Inuvik (Apr 08/05) - Self discovery and introspection collided with swaths of colour, encouragement and positive emotions when Rob Chubb visited Ingamo Hall late last month.

The creator of ColourSpectrums presented the workshop for youth and parents, aimed at helping people learn their natural strengths, identify choices and minimize stress while also learning about the feelings of those around them.

Each of the cards around Kristin McDonald, youth wellness program officer at Ingamo Hall, describes different aspects of the personalities to which they correspond. - Chris Hunsley/NNSL photo

"It helps you learn the best way to communicate with people of certain colours," said Kristin McDonald, youth wellness program officer for Ingamo Hall.

Each of us is made up of some combination of the four primary psychological colours, Chubb explained.

Blue embraces relationships and emotions, while red is ready for action, someone who wants to tackle tasks immediately, he said.

Green represents analytical attributes while yellow is organization and tradition.

"And the key to communication is to use the same colour as the other person and use it with the same intensity," Chubb said.

The system is partially based on the teachings of Carl Jung, Meyers Briggs, the medicine wheel, astrology and Hippocrates, all of which broke personality down into four dimensions.

"It taught us that we all have one strong colour, one weak and two that are kind of neutral," said McDonald, who sees herself as a blue, red, green and yellow.

"I've always known I'm really about relationships," she said.

This self-knowledge can also lead to the reduction of stressors, participants learned.

According to Chubb, stress comes from two sources. If the needs of your brightest colour, for example blue for emotions, are not being met, you'll feel a lot of stress.

On the other hand, someone forced to use their palest colour will experience the same thing.

It can help someone identify where they're comfortable in their life. It's very empowering, he said.

The system may seem complex and it can be hard to face the negatives, said McDonald, who organized the workshop to help youth with their communication skills.

"But once you grasp the concepts you get used to it. It's really good for people who need to be around people, in their job or life."