What Really Happens During a Tarot Reading? I Analyzed Data from 436 Sessions to Find Out
Why do people get tarot readings? How does tarot impact people? Does tarot actually work? Is there any benefit to getting a tarot reading? I have a million and one questions around the impacts and efficacy of tarot, and unfortunately when I went to research it myself I found out that there is very little science has to say on the subject!
So I decided to conduct my own research study, and here are the findings!
NOTE: (All data was collected ethically and with the express written consent of all participants, to be shared publicly, there is no personal information in the report, only survey results).
I conducted 500 1-hour tarot sessions, and at the end of the session I asked people if they wanted to be included in this study, and 436 people responded!
Tarot Readings give people Emotional and Psychological Relief
The most striking trend I saw was the immediate impact tarot had on most people. 70% of clients arrived in a decidedly negative emotional state: anxiety, worry, heartbreak, grief, or feeling completely overwhelmed.
Yet by the time the session finished, over 82% reported a significant positive turnaround in their mood. The average client walked in feeling stressed/stuck/anxious and walked out feeling calm, grounded, or genuinely hopeful.
The "Mirror" Effect: Perceived Accuracy increases reported Benefit
The data showed that accuracy and emotional relief were directly linked. So when a client felt like the reading was accurate to their situation, they experienced a greater release of stress as an outcome.
Maybe this is because when the cards are accurate, it connects us to an idea of something greater than ourselves, or feeling the synchronies of the universe - or even a spiritual effect that can be quite soothing and reassuring.
You Don’t Have to ‘Believe’ in Tarot to Benefit from a Reading. Only be Sincere
Clients who identified as Secular saw virtually the exact same emotional benefits and accuracy ratings as those who identified as Spiritual:
94% of secular clients rated their readings accurate (compared to 96% of spiritual clients).
Both groups experienced nearly identical reductions in stress and boosts in clarity.
One thing to note however, is regardless the personal beliefs of the participants, everyone approached the reading with sincerity and mutual respect.
The Impact
Grief: 100% of clients who arrived grieving a loss left feeling comforted and emotionally supported.
Overwhelm: Clients who self-reported being completely overwhelmed experienced the largest positive emotional shift of any group in the entire study, moving from acute distress straight into a calm, centered state.
Feeling "Lost": People dealing with decision paralysis and direction fog rated the readings with the highest accuracy in the entire study.
On the other hand, clients who booked a reading just out of casual curiosity… arriving with a neutral mindset and no clear question, tended to leave in that same neutral space.
Which Topic is Best for Tarot?
Career and Life-Purpose Readings were ranked the highest: Questions about career changes, going back to school, or discovering one's calling scored near-perfect accuracy and benefit ratings.
Relationship/Love Readings were more difficult: While relationship readings saw significant emotional imporvement (especially for those dealing with heartbreak or divorce), questions about ambiguous, ongoing dating situations had lower satisfaction.
What’s Next?
This is only an initial study and its far from perfect. I am already planning how I want to improve my methods in the future and make it more standardized. After so many years of reading tarot and talking to people, I feel like I have a lot of information and insight that Id love to share about these topics! While this study was not perfect, it did open my eyes to a lot of interesting trends and results.
Emotional Impact of a Tarot Reading
Topics
Access to raw data here: