Metaphorical cards are a powerful tool for psychological work that helps access the unconscious, process emotions, and find new solutions through symbolic dialogue.
What Are Metaphorical Cards?
Metaphorical (associative) cards are sets of images used to stimulate associations and insights. The most well-known include:
- OH Cards — 88 images + 88 words = 7,744 possible combinations
- COPE Cards — focus on resources and coping strategies
- Habitat Cards — exploring home, safety, and belonging
Why Do Cards Work?
Metaphorical language bypasses psychological defenses and allows us to:
- Safely explore painful topics
- Access unconscious processes
- Find unexpected connections and solutions
- Express what's difficult to put into words
Cards create "symbolic distance" that makes deep work more comfortable.
Core Working Techniques
Random Selection
The client draws cards blindly, allowing the unconscious to "speak" without logical interference.
Conscious Choice
Cards are selected from those laid out that "resonate." This helps explore conscious preferences and reactions.
Card Dialogue
Different cards "talk" to each other, useful for working through internal conflicts or relationships.
Types of Sessions
Diagnosis and Exploration
- "Choose cards that reflect your current situation"
- "Show your resources and strengths"
- "What prevents you from moving forward?"
Therapeutic Work
- Integration of traumatic experiences
- Exploring relationships and dynamics
- Working through life transitions
Goal Setting and Planning
- Visualizing desired future
- Finding pathways to goals
- Clarifying values
Key Facilitation Principles
- Client is the expert of their experience. Only they determine the meaning of cards.
- Safe space. No right or wrong interpretations.
- Focus on integration. Always connect insights to practical life.
Open questions:
- "What draws you to this card?"
- "What does this image say?"
- "How does this relate to your situation?"
Working with Resistance
"I don't see anything" — suggest describing literally what's depicted, or turning to colors and sensations.
"This doesn't make sense" — explore the resistance itself as information.
Over-interpretation — gently return to personal relevance: "How does this touch your life?"
Integration and Closure
An important part of the session is connecting insights to daily life:
- "What's the most important thing you take from this session?"
- "What might you do differently based on this understanding?"
- "How can you keep this wisdom alive in everyday life?"
Metaphorical cards serve as a bridge between the symbolic and practical, between unconscious and conscious. They transform psychological work into a living, creative exploration of the inner world.