Psychotherapy and the Paranormal
By Don Krill, LCSW

In past years fortune telling was said to be the poor man's psychotherapy. Not so anymore. With the advent of Jung's excitement over synchronicity and Deepak Chopra's promoting a similar notion called synchrodestiny, two well known physicians have joined the paranormal world of Dr. Rhine, who popularized ESP at Duke University in years past.

Transpersonal Psychologists, such as Ken Wilbur, provide respectable linkages with Quantum Theory, which itself provides a rational basis for understanding the strange happenings of psychic phenomena. Even psychotherapists have written books on how the Tarot, astrology, and the I-Ching can be sometimes adapted to counseling practice.

During the past five years, I have conducted classes for the VIVA program in Denver on the subject "Exploring Paranormal Phenomena". Hearing numerous stories from students about such p ersonal events validated the frequency and importance of such occurrences. Still there is the question as to whether or not there is a place for such in terests in the counseling room.

By one perspective, paranormal activities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, ghosts, communion with spirit or entity energies can be seen much as we see dreams - as potentially meaningful messages that may provide insights or helpful directions at times.

When a psychotherapist speaks of empathy, and models it, she may really be illustrating a form of ESP, that is, knowledge intuitively sensed apart from either verbal or nonverbal behavior.

Clients from some cultures (commonly Native American, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and many Anglo subcultures) believe in the use of cards, numbers, birthdates, etc., to forecast coming events; they may believe too in spirits, demons and ghosts as having potential effects upon their lives. Clients may hesitate to share such beliefs with a counselor, but once invited will often respond with emotional conviction. A counselor familiar with the workings of a pendulum, Tarot cards, astrological signs, I-Ching coins, or palm reading might even allow for a reading upon request from the client. Already knowing much about the client's life situation, the therapist can provide a most helpful "reading", without claiming to be psychic.

I developed a technique with cards for such occasions, and have called it "Daydreaming the Tarot". The client selects 11 of the 22 Major Arcana cards, simply by spontaneous responses to the symbols. These are then mixed and laid out in a traditional Tarot format for the reading. My knowledge of the client enriches my understanding and explanation of the cards, as they appear. Each picture is an archetype of sorts.

It is important to have the client request such readings, rather than propose them. Otherwise one might be viewed as a fortune teller disguised as a psychotherapist.