they are under no obligation to see her/him again, they feel that they can pour out their hearts, and thus experience tremendous relief.

I always tell patients that whatever they say never finds its way outside the therapy room, and that once they have left I have the ability to forget what they have said, only remembering it on their next visit. May I say, that it is vital for practitioners to acquire this technique, for if they do not they could find themselves carrying around all of their patients' unwanted baggage as well as their own.

Mrs F attended with a broken wrist which had happened through falling whilst out shopping. She had been taken to hospital where her arm and hand were x-rayed prior to being put into a plaster cast. Her main complaint was of pain. She had been prescribed painkillers but found that they made her feel unwell. A full colour treatment was given, with emphasis on the arm and broken wrist. After treatment, she said that she felt the pain diminishing when colour was being channelled through her wrist. During the following week, I gave her two further treatments, both of which greatly reduced the pain. When she next attended hospital, they were delighted with her progress and were able to remove the plaster sooner than expected. She was delighted, but confessed that she did not have the courage to tell the hospital staff that she had been treated with colour!

Mrs. G attended with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease characterized by inflammation of joints, swelling, pain, and loss of function. The onset of this had been several years previously and had started after a fall. She had been treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and for a short time had been given steroids. Because of the side effects, she had asked to be taken off these. The main joints affected were her fingers, wrists and neck. We talked about diet, hers not being very satisfactory, and agreed that she should make an appointment with a dietician. This she did. During treatment, special attention was paid to the inflamed joints. After treatment, these were massaged with solarized oil and she was instructed to do the same. She attended for treatment on a weekly basis for a period of four months. This, combined with her new diet, produced a marked improvement. The last time I saw her, her joints were still a little stiff, but the swelling and pain had been eradicated.

Mr. H attended with chronic sinus problems which had been with him for many years. He had sought medical advice but never followed the treatment prescribed. He was one of life's real characters – always laughing and joking and, to put it mildly, a little overweight. I asked him why he wanted to be treated with colour. His reply was that he had heard about it from his mate who had read about it in a magazine and he was game to try anything. I questioned him on diet and it transpired that he ate large quantities of dairy produce. I advised him to give this up because it could be irritating his existing condition. With a twinkle in his eye, he promised me that he would try. He continued to have treatment on a weekly basis for a month, and on each of these visits I enquired about his intake of dairy produce. With the same twinkle in his eye and smile on his face, he informed me that he hadn't quite got round to not eating it but intended to do so. On his last visit, he was still eating vast amounts of dairy produce and his sinuses were still as bad. I looked at him in despair. With a broad grin and a chuckle, he told me that he had loved the experience of colour and would not have missed it for the world. Regarding his intake of dairy produce? He was still thinking about it! I wonder if he will ever eliminate it from his diet. Somehow, I doubt it!

Unfortunately, a lot of people seek colour therapy as a last resort, having been told that nothing else can be done for them. This usually means that by the time they are seen by a complementary practitioner, the disease from which they are suffering is so far advanced that the only help that can be given is relief from pain with love. I personally believe that there are people who, when they reincarnate into a physical body, choose to experience death through a particular disease. When this happens, the task of the practitioner is to help them through the transition with love and counselling.

I believe Miss J was one such person. She was young and attended with advanced breast cancer. One breast was an open, ulcerated wound, where the tumour had broken through the skin, and the other breast was solid with tumour which was also on the verge of breaking the skin. Miss J was a very bright and cheerful person. She had great faith in complementary therapy and had been treated with this since the discovery of the initial breast lump. I first saw her about three months before she died, and during these months she came regularly for treatment. This relieved most of the pain that she was experiencing. We talked a great deal about the process of death and life after death, which she firmly believed in. I never once heard her complain or found her despondent, and she never gave up hope of being cured. When she died, she was at home with her family, was very peaceful and free from pain.

A question which I am often asked by my patients is: 'Will I feel anything during treatment?' The answer is that some people do and others do not. What is and what is not felt depends upon the sensitivity of the recipient. Normally I do not encourage patients to talk during treatment, the main reasons for this being, firstly, that it prevents them from relaxing, and, secondly, that it interferes with my concentration. There was however one exception to this rule.

Mrs. J attended with menopausal problems. Believing the menopause to be a natural process, she did not wish to take hormone replacement therapy. We talked about this, and my belief that during the menopause, the earthly energies which were used in childbearing are changed into spiritual energies. In many of the ancient teachings, this was the time when a woman became a priestess or goddess. So many woman today think that once they reach this stage in their life they are getting old and that life is no longer worth living. Many of them try to regain their youth and beauty, sometimes by going to the extreme of having cosmetic surgery. If only they realized that beauty comes from within! Yes, the menopause is a time of change, a change into the next stage of life. If looked at in the correct way, it can be exciting, rewarding and adventurous.

I agree that some menopausal symptoms are unpleasant, but most changes, in whatever form they occur, bring some discomfort.

After conversing on this for some time, I gave Mrs. J treatment, firstly putting her into relaxation and then scanning her aura. When I came to work with her chakras, she started telling me the colours which she was seeing behind closed eyes. I found this fascinating. Sometimes they were the same colour as I was visualizing and sometimes not. I must admit that on this occasion I worked for a longer period of time on her chakras than I normally would.

When I had completed her treatment, we talked about her experiences. She admitted that she was very sensitive to colour in her surroundings and in the clothes which she wore. She experienced the same phenomenon during subsequent treatments.

Some patients 'feel' rather than 'see' the colour which is being channelled. Some experience what they describe as energy flowing through their body. Others experience heat and/or a prickling sensation on the area of their body being treated. I have had patients involuntarily move their limbs, head or torso. When they ask what is happening, I have to explain that I do not know, that I am just a channel and whatever happens during treatment is to the benefit of the patient.

There have been occasions when patients have reported 'other' people besides myself touching them. I tell them that these are my unseen helpers in the spirit world who work with me.

Mental/Emotional Conditions

Some months ago, a Mr B came to me for treatment. He complained of palpitations and anxiety attacks. He had attended his doctor who had confirmed that there was no heart problem, and prescribed tranquillizers. During our conversation, I detected that all was not well with his home life. I casually asked him about this and he assured me that his home life was wonderful. On his second visit, I made a colour diagnostic chart and this confirmed what I had detected. I went through the chart with him explaining that it showed emotional trauma which was being released by his physical body through the symptoms that he was experiencing. Again he reassured me that all was well; that he had a wonderful wife and family. On his third visit, I again broached the subject of his wife and family. This was followed by silence which lasted for almost fifteen minutes after which he began to talk and talk, pouring out all of his problems, especially the problem of his relationship with his wife. He confessed that he had never been able to speak about this to anyone else and I believe that he felt embarrassed that he had confided in me. After this, I did not see him again for treatment for about three weeks. He reported that he felt much better and, with the permission of his doctor, had stopped taking tranquillizers. He said that he had as yet been unable to find a solution to his problem, but the fact that he had been able to verbalize it and acknowledge its presence had brought him halfway to solving it and curing himself.

Another patient, Mrs. C, came complaining of depression and lack of energy. She herself was a complementary practitioner and felt that she was not a good example to her patients. Because of this, she was not seeing any new patients and was gradually letting her practice close down. We talked about her work and her family, about which she was very non-committal, before I made a colour diagnostic chart.

The chart showed that there was a great deal of emotional and mental trauma and hardly any joy in her life. She then told me that her marriage was deteriorating and through her husband failing to love and understand her she had found someone else. This went against her moral principles and what she really wanted was for her husband to provide what the other man was giving her. We talked about the various avenues which she could take before I gave her treatment. On her second visit, she said that she had thought about everything we had discussed and had decided that she wanted to tell her husband the truth. The next time I heard from her was by letter. She had told her husband the truth. Initially he was very angry and upset, but they had eventually talked and were both working to establish a greater understanding of each other.

Some patients find it almost impossible to talk about themselves and their problems. Anger and frustration is bottled up inside them literally eating them away. If nothing is done, this state can result in cancer.

I have found with this type of person that treating them with colour can actually help them to talk. In my experience, the colour breaks down long-established barriers, rather like removing dams which have been built to stop the flow of water. Once the dam has been removed, they start to cry and this relieves their inner tension.

Mr D came to see me complaining of digestive disorders. He had attended his doctor and undergone various tests to try and locate the problem. He came from India and was a Hindu. On a recent visit to India, he had undertaken various holistic therapies which had given him some relief. He explained that on the last visit he had undergone an arranged marriage but had had to return without his bride because of immigration problems. He was at present living with his parents. He said that his only problem was his inability to work full time due to his sickness. I made a colour diagnostic chart for him and carried out treatment.

On his second visit, he said that he had experienced slight relief for a few days but then the digestive problem had reverted to its previous state. I tried to encourage him to talk about himself, but he felt that there was very little to say. When I started to treat and channel colour into his solar plexus, I felt as though my hands were being held there for much longer then is normal. I then became aware that Mr D was desperately fighting to stop himself crying. I removed my hands from his solar plexus and held his hands, encouraging him to cry. Eventually he did, after which he started to talk.

His problem was a very difficult one. Basically, he did not wish to be married. He was the eldest son and this, in his culture, made him responsible for his younger brothers and sister. He felt that this responsibility was more than he could handle. On top of this, he had been under obligation to go through with his arranged marriage which burdened him with more responsibility. His way of solving the problem was to become ill. If he was ill, he would not be expected to shoulder the responsibilities which had been placed upon him. The colour treatment and finally being able to talk freely helped him to look at and work with himself. By doing this, he was gradually able to start to undertake his responsibilities.

Mrs E came to me complaining of depression and a weight problem. She told me that she lived alone, was at present unemployed due to ill health, but wanted to train as a complementary practitioner. We talked about this and her health problems. Her colour diagnostic chart showed joylessness, emotional trauma, disturbance in the digestive system, and lack of physical energy. When I explained this to her, she confessed that she was suffering from bulimia, a disorder characterized by overeating, followed by self-induced vomiting. This usually occurs in response to fears of being overweight, stress and depression. I asked if she had sought medical help. She replied that she had not and had no wish to do so. When I treated her with colour, I felt that she was trying to resist. When we discussed this, she agreed but did not know the reason why. On her second visit, I again felt this resistance during treatment. I quietly tuned into my own intuition, asking what to do. I was guided to work on her heart chakra, and this I did. Gradually the resistance started to break down and she began to cry. I held her head, and after she had quietened down, she started to talk.

She told me that she had been unloved as a child and had always sought love which she then found difficult to accept. When she left school she worked in catering, gradually climbing the ladder to the point where she was running a well-established and flourishing restaurant. She worked very hard, having very little time for herself. During this period in her life, she became involved in a relationship with one of the staff, who hurt her very badly, finally walking out on her for someone else. The outcome for her, was a nervous breakdown. She had to give up work and sought comfort in eating.

I worked with her over a three-month period, during which time she gradually started to heal. She made enquiries into and attended workshops on a variety of complementary therapies, and she also found herself a part-time job. The last time I saw her, she had started to lose weight and was working very hard with herself. She still had the occasional relapse, but these were getting fewer.

Absent Healing

For many reasons, some people are unable to attend the place where I work and write requesting absent healing Frequently the request is for a friend or loved one. In this situation, I always ask that they obtain the permission of the person for whom they are requesting healing. Absent healing can activate changes in the person being treated and if they are not aware that they are receiving healing these changes could cause them concern. I also feel that it is an infringement on a person's free will to work on them without their permission.

In order to treat a patient from a distance, a witness, in the form of a photograph, a lock of hair or their handwriting is required. This is placed underneath the diagnostic spine chart prior to dowsing and compiling it. Once the chart has been made, this in itself being a form of treatment, absent healing can be carried out in two ways:

The first is by administering the correct colours, through the colour crystal torch, to the 'active' vertebrae shown on the spine chart. Each active vertebra receives approximately a fifteen-second treatment. This is only carried out once on each individual spine chart.

The second method is through visualization. The patient is visualized lying either on a therapy couch or in a beautiful garden. The colours which they require are then mentally projected to the appropriate parts of their body. As these colours are received, the patient is visualized as becoming well and strong with all disease eradicated. The treatment ends by enfolding them in an orb of golden light for energy and protection.

With both of these methods a written report on the spine chart is made and sent to the patient. In this report advice is given on self-help with colour, and on diet if this is relevant.

A short time ago, I received a request by post for absent healing. This request had come from a former patient for her husband. The only information she gave me was that he was suffering from severe depression. I wrote back, enclosing a spine chart for her husband to sign and requesting that she told him about the treatment.

The spine chart was returned a few days later. She confirmed that she had explained this and the healing procedure to her husband. Apparently he was very sceptical but had signed the chart in order to please his wife.

When the chart was completed it showed a lack of emotional, mental and physical joy, thus causing a state of lethargy. The mental aspect of the chart revealed a turbulent state of mind. He was obviously very anxious about something which he felt unable to talk about, and this was causing him to feel a lack of self-respect and dignity.

I sent his wife a report on my findings. A week later, I received a letter from her telling me that she had imparted the information to her husband, after which he had remained silent for some time. He had then broken down and told her that he was on the point of being made redundant. This had worried him a great deal, causing loss of sleep and a feeling of no longer being useful to society. He had kept this information to himself in order not to worry his wife.

After they had been able to talk and discuss all the possible avenues which were open to him, he told her that he felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted. She was equally delighted that he had confided in her, making it possible for them to share and tackle the problem together.

Throughout the years that I have been working with colour, I have seen the many wonderful ways in which it has helped people. Some readers may find this difficult to believe, and if this is the case, may I suggest that you experience the therapeutic power of colour for yourself, by visiting a colour practitioner.

Matthew Bakewell

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