Grief & Memory Cards for Narrative Therapy

Q: How many cards are in the deck?

{{cardsCount}} cards and one shared back, in seven groups: letters and paper, boxes and keys, worn everyday things, childhood, absence, mended things and things handed on.

Kept Things is a 51-card deck about memory, loss and what we carry forward. A bundle of old letters, an iron key on a string, a chipped mug, an empty frame, a coat still on its hook, a bowl mended with gold — objects, not people. There is no text on the cards and no fixed meanings: each person chooses the thing that holds their story, and tells it.

What's inside

51 objects in seven drawers

Each group opens a different kind of memory — what was written, what was locked away, what was used every day, what was lost, what was mended and what was handed on.

Letters and paper7 cards

Tied envelopes, a pressed flower, a paper boat, postcards turned face-down, a ticket stub.

Boxes and keys7 cards

A dented tin of buttons, an iron key on a string, an empty ring box, a drawer half open.

Worn everyday things8 cards

A chipped mug, folded reading glasses, a wooden spoon, a cardigan on a chair, scuffed shoes.

Childhood7 cards

A one-eyed teddy, scattered marbles, baby shoes on a windowsill, a kite with a torn tail.

Absence7 cards

An empty frame, a coat on its hook, a dented armchair, a pale square where a picture hung.

Mended things7 cards

A bowl with golden seams, a darned sock, a patchwork quilt, a chair leg tied with twine.

Handed on8 cards

A recipe box, a wedding ring, a polished toolbox, saved seeds, a sourdough jar, a music box.

Cards51 film photographs + 1 back

Format2:3 portrait, 1024×1536 px

Text on cardsNone — images only

People on cardsNone — only the things they left

Typical session15–50 minutes

Works with1:1, groups, solo and online

Three cards up close

Three ways a thing can hold a person

Warm film photograph: a bundle of old blank envelopes tied with faded ribbon on a sunny wooden table

The tied letters

What was said that you still keep — and what was never written down?

Warm film photograph: a coat still hanging on a hook in a hallway, a scarf tucked into its pocket

The coat on the hook

Who would come back for this — and what would you tell them?

Warm film photograph: a ceramic bowl mended with visible golden seams along its cracks, on a linen cloth

The mended bowl

What broke, and what does the repair show now?

When to reach for it

Sessions this deck was made for

Grief and bereavement. A coat, a ring, a recipe box: the client picks the object that belonged to the person they miss and tells its story instead of the loss head-on.

Narrative therapy. Lay out a life in objects. Which thing opens the chapter, which closes it, which one was left out of the official story?

Life review with older adults. Familiar objects — a sewing tin, a landline phone, a toolbox — unlock memories that a question alone rarely reaches.

Childhood and family history. Which card was in your house growing up? Which one would you hand to your own children?

Endings and transitions. Moving out, retiring, closing a business: what do you keep, what do you leave, what do you pass on?

Repair after rupture. The mended cards make room for what broke and what the repair now shows.

Groups and memorial circles. Each person chooses one object for someone they remember; the table fills with stories without anyone having to speak first.

Your own journal. Draw one card a day: whose was it, what does it remember, what would you keep of this week?

Before you start

A thing to hold, not a diagnosis

The deck does not measure grief or tell anyone how to remember. Objects simply make it easier to speak about people and times that are hard to name directly — the story belongs to the one who chose the card.

The cards

Things worth keeping

Every card is one object in warm window light, photographed close, as if found in a drawer. Nobody is pictured — the owner is the story.

+36 more

Open the deck to see all 51 and choose the objects for your session.

Questions to ask

Prompts that work with these cards

“Whose was this, and how did it come to you?”

“If this object could remember one afternoon, which would it be?”

“What would you rescue first if the house were on fire?”

“What did you keep that you no longer need — and why is it still here?”

“Which of these would you like someone to keep of you?”

“What is missing from this picture?”

Example spreads

Three layouts to start from

Positions guide the story; they never decide what an object means.

What I carry

3 cards

1What I received
2What I keep
3What I pass on

Timeline matrix

Keep or let go

2 cards

1What I hold on to
2What I am ready to put down

Two-sided desk

Remembering someone

4 cards

1Something that was theirs
2Something we shared
3Something they taught me
4Something I still want to say

Quadrants matrix

Warm film photograph: a chipped enamel mug with a faded flower pattern, steam rising, on a sunny kitchen table

The artwork

Warm film, window light

Every card is original artwork created for MindTrays in the look of an analog film photograph: visible grain, soft halation, faded honey, peach and dusty-rose tones, shallow focus — like a picture found in a family shoebox.

There is no readable writing anywhere: envelopes are blank, photographs lie face-down. Cards render at 1024×1536, sharp enough to zoom into the one scratch a client noticed.

How to work with it

A session in four moves

1

Set the theme

“Someone I miss”, “a chapter of my life” or “what I keep” — one theme, the cards face up or by drawer.

2

Choose an object

The client picks the thing that belongs to the theme. Ask whose it was, where it lives now, how it feels in the hand.

3

Let it tell

Follow the object, not the facts: where it has been, who used it, what it saw. Add a second card when the story turns.

4

Decide what to keep

Close with one card for what the client carries forward. The spread saves with the session for next time.

Why this deck

Made for stories that are hard to start

Objects open the door

Talking about a mug is easier than talking about a mother. The object carries the feeling until the person is ready to.

More than nostalgia

Seven drawers cover loss and absence, but also repair, use and inheritance — what was mended and what is handed on.

One deck for every language

No words on the cards, no faces to compare with — the same deck works across languages, ages and cultures, in person and online.

Questions

About this deck

How are picture cards used in grief work?

The client chooses an object that reminds them of the person they lost and talks about it — whose it was, when it was used, what it still holds. Starting from a concrete thing lowers the threshold for speaking about the loss itself.

What are the cards for in narrative therapy?

To externalise a life story: clients lay out objects as chapters, notice what is kept and what is missing, and re-author the story from there. The cards have no fixed meanings, so the story stays the client's.

How many cards are in the deck?

51 cards and one shared back, in seven groups: letters and paper, boxes and keys, worn everyday things, childhood, absence, mended things and things handed on.

Why are there no people on the cards?

So the person in the story is the client's own. A coat on a hook can belong to a father, a partner or a younger self; a face would decide for them.

Can I use it with older adults or in reminiscence work?

Yes. Everyday objects from home life — a sewing tin, a landline phone, a recipe box — are familiar across generations and need no reading.

Can I use it online?

Yes. Start a collaborative session from this deck and send the link. Clients join with a display name — no account needed — and move cards on the same desk.

Other decks

Pairs well with

MindTrays Lit Windows

55 cards

MindTrays Still Hours

48 cards

MindTrays Slow Ripening

52 cards

Find the thing that holds your story

Open MindTrays Kept Things, choose the object that belongs to someone you remember, and tell where it has been. Working remotely? Start a collaborative session and send the link.