Ho‘o Ponopono: A Traditional Hawaiian Practice for Setting Relationships Right

Abstract

The author presents the traditional Hawaiian practice of ho'o ponopono: “The act of bringing into being a mental cleansing of thoughts, feelings and actions in order to rectify problems in interpersonal relationships” (Pukui, Elbert, Mookini, & Nishizawa, 1986, p. 341). The five types of relationship interactions in which ho'o ponopono is used to intervene are: (1) to address problems between two unrelated persons, (2) to address problems between two family members, (3) to address conflict between different families, (4) to address specific problems with individuals that are affecting the community, and (5) to resolve relationship problems of any type on a spiritual level. The five-step process involved in ho'o ponopono—meditation, visualization, forgiveness, discussion, and mutual restitution—is presented. Each step in the process of ho'o ponopono is discussed with a relevant element of transactional analysis theory.

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