The Journey Guide Card Decks · 4 decks · 184 cards
The right question, when you need it
A diagnosis fills your head with noise. These cards do the opposite: one card, one question, one honest moment. Four decks that mirror the real phases of a medical journey, built to be held in waiting rooms, at kitchen tables, and in the room where decisions happen. One deck belongs to the person walking beside you.
Introductory price: $89 for all four decks. Regular price after launch: $119.
Some moments in this forest don't need a program or a course. They need one good question at the right time. Before the appointment: what do I actually want my doctor to know about me? In the room: what am I saying yes to? On the long road after: what is my body telling me that my calendar isn't?
We collected the questions that matter, the ones patients wish someone had asked them, and put them on cards. Because a card in your hand is patient. It doesn't scroll away, it doesn't give advice, and it waits until you're ready.
Every card carries a question on the front and, on the back, why it matters. No prescriptions, no seven-step plans. Just the questions that open doors, in your hand, when you need them.
The four decks
A few cards, so you know the tone
One suit per deck goes deeper
Each deck holds one terracotta suit exploring the emotional dimension of illness, drawing on the mindbody work of Dr. John Sarno and Dr. David Schechter. To be clear, because it matters: these cards never suggest your illness is in your head, and they are not treatment. They explore what coexists with any diagnosis. Every terracotta card says it on the back: if it feels too tender right now, set it down. You can return to it later.
Help us print the first thousand
We're funding the first production run on Kickstarter, so these decks exist because people wanted them, not because a publisher bet on them. Backers get the lowest prices we will ever offer, from digital sets to boxed sets to institutional bundles for clinics and hospices. If the campaign grows, so do the decks: translations, an illustrated companion, more.
What you get
All four decks in one boxed set: 184 cards, five suits per deck, with a guide booklet on how to use them alone, with your person, or in the appointment itself. Cards are tagged so you know at a glance: share with your doctor, keep for reflection, or reach for a notebook and write. Introductory price $89, regular price $119 after launch.
FAQ
- Is this only for cancer?
- No. Cancer, MS, autoimmune, any serious diagnosis. The questions are about you and the road, not about one disease.
- Is this therapy?
- No. The cards are prompts for reflection and conversation, not treatment and not medical advice. They work alongside your care, never instead of it.
- Do I have to use the terracotta cards?
- No. They sit in their own suit in each deck. Many people start with them last, some never. Both are right.
- What is the sealed envelope in Deck 3?
- Twelve cards on end-of-life questions and planning, sealed on purpose. You open it if and when you choose. For some people that's never, for some it's the most important part of the whole set.
- When do the decks ship?
- The Kickstarter funds the first print run. Shipping timelines are on the campaign page, direct orders ship after the first run is produced.
- Is there a digital version?
- Yes, digital sets are available through the campaign, ideal if you want the questions today.
The decks walk beside our programs
You can't control what the next appointment brings. But you can walk in holding the right questions. That changes more than you'd think.
The Journey Guide Card Decks are tools for reflection and conversation, not medical care. They do not replace your medical team. For medical emergencies, always contact your doctor or emergency services first.