Unlock Your Subconscious with Tarot Card Readings and Therapy
The New York Times published an article late last week that I enjoyed because it represented what I’d also observed in the therapy room: “Now Therapists Have to Figure Out Astrology, Tarot and Psychedelics.”
I’ve had my fair share of clients explain that they knew where I was coming from due to my zodiac sign (I am a Capricorn, the Sea-Goat, a combination of Earth and Water signs, “grounded and practical as well as sensitive and creative”).
I also recognize that joining with a client’s worldview and social-spiritual beliefs is of utmost importance in not only establishing rapport, but seeing the world through their eyes. On the subject of Tarot it isn’t so much of stretch for me as I’ve had an interest in Tarot card readings for years and enjoy my Tarot-minded clients’ exploration on the cards they pull before and after visiting me.
While I’m not the divining or fortune-telling type, I do appreciate the grand landscapes for subjectivity that the cards provide. On a given day, with a cavalcade of experiences leading up to now, you’ve pulled ‘VI. The Lovers’, a card hinting at commitment and choices of long-lasting significance. A person can riff and free associate on that for a tremendous amount of time and therapists, like the cards, are there to provide open-ended conversations that promote insight into how we think about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.
Patrick M. DeCarlo respects all mediums of self-discovery, especially tarot cards!
Carl Jung, a founding father of psycho-therapeutic tradition, believed the Tarot provided access to the subconscious. Teen Vogue interviewed therapists who explained:
“I think that there is so much space within tarot to find meaningful strategies that go beyond the card reading,” explained Dr. Rachel O'Neill, a therapist with Talkspace. “For example, looking at the card and just taking in what you are seeing, and even using it to practice acceptance without judgement. Be objective, instead of saying what does this mean, is this a bad card or a good card, just kind of accept the card and ask how is this personally meaningful to me?”
According to O'Neill, one of the most beneficial aspects of tarot card reading for mental health is the development of the ritual. Much like meditation, the practice of reading tarot can help with mindfulness and bringing attention to yourself in the present moment.
“To start the day I’ll pull a card to see how my day is going to go,” said Lisa Nwankwo, who uses tarot as part of her morning routine. “I use it for guidance. Based on the cards that come up, it might be something that is ‘negative’ like The Tower. Instead of thinking, OK, today is going to be a bad day, it just reframes how I am going to approach this day. It gives you a different perspective.”
What got me into the Tarot is similar to that of Jessica Dore, whose twitter account includes daily card pulls to explore mental health issues. She explains in a VICE article:
"Learning about the cards alongside all these psychological and therapeutic models at the same time, I saw a lot of connections between the cards and [models]." The meanings of those models were baked into how she understood the cards, she tells me.
The article also details the long history of connection between Tarot and psychology (there’s Carl again, ever the poet of psychology!).
Tarot and psychology have a long-standing relationship. Psychotherapy was once more of an art than a science, and Carl Jung himself saw links between the two. Academics have researched the benefits of bringing tarot cards into counselling and therapeutic scenarios, as well as the benefits of their solo use for self-reflection. There’s a metaphoric language to tarot cards; when we speak in talking therapy, the sessions are also heavy with metaphor and symbols.
Interested in a daily practice? I suggest buying a Rider-Waite tarot deck and utilizing a book such as “The Ultimate Guide to the Rider-Waite Tarot” and begin a morning ritual of pulling a daily card and seeing where your mind free associates to. Journaling in conjunction with this is certainly there to provide you with some increased thoughtfulness in your life.