The Science behind – Ho’oponopono

Amidst all the unending hustle that we cope with, do you sometimes think about stealing a few moments just for yourself? Away, disconnected and impromptu? Something for which would not require any sort of training yet proved effective. If so, Ho’oponopono is the solution for you. It brings you in a state of peace where and when you can look within and reflect on your thoughts and feelings. It comes with an innate ability to de-stress your life through mental and spiritual learning.

The word “ho’o” means “cause” in Hawaiian, while “ponopono” means “perfection”. The term “ho’oponopono” can be translated as “correct a mistake” or “make it right”.

This practice is powerful in displacing a bad memory that impacts oneself negatively. The technique rose to prominence when a therapist and teacher Ihaleakala Hew Len managed to cure an entire pavilion of prisoners who were suffering from varying mental disorders without ever coming face to face with any of them. He studied each of the patient’s records and applied the technique of ho’oponopono (which we will explain further). The constant application helped him change his mood. This in turn caused a change in the mental activity of the prisoners. It took everyone by surprise.

The concept of this healing finds its relevance in the belief that our reality is the sum total of the experiences of our individual minds. Whatever we think, whatever we feel, takes shape and triggers the problems that we face. This technique comes as a cure of these problems through ‘forgiveness of oneself’. We can’t alter what happens to us but we can definitely deal with it mindfully once it has happened. Read this sentence again! In words of Captain Jack Sparrow, the problem is the problem; the problem is your attitude towards the problem.

So what can you do to improve your attitude towards a problem? There are four simple sentences:

1.       I am sorry

2.       Forgive me

3.       I love you

4.       I am grateful

These sentences address the sentiments of repentance, forgiveness, love and gratitude. The repetition of these can help you get free of blockages, negative impressions and traumatic memories. It gives you a complete control of your body and your life at large. Ho’oponopono overrides the ill feelings in our mind by cleansing. Just begin with focusing on that one divine power which you believe in and dedicate these phrases to it. So much relaxation might come over that you might want to slip into a quick nap. This is an outcome of the release of energy stored within giving way to relaxation. 

REFERENCE:

MEYER, M. (1995). To Set Right—Ho'oponopono: A Native Hawaiian way of peacemaking. Compleat Lawyer, 12(4), 30-35. Retrieved December 8, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23778995