These days people are inclined towards this mystical tool named tarot cards alongside astrology and horoscope. A deck of tarot cards is used to help people know more about their life’s ongoing and upcoming events. After the pandemic hit and lockdown started, the expansion of life is mostly limited inside the four walls. People are getting suffocated while dealing with the drastically changed day-to-day schedules. On one hand, they are fighting to keep covid-19 at bay, while on the other hand, they are afraid and stressed about the pandemic and all the other side effects it bought along with it, like job loss, high stress, hampered education system, and rise in mental health issues. People are in desperate need to cope with their uncertain future and thus have been picking tarot as an easy and entertaining tool to do so.
Tarot readers who practice this mystical way of fortune telling, use decks of tarot card to share insights on relationships, self-care, self-improvement, and blessing from celestial beings.
Psychologically, studies that are related to astrology, work as a coping mechanism to deal with high stress and uncertainty of decision making. Similarly, tarot provides a guidance to people who feel lost in their lives.
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Unlike astrology, tarot readings are based on an individual’s current energy that prods on individual’s own decision. Sometimes, despite knowing what they want, people are unsure of choosing a distinct way. Thus, their energy gets scattered everywhere and they cannot make a decision. Tarot cards reading guides them to distinguish between what they want to do from what they don’t want to do. These ancient cards help people figure out their values, the importance of something or someone in their lives based on their energies, and what it is they want to have or achieve.
Psychological experts say, although pseudoscientific means like astrology, tarot, horoscope-which aren’t really backed by science but these aren’t necessarily unhelpful, especially when dealing with mental health and self-esteem. Instead, tarot card can help surprisingly to cope with mental illness. Sometimes a person needs external support. Tarot provides that support to people who deal with depression, anxiety disorder, or loneliness.
Can tarot cards therapy really improve mental illness?
In some case, yes, they do. Sometimes, a local healer or occult practitioners help more than scientific treatment. Because these pseudoscientific ways prod mainly on people’s mind and belief system. Believing and trusting on something leaves a deep impact on an individual’s mind. If a person believes something from his/her/their heart, and strongly, it turns into manifestation.
Interestingly tarot deals with self-awareness, and encourages introspection. Tarot cards therapy makes one willing to understand and accept self-worth. Humans have a belief system what we call subconscious. What we feed it from outside, it starts to work on it from inside and thus makes it happen, or manifest. Psychotherapy too, uses techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy which targets patient’s belief system.
Pseudoscientific tools like tarot cards or horoscope, forces you to see what you’ve been overlooking. The fundamental fact is, your subconscious already knows what is wrong with your relationship or career, but you deny seeing and accepting it.
Tarot card reading just taps on your subconscious and makes you act on it consciously.
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According to professional psychologists what does tarot reading therapy do?
What makes tarot reading therapy different from professional psychotherapy is psychologists know and understand a particular patient’s belief system and its boundaries rather than being generally dismissive like tarot readings. Tarot reading has its boundaries. Any occult practices, be it tarot, astrology or horoscope, can only provide support to a certain level. They cannot proceed further deep from there.
Over-reliance on pseudoscientific occult practices or any spiritual approach can do more harm than it actually provides support. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder means identifying several physiological symptoms associated with that particular disorder. To cure it, one needs to tend to each symptom separately, depending on its severity. For example, if you’re diagnosed with autism or a personality disorder like schizoid personality disorder, you might get confused why you’re feeling that way. In that context, if you seek mental support from tarot cards, then tarot cards therapy can do nothing but make you confused even more. In these cases, you need professional therapist and medical support which you must not forsake with tarot card readings.
Also read: How to Know if You’re Self-Sabotaging Yourself and How to Stop?
Conclusion
There’s a line between occult practices and professional psychotherapy. Both help you but on different levels. Know the severity and type of your mental illness before seeking mental support from these occult spiritual and pseudoscientific practices like tarot card therapy or astrology to know about your future or to deal with your mental health issues.