Two Hemispheres – One Body: How MAC Triggers a Dialogue with the Body

Can metaphorical associative cards be used in body-focused work — queries about symptoms, weight, and appearance? And what's the point of using this approach when an entire separate field already exists — body-oriented psychology? In fact, using MACs (metaphorical associative cards) can be tremendously helpful for specialists from other disciplines working with body-related issues, and can serve as a standalone therapeutic tool for resolving such queries, thanks to the unique mechanism through which the cards operate.

In this article, we'll explore not only the core principles of working with metaphorical associative cards for adults online, but also the specifics of working with body-related queries.

The foundations of working with MACs

Working with metaphorical associative cards online is built on three fundamental principles:

• integrative engagement of both brain hemispheres;
• the unique capacity of the art-therapeutic approach to shift reality in the "here and now";
• reinforcement of the will to act after the session.

How do metaphorical associative cards integrate the brain?

Have you heard that the left hemisphere is responsible for logic while the right handles creativity? If so, it's worth setting that aside — it's a long-debunked myth. The brain continues to be actively researched, and today we know that both hemispheres work in close collaboration, though each has its own specialization.

The left hemisphere is more involved in language processing and building sequential chains, while the right retains visual imagery, spatial orientation, and emotion. Neither operates in a vacuum: every word carries a unique personal image, and every image generates its own inner commentary.

This integration is well explained by Allan Paivio's dual coding theory, which demonstrates that the brain processes information through two systems — verbal (words) and non-verbal (images). When specialists use metaphorical cards in psychology, they engage both hemispheres simultaneously. This enhances session effectiveness by amplifying emotional response, awareness, and memory.

Modern neuropsychological research — including the work of Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga — confirms that effective interhemispheric integration influences self-regulation, empathy, and symbolic thinking capacity: precisely the processes activated when working with the imagery of cards.

What I see, I feel: how mac cards activate the mind-body connection

One of the most common challenges for clients with body-related queries is a loss of connection with their own body — both at the level of sensation and body image perception. Metaphorical cards serve as a bridge that helps restore the connection between conscious awareness and bodily sensations.

This mechanism is well illustrated through sensory observation experiments, where researchers compared brain activity during self-touch versus observing physical contact between others. The results showed that observation activates sensorimotor brain networks — through a chain of mirror neurons that "mirror" sensory and motor processes.
Images and words on metaphorical cards online activate the same regions of the secondary somatosensory cortex as actual touch.

This "somatic resonance" helps clients gain new bodily experience during a session: pleasant sensations emerge in areas where tension or pain was previously felt. For example, a client who selects associative cards depicting warm light may physically feel warmth or relief in the chest — a demonstration of how an image, through bodily imagination, triggers a real physiological response.

How positive imagery reduces stress

Working within the art-therapeutic framework — to which psychology cards belong — creates space for integrating positive new experience during the session. The client doesn't have to stay in the "this is how things are right now" stage; there is room to move toward what they desire. The person can engage in guided fantasy: imagining what new states, physical sensations, and bodily experiences might emerge ahead.

The relationship between active positive imagination and increased motivation for concrete action is a growing area of inquiry in both psychology and neuroscience. In the work of neuropsychologist Richard Davidson, it has been shown that positive imagery reduces activity in the amygdala (the brain's anxiety center) and strengthens the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for action planning and goal-directedness.

As noted above, activating a positive image through visual perception of metaphorical cards online triggers neural simulation in the brain. The person begins to experience — in the present moment — the state they are striving toward. This is not an escape into illusion, but a genuine pathway to increased motivation.

Research comparing two groups found higher levels of goal achievement among those who, before taking action, imagined the process as pleasant, effortless, and rewarding. By creating mental images, they activated intrinsic motivation.

A strategy for the future

Zoltán Dörnyei proposed a concept in which intense, sustained flows of motivation are generated through the combination of a vivid vision of the future with concrete strategic action. In this way, imagination becomes not boundless fantasy, but a visualization of the future that leads to action. His "L2 Motivational Self System" approach is actively used today in educational motivation research, but has direct relevance to therapeutic processes where the "self that acts" is being formed.

In a study where participants were guided through imagined navigation or imagery exercises followed by brain activity measurement, active imagination was found to enhance alpha activity and improve attentional control — supporting cognitive flexibility and stress reduction.

From a psychological perspective, the positive emotions generated through metaphorical card imagery act as an "expander": they broaden mental resources, open thinking to new possibilities, and stimulate experimentation and action. This is captured in Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory, which positions positive emotions not merely as pleasant experiences, but as the foundation for developing creativity, resilience, and readiness to act. Fredrickson also demonstrated that brief moments of joy or curiosity have lasting effects — they increase capacity for reflection and recovery from stress.

Thus, when metaphorical associative cards are used in a session, the client constructs an imaginative path toward a desired self-image.

This activates:

1. neural simulation (the brain rehearses a new state);
2. emotional engagement (a positive charge that reduces resistance to change);
3. motivational activation (a link between "I see it" and "I'll try it");
4. capacity for action (the client imagines and plans steps they can take in real life).

This combination of cognitive, emotional, and somatic levels makes MAC cards a uniquely powerful tool — not only for psychological work, but for working with physical manifestations of tension and self-regulation challenges.

Between-session practice and returning to session results

The platform for working with MACs allows session outcomes to be saved and shared with the client. This means the person can return again and again to the positive experiences that arose during the session, clearly see their next steps, and keep their focus on set goals. This increases the effectiveness of the consultation and helps overcome unconscious resistance on the path to changing behavioral patterns.

A set of cards with imagery that evoked pleasant or resonant feelings during the session helps the client activate reflection and self-assessment. The person can return to those sensations, re-experience them, and deepen their connection with the body. This practice supports resource retention between therapeutic meetings.

A growing body of research confirms that "homework" of this kind between sessions contributes to better therapeutic outcomes. Reinforcing sensory and emotional experience after a session helps consolidate new neural pathways, so even a brief return to a "daily card online" can remind both body and mind of a resourced state.

In this way, eCarta online functions as a technological amplifier of the therapeutic process — allowing clients to stay in contact with the imagery rather than letting it fade, holding it in mind like a resource trail, gradually weaving it into everyday life.

Through MAC-based body work, clients rediscover their felt sense of connection with their own body, their internal self-image, and the power of action that arises from within — when imagination, body, and mind move in unison.