A Practice of Healing
Ho'oponopono
An ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness — and one of the most powerful healing tools I have ever encountered.
What Is Ho'oponopono?
Ho'oponopono (pronounced ho-oh-pono-pono) is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. The word itself means 'to make right' or 'to correct an error.' At its heart, it is a prayer — a conversation between you and the Divine — that clears old wounds, dissolves painful memories, and restores you to a state of peace.
I first came to Ho'oponopono many years ago, and I can tell you honestly: it changed me. Not in a dramatic, overnight way, but quietly, deeply —the best way that I can describe it is to say that I felt a shift. I use it in my own life, and I share it with clients whenever I feel it is what their soul needs to hear.
The modern version of this practice was brought to the world by Dr. Ihaleakalá Hew Len, who worked with the teachings of Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona. Dr. Hew Len taught that everything we experience in our outer world is a reflection of memories stored within us — and that by taking 100% responsibility and asking the Divine to cleanse those memories, we can heal not only ourselves but the world around us.
The Hawaii State Hospital
The Story That Changed Everything
If you want to understand why I believe so deeply in this practice, let me tell you a story. It is one of the most remarkable things I have ever come across — and it is true.
From 1983 to 1987, Dr. Ihaleakalá Hew Len worked as a staff psychologist at the Hawaii State Hospital, assigned to a high-security ward for the criminally insane. The ward was notoriously dangerous. Patients attacked each other and the guards. Many patients were kept in heavy restraints or sedated around the clock. The staff's morale was so low that the employees were constantly quitting. It was, by all accounts, a place without hope.
Dr. Hew Len never held a single therapy session with the patients. He never met with them face to face. Instead, he sat quietly in his office each day, opened a patient's file, read about their crimes and their suffering — and then turned inward. He asked himself: 'What is happening within me that I have created or allowed this person's pain to enter my awareness?' And then he repeated the four phrases — I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you — over and over, healing his own inner response to what he was reading.
Over four years, something extraordinary happened. Patients who had been shackled were allowed to walk freely. Medication was reduced, then eliminated for many. People who had been considered beyond help were eventually rehabilitated and released. Staff stopped quitting. The ward became so peaceful that it was ultimately closed — because it was no longer needed.
Dr. Hew Len's work was documented and brought to a wider audience by author Dr. Joe Vitale in the book Zero Limits. The practice he used was adapted from the ancient Hawaiian tradition by his teacher, the revered healer Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, who transformed what was once a group ritual — overseen by a kahuna and involving an entire family — into a deeply personal, inward process that any individual can practice alone.
I share this story not to convince you of anything, but because it moved me profoundly the first time I heard it — and it still does. It speaks to something I have always believed: that healing begins within. That when we take responsibility for what lives inside us, the world around us shifts. That love, offered sincerely and repeatedly, is the most powerful force there is.
The Four Sacred Phrases
The practice centers on four simple phrases. You do not need to understand exactly how they work — you only need to mean them. Say them to yourself, to another person, to a situation, or simply to the Universe. Say them silently or aloud. There is no wrong way.
I'm sorry.
An acknowledgment that something within me — a memory, a belief, an old wound — has contributed to this pain. I take responsibility, not in self-blame, but in the spirit of healing.
Please forgive me.
A humble request to the Divine — and to yourself — for forgiveness. Not because you are guilty, but because forgiveness is the doorway to freedom.
Thank you.
Gratitude opens the heart and signals trust. Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for healing this. Thank you for the grace that is already at work.
I love you.
Love is the highest vibration there is. These three words carry the power to dissolve what nothing else can touch. Say them and mean them — to yourself, to the Divine, to all of life.
How to Practice
Ho'oponopono requires nothing but your willingness. No special tools, no altar, no prior training. Here is how I suggest beginning:
Find a quiet moment
Sit comfortably and take a few slow breaths. You do not need to be in meditation — even a quiet minute in your car or before sleep is enough.
Bring the situation to mind
Think of a person, a memory, a relationship, a fear, or a pattern in your life that feels heavy or unresolved. You do not need to analyze it — simply hold it gently in your awareness.
Speak the four phrases
Slowly and sincerely, repeat: I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. You can direct them inward, toward the other person, or simply upward to the Divine. Let the words do their work.
Release and trust
You do not need to feel a shift immediately. Simply release the situation and trust that the healing is happening at a level deeper than your conscious mind can see. Repeat as often as you feel called.
A Note from Karen Jo
I want you to know that Ho'oponopono is not just a technique I teach — it is something I live. When I am troubled, when a relationship feels strained, when I feel something in the world that causes me to feel pain, I come back to these four phrases.
What I love most about this practice is its humility. It does not ask you to be perfect. It does not ask you to have all the answers. It simply asks you to be willing — willing to say I'm sorry, willing to ask for forgiveness, willing to offer gratitude and love. That willingness is everything.
I encourage you to give this a try---and journal along the way to help you notice when the shifts are happening in your life, or the situation you focused on.