Focusing with OH

The workshop at our 25th International Focusing Conference which used OH cards was titled “Focusing with OH Cards.” It was a two-hour experience of using the cards. The presenters, Naomi Horio and Mako Hikasa, were from Japan and the workshop was given in Japanese and translated into English.

First, we each chose a card from the OH original deck with which to introduce ourselves. We checked inside ourselves for responses, feelings, and a body sense the card brought to us. We noticed if something in the card resembled ourselves, or especially attracted us. We took time to sense for our title for the card, and then we introduced ourselves around the circle of about sixteen of us. It took a lot longer than planned, due to the richness of the sharing.

The second exercise was to pick a card from the MORENÁ deck that somehow matched the word “home” for us. We paired up and each spent ten minutes with a listener as we sensed into our response to the card and our felt sense of “home.” We just listened and didn’t comment on anyone else’s sharing, which is our normal way of dealing with personal sharing in Focusing.

Nina Joy Lawrence is a Focusing Professional, training people in noticing inside themselves the qualities of their bodily felt sense. She works with people all over the world to improve their wellness. Nina Joy and her colleague, Patricia Omidian, teach Focusing in Afghanistan using the medium of Sufi poetry.