Tarot Therapy vs. Traditional Counselling: What’s the Difference?

Cards on the table (see what I did there?) I’m a big fan of traditional counselling or

therapy. I’ve worked with two fantastic counsellors who without question helped me

enormously when I was going through difficult times following relationship

breakdowns. So I’m always a bit surprised when people tell me they have had

negative experiences, or that ‘counselling doesn’t work’.

Of course, there are lots of reasons why someone might find therapy unhelpful. One

definitely worth mentioning is that courses of treatment provided through workplaces

or the NHS can be really short; the NHS England website describes a course of

treatment as ‘2 or more sessions’ and often very much on the CBT (Cognitive

Behaviour Therapy) model. Not that CBT is a ‘bad’ therapy – it’s just not suitable for

everyone. And as with so many of the services that the valiant and underfunded

NHS provide, there are waiting lists, ‘assessments’, ‘signposting’ and a lot of

pressure to meet ‘appropriate outcome measures’.

And there is, still, a feeling that somehow people should be able to sort out their

mental health issues by themselves, with a handy self-help book, perhaps, or an app

on their phone. (Or my mother’s favourite method – ‘pull yourself together’) So there

can be resistance to therapy, even for those people who have been brave enough to

admit they are struggling and reach out to get help.

Even as a fan of counselling, after the initial session involving the relief of an

outpouring of emotion, I found some sessions daunting. Talking about ourselves, all

that focus on difficult issues can make anyone feel vulnerable. And it kind of feels

like a lonely place to be, under the spotlight. I almost always came away feeling

lighter and better, though, and would certainly say that finding the right counsellor is

key (please check out the BACP website link here.)

Tarot therapy is most closely aligned with person-centred therapy, as defined by Carl

Rogers, in the sense that the timing, the direction, the focus is controlled by you. But because we use the cards, the feeling is gentler, more exploratory. Together, we can

find what is important, what hurts, what core beliefs and defence mechanisms are at

play.

But we don’t have to dig away at your identity, your beliefs or experiences to do this,

because the cards connect us with the collective subconscious. And you get to

explore them, your reactions to them, what they make you feel and how that fits with

you. It can almost feel like a game, with no competition and no wrong answers. We

believe that you have, within you, all the answers you need – Tarot Therapy helps

you to make the links, change your perspective or perception. They connect with

you, your life, and with humans universally. Tarot cards have been traced back to the

late fourteenth century, and the archetypes within them are present in societies and

civilisations across the globe and across history.

So, a tarot therapy session begins with a question or query. A kind of ‘what brings

you here’, if you like. You can be as brief or as detailed as you like, we only need

some kind of focus. We take a moment to be aware of our emotional temperature,

and then choose cards. I can choose for you, or you can choose numbers and I’ll

count them out. Some people like to see all the cards at once, some like to look one

at a time, it depends what feels right for you.

Then you can start exploring. Some people have an immediate recognition; some

like to have some information first. I like to encourage people to describe the card,

say what strikes them initially, and see if they have an emotional reaction.

To clarify with an example, this evening I chose a card for myself – the 9 of Wands.

My initial emotion was slight disappointment – on the surface, it’s a fairly plain image, and I was hoping for a more complex image that might be a better example!

(The image here is from the Ryder-Waite deck, mine is slightly different)

However, this is what I see. A figure, clearly dressed as a soldier, stands side-on, holding a tall stave (his height). 8 other staves form a row, perhaps a fence, behind him, on top of a low, grey wall. All the staves have leaves growing out of them. The figure has almost no expression, but I get a sense of weariness. The sky behind the wall of staves is blue, but not bright. The words that come into my mind are ‘Hold the line’. I also feel great

compassion for the figure, and a sense of pride.

As a guide I would give context here. It can help to reinforce or challenge the initial

reaction, and it also gives breathing space to really feel the card, to sit with it.

So – I often pull wands. Wands are generally concerned with energy and passions. I

think of them as our interaction or dealings with the real world. It’s also the second 9

I’ve pulled in consecutive readings for myself, which feels significant. Tarot cards in the Minor Arcana tell a story in each suit, with aces at the start, moving through different stages towards a conclusion, so numbers from the end of the story arc just remind me of my

great age!

There is, of course, always struggle, and setbacks – but a nine has that feeling of

‘nearly there’. The leaves feel that hope is springing, and the single figure is not

isolated – there are 8 other staves. It occurs to me that although sometimes things

feel like a fight, the stave is not a bladed weapon; it feels, not defensive, exactly, but

a support. A symbol of resilience.

I know what these images, signs, mean to me, But perhaps here I should give you

space to think about how this card would relate to you? What struggles have you

been facing forever? What’s happening in the world to make you feel this way? Do

you feel weary, and if you do, how do you keep going? If you feel like giving up,

could hope be just around the corner?

Perhaps this card is reminding us all that as we go through struggles, when things

can feel exhausting and impossible, help is out there. Hold on. Find support where

you can, support that is right for you. We are stronger than we think.

Blessed be,

Janie