Mana for the Doctor's Soul

Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len Listening to a patient yesterday, I was struck yet again with the overlap between what I do as a homeopathic physician, and Ho'oponopono. The woman described a situation where she had been extremely upset, lost in an avalanche of emotion.  One painful feeling tapped into another, defenses erupted, and she felt herself flame up like a bonfire, unable to stop or let go. Even though something inside told her "this is not right -- back off," she couldn't. The specific triggers could be different for each of us, but this is what it's generally like when we lose our center.  Very important in this scenario: even while this woman was immersed in her swirl of pain,  part of her stood outside and could "watch", or witness, what was happening.  She had not been aware of that previously. The homeopathic remedy I had given her -- a deep-acting one prescribed specifically for her individual disturbance -- gave reli...

Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono is known as a process of "repentance, forgiveness, and transmutation" so that our errors in throught, word, and deed can be cleansed and made right. But the part about "repentance" stops some of us cold. Even the phrase "I'm sorry" can rankle. Why? For some of us, the word "repentance" churns up evangelical connotations: sin, guilt, fire, and eternal damnation, from earlier religious training. We may have struggled against such seemingly condemning viewpoints all our lives. And understandably, we don't want any of that stuff. It leaves us feeling hopelessly bad about ourselves. Any implication of wrongdoing triggers our shame. That's why saying "I'm sorry" can stir up our resistance. Is Ho'oponopono about hopelessness and focusing on how bad we are? Hardly. Most religions aren't either, although the people practicing them may get stuck there. I ran across a helpful referenc...

"This is the true joy in life -- the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." ~ George Bernard Shaw The feeling of not knowing one's purpose in life is painful, yet extraordinarily common. We long to be touched by the Divine, to be shown what we are here to do. People may experience confusion about this for years, never quite feeling at home in their lives or work. So we sign up for the next seminar, the next teacher, the next process promising to deliver enlightenment. Perhaps the answers will be in the handouts, or the guru will tell us directly. Different from many other practices, Ho'oponopono encourages seeking such answers from within. However, we won't hear them if we're lost in our "ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote its...

Sometimes we attend seminars and leave untouched; other times we are forever changed. I experienced the latter this past weekend, through " The Easiest Way Live Seminar" with Mabel Katz and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len . Too many places in me were touched to write about them all at once. They'll have to come out over time. One, though, involves the human fear of being "nothing" -- with the surprising recognition that there is also great freedom in this. For me this was like a spiritual cleanse, unsticking clogged energies like the best bran muffin one could hope for. The very essence of Ho'oponopono is that we come from nothing (the Void) as an exact likeness of the Divine. " We are perfect, but we've got doo-doo [extraneous data or memories plugging us up]," said Dr. Hew Len. Hawaiians even have a term for this situation: kukai pa'a (intellectual constipation). Ho'oponopono cleaning is all about letting go of this "doo-doo" so t...

This blog focuses on Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono as taught by Morrnah Simeona , Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len , Mabel Katz , and the Foundation of I . Though it especially reaches out to people in healing professions as they work with patients or clients, its information may interest others too. Dr. Hew Len often reminds us that the essence of Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono is knowing who we really are. Without this knowledge, we're sunk. So it was especially interesting to receive an email from someone asking (among other questions and assertions), "Who are you anyway?" Many of us have been asked similar questions, perhaps by parents or others disturbed by our behavior. The tone suggests we are impertinent and uppity somehow. This "Who do you think you are?" [to be doing/thinking/saying whatever we're doing, thinking or saying] is meant to shame or silence us. Such questions also present wonderful opportunities to remember who we really are: sp...

As a psychiatrist, I've worked in many general hospitals and inpatient psychiatric units -- including specialized ones for forensically mentally ill people. Patients arrive on such units in all kinds of distress: severe depression, psychosis, suicide attempts, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and sometimes criminal offenses. Many also have additional problems like diabetes, hypertension, delirium, or intractible medication side effects. Bureaucracy and paperwork can be monstrous in themselves, even before you reach the patients. Physician, therapist, and nursing staff burnout thrive in such environments. So I've been in awe of Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len's experiences working at Hawaii State Hospital in the 1980's. Detailed accounts of these are in the book Zero Limits , which he and Dr. Joe Vitale co-authored. But the nutshell version is that while he was there -- doing only his Ho'oponopono cleaning, no conventional therapy -- all but 2 patients on a dangerou...

Ever wonder how chronic stress affects you and your body? There are many ways to notice this personally, if we can self-observe. But researchers at Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Yerkes Primate Research Center have developed an animal model that illustrates how stress affects physiology, behavior, and even reproduction. Anxiety, depression, and infertility are a few of the known results of chronic stress. Typical of many in contemporary biomedicine, these researchers describe effects in terms of neurohormones -- in this case, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). In response to stress, the hypothalmus (a part of the brain) secretes CRF; this stimulates the pituitary gland to make hormones that go on to stimulate the adrenal glands (ACTH). In acute stress, CRF levels rise, leading to a complete hormonal fight-or-flight cascade. Once the stressor passes, CRF levels fall. This process in our bodies helps us respond to immediate dangers such as flood...