Mana for the Doctor's Soul

Seeing this quote today, I'm inspired to share it on this blog.  It applies to all of us, no matter what our religious or cultural backgrounds might be. Practitioners of Ho'oponopono also speak of taking "100% responsibility" for everything showing up in our lives.  Next to understanding about one's personal identity and connection with Divinity, this may be the most important concept in Ho'oponopono.   Yet for many it can be confusing.  It seems to ask us to take on much more than we feel is ours.  What about personal boundaries, after all?  What do WE have to do with riots in the Middle East, or genocide in African nations? And what about codependency -- a state of blurring between what's ours to do, and what belongs to others?  In codependency, we try to control the alcoholics or addicts in our lives rather than deal with our own issues.  12-step programs warn against taking other people's inventories, and rightly so. So how do w...

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.   ~Plato Sometimes life can feel very difficult, even when practicing Ho'oponopono. Sometimes it seems like problems line up one after another, like legions of ants swarming in for a meal. Sometimes there are no words for such situations. I have been going through something like this for the last while. Morrnah Simeona, the Kahuna Lapa'au who modernized the ancient Hawaiian practice of Ho'oponopono as Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono , said that talking about such things doesn't help anyhow. Being a psychiatrist trained in various kinds of "talk" therapy, I have struggled with this idea.  But in many ways I believe she was right.  For instance, many of us are very stuck in human stories of hurt, blame, resentment, anger, and shame.  No matter what the venue, our "talk" remains endlessly mired in these themes, and we have no insight into our own contributions to painful event...

For many people including me, it's been a challenging year. At times I've felt discouraged -- due to family concerns, finances, and sometimes even my worth as a physician. My specialty is classical homeopathy, a practice that differs from most other psychiatrists like myself. Sometimes this is isolating, and I feel overwhelmed. People who come to see me are often very exasperated with conventional medicine, and their suffering is longstanding and complicated. Some are willing to work with me to understand their problems deeply enough to prescribe remedies effectively; some are not. Initial sessions are 2-3 hours, and I study a lot on top of that. I've seen the kinds of healing possible through these methods, so even though it's difficult for me I keep at it. Through all this occasional anxiety and discouragement, I've continued to practice Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono -- sometimes more consistently than others. The times I feel best are when I DO remember...

Jimmy Piver's new blog, " Here to Be Clear ," is a gift to all of us. In it, he shares his life while applying his understanding of Ho'oponopono, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, and more. Recently he posted about dealing with his own emotions during his wife's suffering and trip to the Emergency Room. Ho'oponopono holds that whatever we experience on the "outside" is also in us -- a huge difference from our usual perceptions, which say that problems are "out there", not within. It's very hard to remain present with someone's pain. Jimmy did help his wife get the medical care she needed. But he also used Ho'oponopono cleaning tools such as mentally saying "I love you", "Peace of I", "Thank you," and "Ice Blue" (said to be especially helpful for painful situations). They were able to return home a few hours later, and his wife was resting well the next morning. Did Ho'oponopono "do...

The movie The Secret (2006) popularized the Law of Attraction. According to it, our thoughts create our reality by magnetizing events and circumstances that correspond to their "vibration". Some say that through using this Law, we can manifest our dreams at will. From The Secret's official web site : "The Secret explains with simplicity the law that is governing all lives, and offers the knowledge of how to create -- intentionally and effortlessly -- a joyful life. This is the secret to everything -- the secret to unlimited happiness, love, health and prosperity." Millions of people including Oprah Winfrey have embraced this movie's teachings; new "Law of Attraction" books, coaches, and training programs seem to appear every day. These programs teach people to formulate and affirm intentions for what they want in their lives. Some have found, however, that this Law may not always "work" as consciously planned -- especially if unconscio...