Benebell Wen Has Had a Change of Heart! (Health Readings And Tarot)

[Raggydoll]

 

I feel that her video is highly interesting and I have yet to figure out where I personally stand in all of this. She used to previously say "No" to all health related requests, and referring all such clients to medical professionals. Now she has had a change of heart and sees things in a different light. I will let her explain it in her own words, as to not misrepresent her standpoints. So make sure to watch the video!

 

Now I would like to hear what everyone else thinks about this! Would you help someone with a health related question? Where do YOU draw the line? Is there a difference between merely exploring a topic (such as someones health status) and giving medical guidance? (Benebell clearly thinks there is, and she talks about the legal side of things and how you can stay clear of getting yourself in trouble. And for those who aren't aware, Benebell is a corporate attorney so the topic of law is just as much her specialty as the topic of tarot!) 

 

The one thing that I am not 100% on board with is her talk about the selfishness and arrogance she sees when a reader tells their client that their question is not in line with the readers personal ethics. She says that this implies that you judge them and that you critique them for not being as ethical as you. Generally, I think its more complex than that. How are we to understand and respect other peoples boundaries if we find ourselves constantly questioning our own, thinking that we might have too high opinions of ourselves or that we are not being accepting enough? I believe that a great deal of tarot readers are empats, and most empats - from my experience - will be inclined toward saying 'yes' way more often than saying 'no' and that they tend to go above and beyond in order to help other people, even if it means that they sometime set their own needs or feelings aside. Is that healthy? Would such a person even be fit to do health readings for others? Aren't personal boundaries and ethics part of the holistic definition of health? Mind you, I am not saying that Benebell in any way is encouraging people to lower their boundaries or compromising their own sense of ethics. I don't think that's the case here or what she truly meant. That would be a much too simplified interpretation of her statement. I just felt that I wanted to bring up that side of things to add to this discussion. I am sure that I am not the only tarot reader that has had to think long and hard about the topic of boundaries, and to me, having healthy personal boundaries is most definitely a part of a general state of well being and 'health'. 

[Starlight]

I haven't watched the video yet, just read your post, but I wonder if she's using one example to refer to 2 different things. Not reading health questions because you're not comfortable doing so (knowing you're not a medical professional) vs telling a client in a condescending way that their asking for a health reading reveals a lower ethical and moral standing?

 

Perhaps she was just talking about herself in the third person?

 

I don't have anywhere near enough anatomy/physiology know-how to link a card to a health issue, so I would be very much aware that I might miss something or mininterpret something. With a love issue, that might not be a life/death risk. But with health? Dicey.

 

I suppose it depends on what the health question is? How much information they want to know? I might be ok with the question, "Should I go see my doctor?" (And I wouldn't really need cards to answer that. If you're concerned, it's a good idea to see a health professional.)

 

Just thinking out loud here. I'll watch the video and come back. 🙂

[Wheel of Fantastic]

I'm also only responding to this post; I haven't watched the video. Simply based on the content of the post I would strongly disagree with Benebell's view. Health issues can have major life changing consequences and should really be left to the appropriate qualified health professionals to deal with.

 

Full disclosure: I am a qualified senior Occupational Therapist; we have to work to a fairly stringent ethical framework and one of these principles is that you should not practice beyond the boundaries of your current knowledge and/or experience. I have seen first hand the consequences of ill informed health related decisions. I would seriously warn people away from providing health related tarot readings; instead - if possible - sign post them to the most appropriate service. I would do this even, as I am, actually a health professional.

 

Case in point. I had a friend ask me for a reading to determine the outcome  of a mammogram scan; she was clearly anxious. I advised her that this would not be advisable and asked her to think how she would react if the reading was a negative one. Leaving someone in distress would actually be a breach of my OT ethics. There was no way I could even countenance it.

 

I have nothing but respect for Benebell but in this issue she is completely wrong. I will watch the video to see exactly what she says but I believe I will fundamentally stand by my position.

 

Edit: O.K., I have watched the video. I certainly agree with Benebell that using tarot to holistically look at health related issues from a spiritual perspective is perfectly valid. However, I don't agree with her assertion that you are only looking out for your own interests by declining health readings. No, actually I decline health readings because I am concerned for my clients; I do not wish to cause them greater anxiety. I also feel she is coming to this issue from her own personal, U.S. centric perspective and it would be inadvisable to generalise her ideas to every tarot reader in every country. She certainly means well when she talks about empowering clients but you had better have damn good counselling skills and experience if you are going to work with someone who is already anxious and worried. It's only because of my experience working as an OT with people experiencing distress and anxiety that I've been confident to manage readings with people in a similar situation.

 

I was also alarmed by her suggestion that you could easily provide advice on which vitamins to take. Really? Uh, no. Just no. Certain vitamins and minerals are actually dangerous in the wrong quantities, particularly if you don't understand a person's underlying medical condition. If you have the relevant training then maybe but I would still urge caution.

 

In short, I think Benebell means well but I wouldn't recommend following her suggestions unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing. I stand by the bulk of my initial post.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Wheel of Fantastic

[Eric13]

I did just watch this whole video. I liked it. I agree with what she said about giving advice. I strongly disagree with what she abut the readers and their ethics and so on. 

She does make it clear, free advice I guess, about how to protect yourself. 

I would like to know why the video is edited so much too.

This is going to be a good one @Raggydoll 

To me, there's also the issue of the health care system in America now. It's become quite bad and I think thats one of her reasons for a change of mind. I think this issue may differ by the country as well.

But I will comment on this later because I have things to do. 

[Barleywine]

23 minutes ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

I'm also only responding to this post; I haven't watched the video. Simply based on the content of the post I would strongly disagree with Benebell's view. Health issues can have major life changing consequences and should really be left to the appropriate qualified health professionals to deal with.

 

Full disclosure: I am a qualified senior Occupational Therapist; we have to work to a fairly stringent ethical framework and one of these principles is that you should not practice beyond the boundaries of your current knowledge and/or experience. I have seen first hand the consequences of ill informed health related decisions. I would seriously warn people away from providing health related tarot readings; instead - if possible - sign post them to the most appropriate service. I would do this even, as I am, actually a health professional.

 

Case in point. I had a friend ask me for a reading to determine the outcome  of a mammogram scan; she was clearly anxious. I advised her that this would not be advisable and asked her to think how she would react if the reading was a negative one. Leaving someone in distress would actually be a breach of my OT ethics. There was no way I could even countenance it.

 

I have nothing but respect for Benebell but in this issue she is completely wrong. I will watch the video to see exactly what she says but I believe I will fundamentally stand by my position.

I tend to agree with this in principle, and my personal code of ethics steers me away from reading definitively on anything for which I'm not trained and certified, like legal, financial or medical topics. The objective is self-preservation, since I don't want to become a target of litigation for advice that goes awry. However, it seems to me that, as long as we stay clear of diagnosis and remediation, we can approach the subject of health delicately. The Lenormand cards seem to handle health issues rather well.

[Saturn Celeste]

I have 4 words on both my Wix site and my Etsy site:  For Entertainment Purposes Only.  If I look into someones health, I always qualify I am not in the medical field and refer them to a doctor but to take a look at a health situation as long as it's not a diagnosis is just the same as looking at someone's love life.  Common sense and wording goes a long way with how we present our readings.  I am not qualified to answer medical questions per se but I feel I am qualified to give someone a starting point and perhaps give them ideas on the type of questions to ask a doctor.

[Raggydoll]

42 minutes ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

I'm also only responding to this post; I haven't watched the video. Simply based on the content of the post I would strongly disagree with Benebell's view. Health issues can have major life changing consequences and should really be left to the appropriate qualified health professionals to deal with.

 

Full disclosure: I am a qualified senior Occupational Therapist; we have to work to a fairly stringent ethical framework and one of these principles is that you should not practice beyond the boundaries of your current knowledge and/or experience. I have seen first hand the consequences of ill informed health related decisions. I would seriously warn people away from providing health related tarot readings; instead - if possible - sign post them to the most appropriate service. I would do this even, as I am, actually a health professional.

 

Case in point. I had a friend ask me for a reading to determine the outcome  of a mammogram scan; she was clearly anxious. I advised her that this would not be advisable and asked her to think how she would react if the reading was a negative one. Leaving someone in distress would actually be a breach of my OT ethics. There was no way I could even countenance it.

I absolutely agree here. And there is another side to this too. Do you as a reader know for sure that your level of accuracy is high enough so that it is even relevant what you say that the future test may show? I think its important to not only know your boundaries when it comes to medical knowledge (or lack thereof), but also to know (and let the sitter know) your limitations when it comes to accuracy. Because even if Benebell is right in that most people are well aware that they should seek medical advice, and they are also likely to have done so before coming to you - it is still highly possible that they hold misconceptions or unrealistic expectations of what you as a reader can provide for them. 

42 minutes ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

I have nothing but respect for Benebell but in this issue she is completely wrong. I will watch the video to see exactly what she says but I believe I will fundamentally stand by my position.

 

Edit: O.K., I have watched the video. I certainly agree with Benebell that using tarot to holistically look at health related issues from a spiritual perspective is perfectly valid. However, I don't agree with her assertion that you are only looking out for your own interests by declining health readings. No, actually I decline health readings because I am concerned for my clients; I do not wish to cause them greater anxiety.

For sure. But the difference here is that Benebell is speaking from her own vantage point. She is not just an ordinary tarot reader, she has a wider knowledge when it comes to holistic nutrition etc. So I think she sort of forgets that most of her viewers will not be in the position she is in, and it might not be the best thing to encourage others to start handing out 'harmless' advice on vitamins and lifestyle habits etc. 

42 minutes ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

I was also alarmed by her suggestion that you could easily provide advice on which vitamins to take. Really? Uh, no. Just no. Certain vitamins and minerals are actually dangerous in the wrong quantities, particularly if you don't understand a person's underlying medical condition. If you have the relevant training then maybe but I would still urge caution.

Yes, I reacted to this as well. I mean, a lot of people won't even know the difference between fat soluble vitamins vs water soluble ones, and that can prove to be really harmful. 

42 minutes ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

 

In short, I think Benebell means well but I wouldn't recommend following her suggestions unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing. I stand by the bulk of my initial post.

Yeah. And the problem to me is that the person who has a very basic understanding might sometimes perceive themselves as more knowledgeable than they are, simply because they cannot grasp the complexity of the field that they are traversing (like the many med. students who feel like experts after 4 months, but then feel like they know almost nothing after 2 years because then they have seen how much more there is to learn! And yes, I was totally like that once upon a time. But that is since long forgotten, and now I know next to nothing about medicine again 😉)

[Raggydoll]

32 minutes ago, Barleywine said:

I tend to agree with this in principle, and my personal code of ethics steers me away from reading definitively on anything for which I'm not trained and certified, like legal, financial or medical topics. The objective is self-preservation, since I don't want to become a target of litigation for advice that goes awry. However, it seems to me that, as long as we stay clear of diagnosis and remediation, we can approach the subject of health delicately. The Lenormand cards seem to handle health issues rather well.

Yup, I agree that there is a delicate middle path here. I mean, I myself say that I find personal boundaries to be part of someones health, and I have done quite a few readings on personal boundaries - so clearly I dance around the topic of health at times. And I wouldn't be against doing a reading about lifestyle or 'wellness', but I would stay clear of health predictions and I would not do readings on the results of a medical treatment. 

[Barleywine]

40 minutes ago, Saturn Celeste said:

I have 4 words on both my Wix site and my Etsy site:  For Entertainment Purposes Only.  If I look into someones health, I always qualify I am not in the medical field and refer them to a doctor but to take a look at a health situation as long as it's not a diagnosis is just the same as looking at someone's love life.  Common sense and wording goes a long way with how we present our readings.  I am not qualified to answer medical questions per se but I feel I am qualified to give someone a starting point and perhaps give them ideas on the type of questions to ask a doctor.

I have similar wording in my "Tarot Reading Overview," which I furnish to sitters if these issues come up. Years ago I read Benebell's blog post on the subject and crafted the following based on her advice. The legalese comes from my long experience as a Purchasing Manager.

 

"My observations are offered “for entertainment only,” with no express or implied claim of suitability for any particular purpose. Their use is at the sole discretion and responsibility of the recipient."

 

The only problem I have with the "for entertainment only" language is that it tends to cheapen the experience for the client who usually has a very serious outlook on the situation. But I know that some government jurisdictions require it.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Barleywine

[Barleywine]

10 minutes ago, Raggydoll said:

Yup, I agree that there is a delicate middle path here. I mean, I myself say that I find personal boundaries to be part of someones health, and I have done quite a few readings on personal boundaries - so clearly I dance around the topic of health at times. And I wouldn't be against doing a reading about lifestyle or 'wellness', but I would stay clear of health predictions and I would not do readings on the results of a medical treatment. 

Yes, "wellness" is the right word. I've created a few spreads that use that approach.

[Starlight]

2 hours ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

I also feel she is coming to this issue from her own personal, U.S. centric perspective and it would be inadvisable to generalise her ideas to every tarot reader in every country.

Yes, that was what I thought as well.

 

Also, she has a background in Taoism and a working knowledge of traditional chinese medicine. She uses Astrology to discover where there are blockages in chi. She knows considerably more than most Tarot readers. And she makes that point. If you don't have the knowledge or experience, then it's fine to decline to read - but she suggests making it clear to the client WHY you are declining, and not just tell them it's due to ethics. Have compassion for the client is her bottom line.

 

Edited August 21, 2019 by Starlight

[AfternoonTarot]

I haven’t watched the video, so if this comment is a bit off, I apologize.  

 

There is an important and influential branch of psychology called Health Psychology, which seeks to help us understand how people think, feel, and behave with respect to their health.  One of the things it has helped us understand better is why people don’t do what they know they should when it comes to their health.  So many illnesses have a behavioral base and/or behavioral component. It could be as simple as neglecting to get one’s preventive care, or as complex as a completely unhealthy lifestyle and environment. Things that factor in include motivation, willingness, readiness, believing they can, social influences, response to change, coping, etc.  There are many things that are within the control of the individual before, during, and after illness.

 

I work in this field and talk to people about their health every day, but never give any medical advice.  The exceptions are things that we know to be beneficial or harmful to health that have been demonstrated over time e.g. smoking is bad.

 

Within Tarot readings there are many things we can talk about with respect to health without giving actual medical advice.  If a Tarot client asks for medical advice, I respectfully ask them why they are asking me instead of calling a Nurse Line or going to their doctor?  Almost every time the answer stems from psychologically-influenced need e.g fear of the unknown, loss of control, etc. that can be rephrased into a question for a Tarot reading that stays clear of medical advice. (If they have no insurance, they can still call a free Nurse Line here in the US.). 

 

Again, I haven’t watched the video and I believe that each Tarot reader should do what resonates with their personal beliefs and values.