Coloured lights and sensory stimulation
 

I've always loved coloured lights, right from a child, and have never grown out of the love for coloured lights, so much so that I use them as a distraction, they help my focus, attention and concentration, depending upon the colour, and any movement or flashing sequence, they can have effects like calming, or heightening my mood, some can aid in helping me sleep, others help me remain alert, I was wondering if anyone else is affected mentally by lights and if so is it significant? I find red light calming, green light hightens my mood, purple/ultraviolet helps to aid sleep, orange and pink light give me a feeling of warmth and safety, and yellow light makes me frightened and fearful, Mixtures like those in christmas lights make me feel happy and energised but can also be reassuring and help with sleeplessness and insomnia. I don't really know why lights have sutch a profound effect on me. Bright white light and fast flickering white light make me feel giddy and nauseous.

not great on words thioogniht but i have a sterling horse on stand that changes clorour and i love it, it really soothes me. so i cam ymassove relate xx
love, do yhwat works are you.

Thanks guys, I do use it a lot, I bought a few new lights on November 5th when at a fireworks display, as you can imagine I love fireworks for the same reason. I suppose I was only asking as I guess it feels kinda odd, although mostly nice, just odd because I've never met anyone else who is affected by lights as much as I am, my counsellor if we're in a room with real bright wight lights, has a habit of going and switching them off and just making sure the window is clear to let in light, and sometimes if there is nobody around opens the door to let in enough light, he rather me be relaxed in our sessions than bothered by lights, one room we use actually has a few lamps with coloured lightbulbs which is kind of nice. I didn't know if this was something more specific to spectrum disorders, and possibly a reason he is having me seeing a specialist who specialises in spectrum disorders, but so far it appears not, as nobody else I've met on the spectrum appears affected in the same way I am :) Unique, I like being unique :)

I have the water speakers too :) I also love glow sticks, I have some here all the time, just incase I feel like going for a walk late at night, when feeling anxious, I use them as an identifier for local people who support me, and the local police, it helps them to identify that I'm feeling distressed, but that the glow stick should help keep me calm enough for them to help get me the appropriate help/care at that time :)

Thanks glad you think the glow sticks as a way to signal how I'm doing might benefit others :)

I also sometimes wear a whistle around my neck if I feel unsafe :)

I've never seen glowlights that change colour and float in the bath, I'll have to look for some, maybe put them in the indoor fountain I plan to buy :)

you say you really disliked some of the colours they change to, is it possible to open them up and add a filter, like a sheet of coloured acetate that would make the colour appear a slight different colour, or perhaps not, because they are sealed to be water proof?

What happens if I am out and about, in a city, and encounter coloured lights which cause me discomfort, is a very valid question. I ultimately avoid places with yellow lights, unless they are complimented by other colours.

I'm not much of a city goer, so really not much of a problem, my nearest City is a 20 mile bus ride, and too expensive to spend much time at, and getting home if it's late at night would be a bit of a problem.

I love fairgrounds, other than the white strobe, that makes me nauseous. I just have to be careful not to be around the white strobe too much.

As for supermarkets and shopping, I prefer to shop at night because of my anxiety, but tend to shop in ASDA an hour before they close, as they dim their lights during the last hour their open. And I get the shop done as quickly as possible :)

I'm also fine with the lights around the outside of hotels in places like Spain, because usually their red, green, blue or purple, sometimes accented by yellow, but not too much so their quite calming :)

Me too, I have loads of lights, including Lava & Glitter lamps, L.E.D, Disco Spot Lamps, Ultra Violet light bar, Flashing and Moving Lighting bars, light up toys and glow sticks, I'm trying to convince our local Mind to let me design a sensory room where we can go and relax :-)

The first thing I unpacked on moving house recently was fairy lights. They are so comforting and bring a sense of calm. I love all the Christmas lights that have been going up around and about.

Lack of sunlight/daylight really affects my mood, sending it dipping. I dislike having blinds down and lighting on [particularly in the daytime! it actually causes me to twitch with agitation/such dislike at my senses almost having a cheese grater sent along them at times!] and try to keep my blinds open as late as possible. It's the yellowy light bulbs you often find in places like offices and Asda that I dislike a lot. That kind of fluorescent strobe yellow lighting gives me an instant headache too.

I've never heard of these water speakers, I like the sound of them. I need to invest in a Lava Lamp!

When I was a kid I had fish that I could watch for literal hours at a time. Their movements and the water around them was mesmerising and I find that a very calming effect too. They were all cold water fish. WHen I have a place of my own I should get tropical glowy in the dark fish :D

You can buy the water speakers on eBay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-2-x-Dancing-Water-Mini-Speakers-LED-Fountain-For-iPod-iPad-iPhone-PC-/171955281770?hash=item2809555f6a:g:QHsAAOSw~bFWHSE W

you can see a video of what their like on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aARXuR-FKl0

there are also other water speakers, I found these on eBay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-USB-DAN...h5BF2XxTqRf1Xg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dancing-Water-Fountain-Portable-Rechargeable-Speaker-LED-iPhone-ipad-PC-mp3-/171994692202?hash=item280baeba6a:g:DhEAAOSwQoFWQg3 ~

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dancing-Water-LED-Music-Light-Speaker-For-iPod-iPhone-iPad-PC-/390689907138?hash=item5af6eee1c2:g:HIIAAOxyRNJScmp L

You can also find lots of Lava Lamps there, as well as glitter lamps and colour changing L.E.D novelty aquarium bubble tubes, they have plastic fish inside, meaning there is no worrying about forgetting to feed the fish :-)

From what I can see this is the visual of colours to music, I have always had this, almost like a strobe effect, although I did not know it had a name, or that it had any significance, this is one reason I use coloured lights, as an extra level, like an even greater focus, it can either stimulate the strength of the colour production during listening, or it can dampen the senses allowing me to gradually break away from the music and the colour production, to allow me to focus or concentrate on another task :-)

at least now I know it has a name :-)

Thanks yes your right this is exactly what I experience, I don't care about it being diagnosed, because it's not bothersome, I actually quite like it, unless it concerns a colour that makes me fearful, hence I've learnt to live with it, and can quite happily use lights for an extra layer to gradually alter or end the experience as necessary, but it is quite interesting to read and learn more about it :-)

Different wavelengths (colours of lights) can have different effects on the body. Night clubs and bars typically use blue lights as they make people feel more awake whereas red lights have the opposite effect. There are some interesting horizon documentaries on colour.