We proudly present the second Readers Studio
Tarot & Psychology Conference
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
The human psyche is as fascinating as it is complex. Understanding it is a major goal of psychologists, as well as anyone engaged in self-inquiry. There are many approaches one can take, and many tools that can help. Tarot is one such tool that is gaining in popularity as a way to support and facilitate personal understanding. As Dr. Arthur Rosengarten wrote in his classic book, Tarot and Psychology: Spectrums of Possibility:
“The Tarot is a remarkable collection of images and symbols that picture multidimensional themes of universal human experience. With a random series of cards properly interpreted in pre-designated positions (a spread), the intuitive observer will be surprised by the amazing subtlety and sophistication with which this method facilitates self-reflection, deep insight, and spiritual wisdom.
Contrary to an habitual Western mental reflex, in practice the placing of supreme trust in the natural intelligence that collects momentarily around events awakens a unique, non-linear, mode of perception through what we respectfully call ‘sacred’ or ‘empowered’ randomness. Loosely speaking, this is what is meant by ‘divination’ and is how the Tarot method is set in motion. Yet for all the minor fascination this arcane tool has evoked in popular culture, the correct message has not been adequately communicated to those who would put Tarot to greatest use: helping professionals.
For Tarot to evolve on any meaningful scale into the 21st century (and beyond) it must have a stronger application emphasis, utility, and accessibility, that is, it must speak compellingly to people's lives. In this regard, clinical usage would seem a natural context for a technique which, as we shall see, offers so many psychological opportunities and benefits.”
In this ground-breaking event, we're bringing both the psychological and tarot communities together to explore some of tarot's possibilities and techniques for deep and effective personal understanding. There are three large and important questions that psychologists and readers at the conference would like to answer:
Can tarot help in the psychotherapeutic process?
Can psychology help in the process of a tarot reading?
Do tarot and psychology have something important to teach each other?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding YES!
For psychologists, this conference will open the door to a whole world of surprisingly powerful and helpful theory and practice they may never have experienced before.
For tarot readers, it will be the opportunity they have been waiting for to get a real introduction to the practical psychology they can use in their professional practice.
Gestalt Therapy and the Tarot
Victor and Kooch Daniels will show how elements from psychological disciplines and the Tarot can complement and extend each other. They will emphasize basic elements of a Gestalt-based Tarot reading as a tool for healing the heart. Moment-by-moment awareness of the querent or client's behavior will be discussed as an approach to draw out unique meanings of a card for each person. Recognizing that there are people who come for readings who would never see a therapist, and vice-versa, they will focus on the cross-fertilization of these modalities. Spreads will be discussed (with experiential work) in relation to:
Key relational elements of the reading situation, including how the cards can facilitate a broadened understanding of the concept of transference.
How listening can be deepened through identifying “emotional stacks.”
How a representational (in contrast to divinatory) use of the Tarot can help explore configurations of important relationships in the family and other meaningful interactions.
How the methods of identification, projective dialogues, and imaginative storytelling with the cards can facilitate addressing such questions as, “Where can you open up your life-space to find the resources and opportunities you need?” “If you have an old pattern that causes you to act in a self-defeating way, how can you transform it?”
Kooch N. Daniels, with an M.A., in psychology from Sonoma State University, is an intuitive who chose Tarot reading as her central career path and has done many thousands of readings in venues from India to California. She has presented workshops on the Tarot and on using the Tarot in psychotherapy in California, Holland, and Mexico. Kooch is lead author of Tarot d'Amour: Find Love, Sex, and Romance in the Cards and co-author with Victor of Matrix Meditations. She has written the text for Tarot Reports (ACS), a computerized tarot program that interprets card spreads for individual readings. She is the host for a Tarot Guild radio show called Kosmic Koffee.
Victor Daniels, who earned his Ph.D. at UCLA, is Professor Emeritus at Sonoma State University, where he taught for four decades and was Psychology Department Chair. He is a Gestalt therapy trainer, has been program organizer for several international Gestalt Therapy conferences, and has written books and articles and done presentations at professional conferences on psychology, meditation, and psychotherapy. He started using the tarot twenty years ago when his wife invited him to go with her to a celebrity event to do readings. Also, he's been co-presenter of classes and workshops on using the Tarot in psychology and psychotherapy in several countries. He is co-author of Tarot d'Amour: Find Love, Sex, and Romance in the Cards, lead author of Matrix Meditations: A 16-Week Program for Developing the Mind-Heart Connection, and lead author (with L.J. Horowitz) of Being & Caring: A Psychology for Living.
Websites:
http://www.matrixmeditations.com
http://www.tarotdamour.com
http://cybermystic.com
http://www.sonoma.edu/users/d/daniels/
Contact:
Email Kooch: mysticarts4u@yahoo.com
Email Victor: danielsv@wildblue.net
Using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to Enhance the Tarot Experience
Energy Psychology is a new clinical and self-help modality that combines verbal and clinical procedures for effecting behavioral change. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is one method of energy psychology that is an efficient and a relatively quick mind-body tool. EFT a.k.a. “Tapping” bypasses the thinking brain and accesses the emotional brain as well as unconscious processes.
EFT/Tapping is a form of “psychological acupressure” based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments but without the needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy into specific meridians on the body while thinking about a problem or negative emotion and voicing positive affirmations.
EFT/Tapping is currently being used to combat the stress of everyday life events, as well as the effects of trauma experienced by veterans and survivors of tragedies such as the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. EFT/Tapping can be easily taught to individuals and adapted for multiple therapeutic and self-development purposes.
In the first part of this experiential workshop, Dr. Joe Schippa will describe, demonstrate, and teach EFT/Tapping to participants. The second part of this workshop will be dedicated to exploring how EFT/Tapping can be applied to readings to assist both the reader and the client in uncovering layers of meaning to further enhance the tarot experience. Participants are welcome to bring their favorite deck to this workshop.
Joseph T. Schippa, Ph.D. is a school and clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, hypnotherapist, and life coach. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Fordham University and completed his clinical internship at Westchester County Medical Center Psychiatric Institute/New York Medical College. Dr. Schippa is currently a school psychologist and serves as chair of the department of psychology and social work for the Chappaqua Central School District in Westchester County, New York. Additionally, he maintains a private clinical practice in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and is an adjunct associate professor of psychology at the College of New Rochelle.
Dr. Schippa is a member of the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology, and the International Coach Federation. He is a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress, and is trained in EFT (AAMET Certified Level 2), CBT, TFT, EMDR, NLP, and Reiki.
Dr. Schippa is an advisor and founding team member of the Newtown Stress and Trauma Relief Collaboration Project where EFT/Tapping is being taught to those who have been touched by the tragedy in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. In his private psychotherapy practice, he uses the Tarot as a projective technique to assist clients in accessing intuitive insight and wisdom, as well as to unlock unconscious thinking processes. Dr. Schippa has also taught Psychological Tarot and Intuitive Tarot workshops throughout New York and Connecticut.
Contact:
Email: Schippa@aol.com
Website: Coming Soon!
Found in Translation: Improving Communication via Tarot (The Rosetta Stone Method)
In this hands-on workshop, presenter Jeannette Roth will describe and demonstrate a reading method referred to as “The Rosetta Stone” — a multi-deck technique incorporating principles of psycholinguistics that seeks to remove interpersonal roadblocks by improving and enhancing communication.
In Part One, students will learn important basics of contemporary communication theory, including Constructed Realities and Miller's Law, and how the mechanics of the Rosetta Stone method provides a tool for examining the application of these principles to any given situation. Part Two is devoted to guiding participants through their own Rosetta Stone readings, including tips on effective deck selection and spread choices.
Students are encouraged to bring their favorite “comfort deck” to this workshop, as well as secondary decks that will be used to explore alternative perspectives. Additional decks will be available on loan from the presenter.
Jeannette Roth is the co-owner of The Tarot Garden — the world's largest and most diverse specialty tarot store. A tarot enthusiast and collector since 1982, her interest in comparative symbolism and the mechanics of communication and learning styles lead her to pursue studies in cognitive processes; she received her B.A. in Psychology from Iowa State University in 1993.
Prior to opening The Tarot Garden in 2001, Jeannette spent more than 15 years in the personal computer industry as a trainer and consultant. She has been a contributing columnist for Timeless Spirit magazine, and has presented lectures and workshops on tarot imagery and multi-perspective approaches to spiritual growth throughout the Midwest.
Contact:
Email: jkr@tarotgarden.com
Website: http://tarotgarden.com
You are cordially invited to an after-conference cocktail reception, where you'll have a chance to meet the presenters and relax with the other attendees. There will be a cash bar, fruit and fresh veggies, cheeses, passed hors d'oeuvres — and of course, lots of lively conversation!
Details, details… Attend the Tarot & Psychology Conference alone for $195 — or combine it with The Readers Studio and save $100!
Look to the navigation bar on the left for answers to all your questions about practical matters such as the schedule, hotel, travel, costs (including our payment plan), and the 2014 Readers Studio!
