In our ‘Spotlight On’ series we are showcasing the many things Woodingdean has to offer, through profiles of local business owners. This week we speak to Theresa Sundt, a professional artist and certified colour therapist.
I have been an art teacher all my life. I studied history and fine arts. Being born in Greece has influenced my love of colour. When I was teaching I was also selling my work – mainly textiles, I was very much into weaving. So for me art and colour therapy are very much interconnected.
In 1999 I discovered the book Colour by Suzy Chiazzari and for the first time I realised that the colour I loved so much had a healing effect on people and it completely changed my perception. I created a company called Colour Healing Tapestries, producing tapestry kits that combined the powerful resonance of colour with the craft of stitching. I sold them all over the world.
In 2003 Bioptron, a Swiss based company that produces colour therapy lights, approached me and asked me to work for them, to lecture and train their staff in colour therapy. We have been working together for many years and I toured all over Russia and central Europe with them. I also teach art and some colour therapy in Skiathos, Greece. I’m going there next week to teach sketching and painting courses. It’s lovely to be able to fly the flag for colour therapy around the world.
Colour is very much like music in the way that the different frequencies affect us. But because colour is around us all the time we don’t feel the difference like we do when a piece of music is played. Our energetic centres are composed of seven colour centres or chakras, or colour batteries as I call them. These areas are very sensitive to colour and they each have a very definitive colour. When we are exposed to light we receive all colours because light contains the seven colours of the rainbow. However, when it is dark or when we work inside for long periods of time our batteries get discharged and this is when illness occurs. This is where therapeutic lights can replenish the chakra that is lacking and rebalance the energy of the body. What makes us look and feel young is our energy.
I’m very interested in the healing powers of creativity. To create something is such an active meditation, where you are 100% focused and this gives your body a real chance to relax.
We all have an aura which is our electronic magnetic field. Its size and strength varies depending on how we feel. It is like a shield and when we aren’t quite on top of things the shield develops gaps. It is through these gaps that disease can enter the body. Colour and light reenergises our energy in order to keep our shield complete and to keep our immune system strong. You heal energy with energy.
In the future I aim to be able to use colour psychologically. I want to be able to just think about colour, without the use of any machines, in order to send someone vibrations and heal. For example, to think of the colour pink, representing unconditional love, and send someone the vibrations to surround them with this colour and energy. Or to be able to cocoon yourself in clear light for protection. The power of thought can change our whole wellbeing.
I give colour personality readings to people in order for them to better understand themselves – both their limitations and their potential. By understanding your personality you can be the best possible version of yourself and you can better understand others and how to approach them. That is what my book Know your Colour Personality is all about.
My business revolves around giving colour personality readings and selling colour portraits. The portraits are really popular. They make a very unique present and are also nice to have displayed in the home, portraying the colourful personalities of each family member.
I moved to Woodingdean 15 years ago and I love it. It’s wonderful to live on the coast with a view of the sea and a bit of a breeze, it’s like a micro-climate, it’s just wonderful. It’s a great location and a really nice community. People are very interactive and always willing to help. I have had some open houses over the years and it’s great to be able to showcase my work to the local community. Living here allows me to cycle, walk and take in all the colours around me, which is so important to what I do. We often forget that we are so rich with colour and that it is everywhere around us.
To find out more visit: https://www.color-discovery.com/
Theresa spoke to Siobhan Wight.
You can read more Spotlights here.