Between Us
A deck for couple work. 96 scenes of closeness, distance, conflict, and the choice to stay in contact.
Open the deckWhat's in the deck
Between Us is a deck for relationship therapy and coaching. Every card shows two adults and the visible dynamic between them: approach, synchrony, vulnerability, distance, conflict, listening, renegotiation. The visual language is intimate cinematic illustration: translucent gouache, soft charcoal contour, colored shadows, everyday scenes without text and without idealization. Not romance postcards and not family cartoons, but adult moments where a couple can recognize itself. Eight tracks from first spark through repair and choice, plus a Third Field expansion that lets a child, parent, animal, or outside attention enter the scene as context.
Groups
Approach
First spark, interest, caution. Contact has not begun yet.
Intimacy
Vulnerability, bodies, shared everyday life, trust.
We-Space
Teamwork, rhythm, a shared world, support.
Difference
Two viewpoints, autonomy, being out of sync.
Conflict & Boundaries
Silence, argument, power, jealousy, distance.
Repair
Listening, acknowledgement, asking, forgiveness, a new agreement.
Choice
Stay, leave, rebuild, let go, start differently.
Third Field
Children, parents, animals, exes, outside attention as context for the couple bond.
Techniques where this deck fits
These are the self-reflection techniques in our Self-Work Navigator that work well with this deck:
When to pick
You're working with a couple
The cards keep both partners in the same frame. Useful when one partner's story keeps overwriting the other's.
Conflict or distance is the topic
Tracks Difference, Conflict & Boundaries, and Repair carry these scenes without falling into blame or melodrama.
Individual session about a partner
Pull a card for "what is between us now". The picture often surfaces what plain words flatten.
A turning point in the relationship
The Choice track is built for "stay, leave, rebuild" questions, with grief and adaptability included.
When this isn't the right deck
Between Us is a focused deck about partner dynamics. If your question is not about a couple — work, identity, a personal choice — a broader deck will read faster. The Open Door for general life, Crosspoint for choices outside relationships, Reflection for emotions through faces. The deck shows conflict and rupture, but not violence — if a relationship has crossed into abuse, this is not a self-help tool, talk to a specialist. Not tarot, not an oracle — the card does not predict whether the relationship will last. It gives the couple a frame to look at themselves.
Other decks in MAC Cards Online
About metaphorical associative cards (MAC)
Metaphorical associative cards (MAC) are a projective tool used in self-reflection, coaching and therapy. Unlike tarot or oracle cards, they don't predict anything — the image becomes a mirror for what is already happening inside you.
You can work with MAC cards alone in a quiet 5-minute session, with a therapist, or in a group. The card is not the answer; it is a frame for asking yourself a more honest question.
On MAC Cards Online, every public deck is free to try in your browser — no installation, no registration. The platform also has Self-Work Navigator with 8 guided techniques that walk you through a session step by step.