How to Tap Into the Power of Ho’oponopono

The Ho’oponopono prayer is a wonderful way to stop the monkey-mind and ask for forgiveness and correction of our thoughts in that moment

Girl setting birds free from cage | Ho’oponopono concept

Since my senior year in high school, I have explored many different spiritual practices. I recall reading my first book on affirmations by Louise Hay, which kindled a fire in my belly to learn all I could about the connection between my mind, my body and my spirit. This led to many spiritual teachers and books that taught me about meditation, sacred scriptures, devotion, silence, mindfulness, chanting and yoga. Yet over the past year it has become clear to me that all of these practices serve one goal—to be able to experience a radical forgiveness—of myself and everyone in my life. It is so clear to me now that peace of mind is the most natural outcome of forgiveness. And it is impossible to be at peace without forgiveness.

Overlooking the faults of others is a good place to start but often we can forgive yet not forget. The memory of a hurt lives on in our psyche, and a past unforgiven relationship may cast shadows that penetrate into our present and extend far into our future.

Tapping Into the Inner Healer

Ho’oponopono [ho-o-pono-pono] is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness that requires our willingness to question our perceptions about everything and everyone and allow the Truth to be remembered.

What is this Truth? It is what all the great spiritual traditions have taught and all the mystics have sung. That beneath all the appearance of guilt, shame, blame, sickness, and suffering is a wholeness, purity and innocence that can never be destroyed. This is not something that we can grasp with the intellectual, thinking mind that compares, catalogues and concludes—often sorting the world into those who hurt and those who are hurt.

Forgiveness is a washing away of all of our judgements by the Inner Healer that resides within each of us. We may call this the Buddha nature, or the Christ consciousness. We may know it as God or Krishna or Shiva or the Goddess—that part within us that is already whole, perfect and beautiful.

How Ho’oponopono Was Discovered

In my study of forgiveness I came across a story which demonstrates how powerful Ho’oponopono can be. Dr. Hew Len is a psychologist who worked at the Hawaii State hospital in the high security ward for the criminally insane from 1983 to 1987. As per the evidence from the research, he cured an entire ward of mentally ill criminals using this ancient Hawaiian healing practice involving reconciliation and forgiveness.

When Dr. Hew Len arrived at the hospital, it was a dangerous place to work. All of the seclusion rooms were occupied with violent patients. The attendants and doctors working in the ward would walk with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. Among the staff, there was a high absenteeism rate.

During this time, Dr. Len didn’t do any therapy on the patients. He would walk through the ward, and review the patient’s files, not for the purpose of therapy but to see what was there for him to clean up inside himself. He noticed that as he worked on himself, patients began to heal. While looking at the files of these patients all he did was, keep saying repeatedly, “I am sorry” and “I love you”.

Within a year and a half, all of the seclusion rooms had been shut down. After a few months, those patients who were shackled were allowed to walk freely while others who required heavy medication were able to taper off and some patients were even released. The staff absenteeism reduced as staff began to enjoy coming to work. Soon there were more staff members than needed because patients were released and eventually the ward closed.

The Philosophy of Ho’oponopono

“If we take complete responsibility for our life, everything we experience in any way would be our responsibility. The problem would not be with our external reality, it would be within us. To change our reality, we would have to change something within ourselves. It doesn’t deny the reality of the consciousness of others. Instead it views all consciousness as one whole, so any error that we clear in our own consciousness we clear for everyone around us.”

The Process of Ho’oponopono

Below is the prayer that Dr. Len repeated as he worked in the hospital ward:

I am sorry
Please forgive me
I love you
Thank you

I am sorry

I am sorry that I do not see your Divine Self—the place of purity and innocence. I accept responsibility for the error that lies in my perception. And I am now open to seeing you differently. I am willing to change my mind so that the Truth of who you really are may be revealed to me.

Please forgive me

I seek forgiveness for the mistakes in my perception whereby I see lack, guilt, powerlessness, pain, fear, or unworthiness in myself or others. This is not the Truth. Divine self, please allow Your Light to shine brightly inside me and clear away all darkness and ignorance inside my mind.

I love you

Only love is real and all else is false. I ask for a healing of my mind so that I may see you through the eyes of love and behold the radiance of the Divine Self within you, within me and within us all.

Thank you

Thank you for the opportunity to become aware of the errors in my perception. Thank you for being the catalyst for my reaching more deeply into my mind beneath the surface fear and lack to the place of healing and wholeness. As I allow my mind to be restored to the full awareness of Truth, I am healed. When I am healed, I am not healed alone for you are healed along with me.

Success Stories of Ho’oponopono Practice

The Ho’oponopono prayer is a wonderful way to stop the monkey-mind and ask for forgiveness and correction of our thoughts in that moment. It is a sort of mental cleansing so we can find our own inner balance again. From that place, the right action and the right words seem to flow naturally. It is an easy practice we can do anywhere and anytime. The other person need not be involved. All it needs is our willingness to change our minds and a sincere desire for peace.

People have practised Ho’oponopono in different settings and have experienced wonderful results. Here are a few such stories:

One woman who was having difficulty in relating to her husband found that practising this prayer helped her feel more peaceful about him and their relationship. She feels less judgemental towards him and can practice her spiritual path without needing to ‘convert’ him.

Another client, a university professor of neuroscience, used this as a mantra while jogging and noted over time a long-standing calf injury healed. He then used this prayer to diffuse the stress he would experience at university faculty meetings where he would feel scrutinised for his ability to procure grants.

A single father who was struggling with depression found the prayer helpful to form a more solid connection with his teenage son. Others have also reported how saying this prayer before communication or after a discordant exchange is soothing and helps restore them to peace.

Also read » The Four Phrases of Ho’Oponopono That Heal and Help

Conclusion

Try Ho’oponopono when you are stuck in a difficult situation or when you experience unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Play with the practice — there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. And don’t be surprised if your world starts to change—for the better.


This was first published in the October 2013 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

Magnifying lens over an exclamation markSpot an error in this article? A typo maybe? Or an incorrect source? Let us know!

Seema Khaneja
Seema Khaneja, MD is a physician with an integrative medical practice in Rochester, NY with a focus on homoeopathy, yoga, and mind-body medicine. She works with children and adults and also facilitates workshops on forgiveness. To learn more about her practice, visit http://drseemakhaneja.com. She is currently working on a book on forgiveness based on A Course in Miracles.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Hello Seema,

    I would like to tell about ho’oponopono, Dr. Hew Len and about Morrnah Simeona.

    Please let me share this:

    Dr Hew Len published incorrect information about ho’oponopono, and about his story about Hawaii State Hospital and his job there. Dr. Hew Len says in several interviews, articles, and in the book “Zero Limits” he healed his patients with a mantra (im sorry, please forgive me, i love you, thank you.). Thats incorrect, this are fake news. The whole world believes this things…

    Michael Micklei knows Dr. Hew Len already at the time while Dr. Hew Len worked in the Hawaii state Hospital in the 1980s. Michael Micklei and Dr. Hew Len gave togehter Ho’oponopono Seminars. Morrnah Simeona (1913 – 1992) was a native hawaiian kahuna. Michael Micklei accompanied Morrnah much time. He worked with Morrnah around 5 years together. Morrnah lived in Michael Mickleis and Yvettes home in Germany. Michael Micklei translated Morrnah’s 14-step ho’oponopono to german. He has been authorized to do so by Morrnah Simeona.

    Michael Micklei says, that Dr. Hew Len have in the Hawaii state Hospital his patients healed with Morrnah’s Ho’oponopono-Process. Never with a mantra.
    Morrnah Simeona adapted the traditional Ho’oponopono to today’s times and realities. She has developed a 14-step process. This is a modern version of the traditional Ho’oponopono process. Morrnah has founded the “Pacifica Seminars” in the 1970s and then the “Foundation of I” to spread her 14-step ho’oponopono around the world. She made it possible for all people to solve their problems with her 14-Step Ho’oponopono.
    In september 1990, Morrnah and Yvette Mauri founded the “Pacifica Seminars” in Germany (see http://www.pacificaseminars.de). Pacifica Seminars Europe is the only organization in Europe, where you can learn Morrnah’s original Ho’oponopono-process today. In Hawaii, Ramsay Taum also spreads the Ho’oponopono-process of Morrnah.

    Please let me share a comment of Michael Micklei. He says in a comment to an another person:

    Quote:
    “Aloha xxx,
    one can clearly see that you love ho’oponopono. My wife and me and many people in Germany do it also. But let me share some knowledge I am aware about Dr. Len. I was working around 5 years with Morrnah, the last year she lived in our home in Kirchheim nearby Munich, she passed away nearly in my arms. So pls let me share this:

    SITH is not a registered TM by Dr. Len or “The Foundation of I”. It is registered in the USA by the Lucas Film several times for the “Lords of SITH”, which are the Lords of Darkness.

    Dr. Len never healed in the mentioned hospital by only saying over and over “I love you” and “Thank you” to the “I”, Morrnahs word for the Source, for Divinity. Instead he used Morrnahs 12 (or 14) step process only, twice or three times a day. Every day he walked through the hospital he looked carefully to the patients, the doctors, his feelings. He taped this. And asked Divinity to heal his karmic bondages with these persons and matters. A hard job for three years. Divinity accepted the plea and healed. 2 persons were not healed, as there were no karmic bondages with Dr. Len.

    Morrnah gave him this kind of order to do so (and at that time he worked really for the good to help Morrnah for her special spiritual job) and in classes, we both attended between Nov. 86 and later, Dr. Len was always telling in detail at the beginning that he was doing exactly this, nothing else. NO mantra was mentioned, never. At that time, Dr. Len was a student of Morrnah like me, so why and how could he use a quite different way in the hospital – and at the weekend in classes he said the opposite? Morrnah was also complex clairvoyant, she could see and hear everything.

    All so called tools of Dr. Len (except 2 or 3) were developped by Dr. Len after 1992, which are only temporarily harmonizing or calming down – NOT cleansing, NOT being any ho’oponopono, as they are not mutual. They are (powerful) magic tools. They are not bad in itsself, but they block people to learn authentic ho’oponoponos – traditional ones or the one of Morrnah. People like those easy magic ways, they really think to heal karmic stuff of hundreds and more reincarnations by 11 words.

    It is clearly the good part of Joe Vitale’s job to spread the name of ho’oponopono from the time of “Zero limits” across the world – but the illusion is inclusive: people know the name, but did not hear about the real content of ho’oponopono or even forget it. Pls keep in mind Dr. Len’s words (received by his divinity) in Zero Limits: “I’ve been told to kill the Divine to be home.” To kill the Divine? Well, starting to take him out from the cleansing. This does not seem a path up to the mountain.
    mahalo for sharing.”

    End of Quote

    link to the comment: https://www.facebook.com/Pacifica-Seminars-611710282175050/

    Dr. Hew Len never healed with a mantra “i love you, please forgive you, im sorry, thank you.” in Hawaii State Hospital. This mantra is not ho’oponopono, and it is not hawaiian.

    Nobody talks about Morrnah’s 14-step Ho’oponopono today. Morrnah’s Ho’oponopono is no longer known to anyone today. Many people were misinformed by Dr. Hew Len and by the Book “Zero Limits” and by another books and organisations. Dr Hew len does not speak about Morrnahs 14-step ho’oponopono-process anymore and he doesen’t speak about he healed his patients with Morrnah’s 14-step ho’oponopono-process in Hawaii State Hospital. The people are misinformed. What reason have Dr. Hew Len to tell this lie? I don’t understand it…

    Michael Micklei has written a report about Dr. Hew Len and the healings in Hawaii State Hospital that happend with Morrnah’s 14-step Ho’oponopono. Please let me share this link (is only in german language, please use Google tanslator to translate it):
    http://www.pacificaseminars.de/hawaii-state-hospital.htm

    Please share it and spread this information to another people 🙂 It is in the interests of all people.

    Aloha and greetings

    Patrice C.

      • On the website of pacificaseminars.de they sell the home course book of Ho’oponopono according to Morrnah’s method.

        Morrnah founded this company together with Yvette Mauri, who is still part of it.

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