Ho’oponopono: The Complete Guide to the Hawaiian Practice, the Four Phrases, Evidence and Cultural Respect

Ho’oponopono (literally “to set right”) is a traditional Hawaiian way of repairing relationships, in which a family gathers, often with a facilitator, to talk, confess, forgive and release old wrongs. Today the word also names two later adaptations: Morrnah Simeona’s 1970s self-focused method and the popular four-phrase mantra. Direct research is very limited.

Mind and emotions · Helps with: forgiveness, resentment, guilt, family conflict, emotional release, stress

Last updated: 23 October 2026

Reading time: about 30 minutes

How we wrote this guide
“Ho’oponopono” now means three different things, so we separated them. For the traditional practice we used a summary by Richard and Lynette Paglinawan of the process in Nānā I Ke Kumu, the Liliʻuokalani Trust’s own page on that book, and E. Victoria Shook’s study. For Native Hawaiian views on the modern version we used a BBC Travel report quoting Hawaiian practitioners. For Morrnah Simeona, Ihaleakala Hew Len and the classes, we read the Foundation of I and IZI LLC sites (which teach Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono, or SITH), a dissenting history from Pacifica Seminars and Joe Vitale’s own company’s account of the hospital story. We checked every research paper’s DOI and verified course prices on the providers’ pages. We checked every link in October 2026. This guide is general information, not medical or psychological advice.

⚠️ Before you start: who should be careful

• Ho’oponopono is not a treatment for any mental or physical illness. Keep taking your medicines and seeing your doctor or therapist. Be wary of any teacher who suggests it can replace them.
• Don’t use it to forgive, or “take responsibility” for, someone who is hurting you. If you are in an abusive relationship, safety and professional support come first. The popular framing of “100% responsibility” can be harmful here (see the risks section).
• Repeating phrases about guilt and forgiveness can stir up strong feelings. If you have trauma, severe depression or a history of self-blame, go slowly and consider doing this alongside a licensed therapist.
• The practice is a spiritual one for many people. If it conflicts with your beliefs, you don’t have to use it.
• If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the US or Canada (988 Lifeline, n.d.), or call Samaritans free on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland (Samaritans, n.d.). In an emergency call your local number: 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK, 000 in Australia, 112 in the EU and India. To find a helpline in another country, use Find a Helpline.

Quick answer: what is ho’oponopono and does it work?

• Traditionally it is a family process, not a mantra. In the account recorded by Mary Kawena Pukui and colleagues, it has steps: prayer, naming the problem, discussion, confession and forgiveness, release and a closing prayer (Paglinawan & Paglinawan, 1991).
• The four phrases came later. “I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you” is linked to Ihaleakala Hew Len and Joe Vitale’s book Zero Limits (2007). Whether Simeona herself taught the phrases is disputed (Pacifica Seminars, n.d.-a).
• Native Hawaiian practitioners have raised concerns. One told the BBC that when practices are lifted from a culture and used for profit, “there is almost always a problem” (Kalama, 2018).
• The famous hospital story is unverified. We found no independent record of it, and even Vitale’s own academy says the specifics are hard to verify (Joe Vitale Academy, 2026b).
• Direct evidence is small and weak. One small randomised dissertation found less unforgiveness; one small uncontrolled study found lower blood pressure; a larger randomised trial found no significant difference. Research on related practices, like forgiveness work and gratitude, is more encouraging but isn’t proof about ho’oponopono.
• Costs vary widely. Official SITH Basic I classes list US610intheUS; aHawaiian − ledonlinecourselistsUS1,200. Many people use the phrases for free.

Contents

1. What is ho’oponopono?
2. Traditional ho’oponopono: family reconciliation
3. Morrnah Simeona and Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono
4. Ihaleakala Hew Len, Zero Limits and the four phrases
5. The hospital story: what is and isn’t verified
6. Cultural respect and appropriation
7. How to practise ho’oponopono
8. What the evidence says
9. Risks and limits
10. Courses and classes around the world
11. How it compares with other approaches
12. Books
13. Watch, listen and follow
14. Frequently asked questions
15. Key takeaways
16. Explore more
17. Sources

What Is Ho’oponopono?

The word comes from Hawaiian. Its roots, hoʻo (to make) and pono (right, in balance), give the usual translation “to set right”. We use the common English spelling with a plain apostrophe. In Hawaiian it is written hoʻoponopono, with a marker called the ʻokina, and we use correct Hawaiian spelling for other Hawaiian terms.

Three things now share this name, and most confusion online comes from blending them.

None of these is a medical or psychological treatment. When someone says “ho’oponopono works” or “ho’oponopono is ancient”, ask which one they mean. That one question clears up most of the debate.

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Traditional Ho’oponopono: Family Reconciliation

What it was for

In the account compiled by the Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui with E. W. Haertig and Catherine Lee, ho’oponopono is a way for an ʻohana (family) to repair relationships. The book, Nānā I Ke Kumu (“Look to the Source”), appeared in 1972. The Liliʻuokalani Trust, which publishes it, calls it a source book of Hawaiian cultural practices, concepts and beliefs for people in the helping professions who work with Hawaiians (Liliʻuokalani Trust, n.d.-a). Lynette and Richard Paglinawan, both contributors to the Trust’s Nānā I Ke Kumu series (Richard served on the committee behind Volume 1), summarised the process in 1991. They describe its purposes as diagnostic, remedial and preventive (Paglinawan & Paglinawan, 1991).

Tension between people is not seen as just a private feeling. In the Paglinawan summary, a quarrel binds the person who caused harm and the person harmed. The wrongdoer is weighed down by guilt, and the injured person by holding on to the injury. Ho’oponopono is meant to release both.

The steps

The Paglinawan summary lists these stages. The Hawaiian terms are worth knowing, because they show how different this is from reciting phrases.

1. Pule wehe (opening prayer). The session begins with prayer, often to ask for guidance.
2. Kūkulu kumuhana (identifying the problem). The haku, or leader, states the issue and brings the family together around it.
3. Wehewehe (discussion). Each person speaks in turn, with the leader channelling the conversation to keep emotions in check. This includes mahiki (handling one problem at a time), hihia (the negative entanglements between people) and hala (the transgression itself).
4. Hoʻomalu (a calming pause). If tempers rise, a period of silence is called, a kind of “time out”.
5. Mihi (confession, repentance and forgiveness). People ask for forgiveness and give it, “fully and completely and without reservations”. Forgiveness is sought for each specific problem, not in general.
6. Kala (release). Wrongdoer and wronged are freed from each other.
7. ʻOki (cutting). The hurts and conflicts are severed so that their effects are removed.
8. Pule hoʻopau and pani (closing prayer and rituals). The session closes with prayer, sometimes offerings or acts of purification.
9. Nā hana imua (future tasks). The family sets out what it will work on next.

The same summary lists the ground rules: truthfulness (“very spirit of truth”), no secrets, self-scrutiny and a real intention to put wrongs right. Restitution is arranged where needed (Paglinawan & Paglinawan, 1991).

One point deserves care. In that account, family members were traditionally obligated to forgive when forgiveness was sought, because withholding it carried spiritual consequences. That belongs to a close-knit family setting with a facilitator, honest confession and restitution. It is not a rule for forgiving someone who has not acknowledged harm or who still poses a risk to you.

Not one fixed ritual

Practices vary by family, island and era. A study published by the East-West Center in 1985, E. Victoria Shook’s Hoʻoponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian Problem-Solving Process, collected case studies of the process being adapted for contemporary settings such as social work and drug-abuse programmes (Shook, 1985).

Native Hawaiian voices quoted by the BBC add important nuance. Dr Malcolm Nāea Chun said that using the term “hoʻoponopono” for a family resolution technique is relatively recent. In the 19th century the word was chiefly used for legal or administrative discussion, and families, in his words, “just did it” (Kalama, 2018). The same article reports that many families lost the practice after Christianisation. It was revived after the cultural renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s, and it is now used in some Hawaiian courts, prisons and youth programmes. In 2015 activists arrested at the Mauna Kea protests asked for ho’oponopono rather than a trial.

The tradition is alive today. The Liliʻuokalani Trust runs Hoʻopono, a closed-group programme for families on Molokaʻi that teaches “Hawaiian ways of addressing conflict” (Liliʻuokalani Trust, n.d.-b). It isn’t open to the public as a course, but it shows what the tradition looks like: people in the same community, in the same room, working through real conflicts.

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Morrnah Simeona and Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono

Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona was born in Honolulu in 1913 and died near Munich, Germany, in 1992 (Hooponopono Asia, n.d.). A healer in Hawaiian tradition (a kahuna lapaʻau), she was named one of Hawaiʻi’s “Living Treasures” in 1983 (Wikipedia, n.d.). In the mid-1970s she began adapting ho’oponopono into a method an individual could do alone, which she called Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono, or SITH. She founded the Foundation of ʻIʻ in 1980 and taught around the world, including in Europe (Foundation of I, n.d.-a).

The main change is who is involved. In traditional practice the people in conflict are in the room. In SITH, the individual works inwardly, with prayer to the “Divine Creator”, to “cleanse” the memories and beliefs they hold about a problem. The idea is that you take responsibility for your own part in a situation and ask for it to be released. The Foundation says its materials are copyrighted and that misuse may have negative consequences (Foundation of I, n.d.-a).

Classes today are run by IZI LLC, which says only it is authorised to coordinate and teach SITH (IZI LLC, n.d.-a). The Foundation publishes two prayers freely, “I AM THE I” and “The Peace of I” (Foundation of I, n.d.-b).

A contested inheritance

Not everyone agrees on what Simeona’s method contained. Michael Micklei of Pacifica Seminars in Germany says he studied with Simeona. He argues that her system was a structured, multi-step process, and that the four phrases, “100% responsibility” and tools such as “light switches” were added after her death (Pacifica Seminars, n.d.-b). IZI LLC and the Foundation of I present their classes as the authorised teaching of her work. We can’t settle that dispute from outside, and both sides have an interest. What we can say is that the sources disagree, and that you should be sceptical of anyone claiming a single “original” version.

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Ihaleakala Hew Len, Zero Limits and the Four Phrases

Dr Ihaleakala Hew Len (born 1939, died 15 January 2022) grew up on Oʻahu and trained as a psychologist. He met Simeona in 1982, took her class and taught with her. After her death in 1992 he taught SITH worldwide through IZI LLC (IZI LLC, n.d.-b).

He became famous outside Hawaiʻi through the author and marketer Joe Vitale. Vitale says he first dismissed the story of a therapist who healed a ward by working on himself as an urban legend, then phoned Hew Len. His account became an article and then the bestselling book Zero Limits (Wiley, 2007), which Vitale’s academy describes as co-authored with Hew Len (Vitale & Hew Len, 2007). Vitale followed it with At Zero (2013) (Vitale, 2013).

The four phrases

The popular practice repeats four short statements:

• I’m sorry.
• Please forgive me.
• Thank you.
• I love you.

The order varies. In Zero Limits, Hew Len describes working on himself at the hospital by repeating phrases like “I’m sorry” and “I love you”, and teaches that you are responsible for everything in your own experience. Vitale calls this “total responsibility”: whatever appears in your life, including other people’s problems, is something to “clean” in yourself. Pacifica’s Micklei quotes Hew Len as saying he “just kept saying ‘I am sorry’ and ‘I love you’ over and over again” (Zero Limits, p. 23) (Pacifica Seminars, n.d.-a). The meaning of the phrases in this version is usually addressed to the Divine, not to a person. They ask the Divine to clear the “memories” that created the problem.

Where the phrases came from

This is disputed. Micklei argues that the four phrases appeared publicly around 1998, six years after Simeona’s death, and that Hew Len’s hospital work used her longer process. He calls the phrase set “beautiful, but not Ho’oponopono” (Pacifica Seminars, n.d.-a). IZI LLC and Vitale present the phrases as part of the authorised teaching. We found no independent source that settles who first used them. What is clear is that the phrases do not appear in the traditional steps recorded by Pukui and colleagues (Paglinawan & Paglinawan, 1991).

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The Hospital Story

What is claimed

The story that made ho’oponopono famous goes like this. Hew Len worked as a psychologist at the Hawaii State Hospital, in a ward for people with mental illness who had committed crimes. Vitale says he worked there for four years, rarely or never met patients, reviewed their files and worked on himself. Staff were quitting, patients were dangerous. Over time, retellings say, patients improved, restraints and medication were reduced, staff stayed, and the ward closed (Joe Vitale Academy, 2026b).

What we could verify

We could not find independent confirmation. Specifically, we found no hospital records, news report, evaluation or published study that documents the claimed changes or attributes them to Hew Len. Our search was not exhaustive, and hospital records are confidential, so absence of evidence is not proof it didn’t happen.

The sources also disagree on basics. Pacifica Seminars dates the work 1984 to 1987 and says Hew Len used Simeona’s multi-step process, not the four-phrase prayer (Pacifica Seminars, n.d.-a). Vitale’s academy itself says “the early 1980s” in one article and “the late 1980s” in another (Joe Vitale Academy, 2026a).

Vitale’s own company is notably candid. Its 2026 pages say the specifics are less verifiable, that hospital records are confidential, that no independent case studies exist and that correlation isn’t causation. They also note that some wards closed or shrank in that era because of falling patient numbers and shifts in mental health policy, and that medication advances or other changes could explain improvements. On whether ho’oponopono “works”, the same company says the evidence is “almost entirely anecdotal and experiential, not scientific” (Joe Vitale Academy, 2026a).

How to treat it

Treat it as a story: possibly inspiring, but unconfirmed. It is not evidence for ho’oponopono, and certainly not evidence that you can change another person’s mental illness by saying phrases. If someone uses it as sales proof, ask for documents.

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Cultural Respect and Appropriation

Hawaiian practitioners have criticised how ho’oponopono is used outside Hawaiʻi. These criticisms are worth reading before you start. We did not find a single official Native Hawaiian position, and views differ, so we quote what is on record.

The core objection. A BBC Travel report by Wailana Kalama explains that traditional ho’oponopono centres on relationships, while SITH is described as a self-focused method of mental cleansing, built on four mantras, that has become the most common definition in alternative healing circles. Laulani Teale, an activist trained in ho’oponopono, told the BBC: “When things are taken out of our cultures and applied in ways in which those outside the culture want to apply them, especially for profit, there is almost always a problem.” The report notes that ho’oponopono is now sold through online courses and workshops, including one offering a self-therapy certificate (Kalama, 2018).

What gets lost. Traditional practice depends on people, place and relationship: a family, a facilitator and a shared commitment to truth, forgiveness and restitution. Many families lost the practice with Christianisation, and it was revived with the cultural renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s. A solo mantra sold as “ancient Hawaiian wisdom” strips out those parts and also misstates the history. The four phrases do not appear in the traditional steps recorded in Nānā I Ke Kumu.

The other side. Simeona was herself a Hawaiian healer, and she created SITH as a practitioner adapting her tradition for a new time. The Foundation of I and IZI LLC present the work as a continuation of her teaching (IZI LLC, n.d.-a). Whether adaptation is a legitimate evolution or a departure is a question for Hawaiians to answer, not for us. What outsiders can do is be accurate about which version they are using.

Practical ways to show respect

• Name the origin. Say “Hawaiian”, and say which version you mean (traditional, SITH or four-phrase).
• Don’t call the four phrases ancient or traditional. They are a modern practice.
• Use the word carefully. Don’t turn “ho’oponopono” into a brand or product name for profit.
• Learn and credit. Read Nānā I Ke Kumu, learn the spelling (hoʻoponopono) and credit Hawaiian teachers by name.
• Support Hawaiian-led work. Pay Hawaiian teachers, or support organisations such as the Liliʻuokalani Trust (Liliʻuokalani Trust, n.d.-a).
• Respect SITH’s rules. IZI LLC and the Foundation say their materials are copyrighted and that only IZI LLC may teach SITH. Don’t copy or teach their classes without permission.

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How to Practise Ho’oponopono

There is no single correct method. What follows is a plain, general way to use the four phrases, drawn from how they are commonly described. It is not a SITH class and not the traditional family process, so it leaves out the prayers, the facilitator and the group.

The “cleaning” idea. Hew Len and Vitale call the practice “cleaning”. The belief is that your reaction to a situation rests on stored memories and beliefs (“data”), and that the phrases help release them. That is a spiritual claim, not a scientific one. You can try the practice without accepting it, and many people use it simply as a structured way to cool down and let go.

1. Know which version you are doing. Say to yourself that this is a modern adaptation of a Hawaiian practice. If you are drawn to the tradition itself, read the sources in this guide.
2. Choose one specific situation. A resentment, an argument, a guilty memory or a stressful relationship. Starting small works better than “everything”.
3. Settle for a minute. Sit comfortably and breathe slowly. If strong feelings come up, pause.
4. Own your part, without blaming yourself. Ask what you did, said, avoided or assumed. Be honest. You are not claiming responsibility for what someone else chose to do to you.
5. Say the four phrases slowly. Silently or aloud: “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.” The order isn’t fixed. People address them to a higher power, to the situation, to the other person in their mind or to themselves. Choose the target that feels honest for you.
6. Notice what shifts. Watch your body and mood without forcing a result. If a phrase rings false, try another, or say what is true, such as “I’m sorry this is hard”.
7. Keep sessions short and regular. Five to ten minutes is enough to start. No research tells us how many repetitions or days are best, so treat any specific number you hear as a teacher’s preference.
8. Repair in the real world if it is safe. Traditional ho’oponopono ended with restitution and a plan, not just inner peace. If a real apology, a conversation or a changed behaviour is due, and it is safe, do that as well.
9. Stop if it hurts. If the practice brings up distress, guilt or trauma memories, stop and talk to a therapist or someone you trust.

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What the Evidence Says

Short answer: there is very little direct research on ho’oponopono, and none shows that the four phrases work. What exists is small and mixed. Studies of related practices are more encouraging, but they test different things.

Direct studies

The lesson is cautious. One small trial suggests the practice may reduce unforgiveness. The blood pressure results look good in an uncontrolled study but vanished when a control group was added. The two later studies tested a SITH class, not the four-phrase practice on its own.

Related research (not proof about ho’oponopono)

These studies look at ideas that ho’oponopono shares. They show that forgiveness, compassion and gratitude can matter for wellbeing. They don’t show that the four phrases are the way to get there.

• Self-forgiveness. A review of 65 samples found self-forgiveness is linked with psychological wellbeing (r = .45) and, in 18 samples, with physical health (r = .32). These are correlations, not proof that learning to forgive yourself causes better health (Davis et al., 2015).
• Forgiveness interventions. A meta-analysis of 54 reports (about 2,300 people) found structured, professionally led forgiveness treatments produced more forgiveness than no treatment, and also greater improvements in depression, anxiety and hope. Longer, one-to-one treatments did better (Wade et al., 2014). These were therapy programmes, not mantras.
• Loving-kindness meditation. A review of 24 studies (1,759 people) found medium effects on everyday positive emotions (Zeng et al., 2015).
• Gratitude. A meta-analysis found gratitude exercises beat a measurement-only control for wellbeing (d = .31), but were about as good as, not better than, other active exercises (Davis et al., 2016).
• Self-compassion. Across 14 studies, higher self-compassion went with fewer psychological symptoms (r = −.54), again a correlation (MacBeth & Gumley, 2012).
• Repeating a sacred word or phrase. In an uncontrolled study of 62 veterans, five weeks of silent mantram repetition was followed by lower stress and anxiety. The authors called for a control group (Bormann et al., 2005).

The bottom line

If you find the phrases calming, nothing in the research says that is a fantasy. Calm, humility, forgiveness and gratitude are all areas with decent evidence. But there is no good evidence that ho’oponopono clears “memories”, changes other people, or improves health, money or relationships. Even Vitale’s own academy says the evidence is almost entirely anecdotal (Joe Vitale Academy, 2026a).

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Risks and Limits

Ho’oponopono is gentle, but there are real cautions.

• “100% responsibility” can slide into self-blame. Hew Len’s version says everything in your experience is yours to clean. Vitale’s academy tries to separate “responsible for cleaning” from “to blame”, but not every listener will hear the difference. Taken literally it could suggest that victims of crime, abuse or illness caused their situation. It does not. You are never responsible for harm done to you.
• Forgiveness is not always good for you. In a two-year study of 72 new marriages, spouses who were more forgiving did better when their partners rarely behaved badly, but their satisfaction fell faster when their partners often did (McNulty, 2008). Forgiving inwardly is different from staying in a harmful relationship, but be careful. The traditional process also required honest confession and restitution from the person who caused harm, which a solo practice can’t provide.
• Repeated positive statements can backfire. In experiments, people with low self-esteem who repeated “I’m a lovable person” felt worse afterwards than those who didn’t (Wood et al., 2009). “I love you” aimed at yourself could land the same way. If a phrase rings hollow or hurts, change it.
• It is not a substitute for care. Don’t delay treatment for depression, anxiety, trauma or physical illness. No one can heal a patient by saying phrases, whatever the hospital story suggests.
• Spiritual and psychological distress. Guilt-focused practice can stir up old shame. Stop and seek support if you feel worse.
• Money and “authorised” claims. Courses can be expensive, and the rival claims about who may teach SITH are not something you can check. Compare prices, read refund terms, and be wary of promises such as “clear your debt”.
• Cultural harm. Using a Hawaiian practice carelessly, or selling it as “ancient Hawaiian wisdom”, causes harm of its own (see the cultural respect section).

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Courses and Classes

What is available

There are broadly four routes: free reading and the four-phrase practice, official SITH classes, independent teachers, and Hawaiian-led programmes. Prices below were checked on the providers’ own pages in October 2026.

Official SITH Basic I classes (IZI LLC)

IZI LLC runs Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono classes in person and online worldwide. Its Basic I class covers topics such as caring for yourself, what a problem is, and family and ancestors. Online students may not record or share the class, and there is no recording to catch up on. New-student fees include class materials. Full refunds, minus payment fees, are available until the first day of class in most regions (IZI LLC, n.d.-a).

Other categories in the US: child $325, review student $280 (child $165), and worldwide absentee $255. We did not find a UK, Canadian or Australian price on that fees page, so check with the coordinator for your region. Dollar equivalents use exchange rates of 23 October 2026 and will move (Frankfurter, 2026).

Hawaiian-led learning

Mana O Molokai offers a ten-day live online Luna Hoʻoponopono course, taught by Kumu Paʻa Nui Lawrence Kalainia Kamani Aki of Hālawa Valley, Molokaʻi, with the next session listed from 9 November 2026. The listed price is **US1, 200 * *, withnoinstalmentsorrefunds, oneyearofaccess, andaUS50 rejoin fee for alumni (Mana O Molokai, n.d.). The lineage and teaching claims are the provider’s own and we couldn’t verify them independently. Its marketing is strongly worded. We list it as an example of Hawaiian-led teaching, not an endorsement.

The Liliʻuokalani Trust’s Hoʻopono programme on Molokaʻi is a closed, family-based programme, not a course for visitors (Liliʻuokalani Trust, n.d.-b). The Trust also publishes Nānā I Ke Kumu, a good place to start (see Books).

Free options

The Foundation of I publishes two prayers free (Foundation of I, n.d.-b), and the PBS Hawaiʻi talk below is free to watch.

“Pacific Institute of Peace”

We were asked to check this name. We could not find an organisation called the Pacific Institute of Peace connected with ho’oponopono. The bodies we did find are Pacifica Seminars (Michael Micklei, Germany), the Foundation of I, Inc. (Simeona’s US foundation) and IZI LLC (the authorised SITH classes). If a teacher claims a “Pacific Institute of Peace” credential, ask for proof.

Before you pay

• Which version is it? Traditional, SITH or four-phrase? Ask the teacher to say.
• Who taught them, and where is that written down? Ask for names and dates, not slogans.
• What is the refund policy? Mana O Molokai’s is none; IZI LLC’s allows refunds until the first day of class.
• What are they promising? Walk away from promises about money, healing illness or changing other people.
• Is a Hawaiian teacher involved, and how is the culture credited?

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How It Compares

Ho’oponopono is often linked with the Law of Attraction because of Zero Limits. Traditionally it has nothing to do with it: it is about repairing relationships, not getting what you want.

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Books

We checked every title on Open Library. Start with the Hawaiian sources.

The tradition

• Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source), Volume 1 by Mary Kawena Pukui, E. W. Haertig and Catherine Lee (Hui Hānai, 1972). The source for the traditional process (Pukui et al., 1972).
• Nānā I Ke Kumu, Volume 3 by Lynette Paglinawan, Likeke Paglinawan, Dennis Kauahi, Val Kalei Kanuha and Imaikalani Kalahele (Liliʻuokalani Trust, 2020). A later volume from the same series (Paglinawan et al., 2020).
• Hoʻoponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian Problem-Solving Process by E. Victoria Shook (University of Hawaii Press, 1985). Case studies of the process in modern settings (Shook, 1985).
• The Polynesian Family System in Ka-ʻŪ, Hawaiʻi by E. S. Craighill Handy and Mary Kawena Pukui (1958). An ethnographic study of Hawaiian family life (Handy & Pukui, 1958).

The popular version

• Zero Limits by Joe Vitale and Ihaleakala Hew Len (Wiley, 2007). The book that popularised the four phrases and the hospital story (Vitale & Hew Len, 2007).
• At Zero by Joe Vitale (Wiley, 2013). A follow-up (Vitale, 2013).

For balance: forgiveness and self-compassion

• Forgiving and Reconciling by Everett L. Worthington Jr. (InterVarsity Press, 2003). A research-based guide to forgiveness (Worthington, 2003).
• Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff (William Morrow, 2011). On treating yourself kindly, with research behind it (Neff, 2011).

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Watch, Listen and Follow

We checked every link in October 2026.

Videos

• The Healing Practice of Ho‘oponopono (with Ramsay Taum) | WHAT SCHOOL YOU WENT? – PBS Hawaiʻi. Hawaiian cultural advisor Ramsay Taum on how reconciliation and forgiveness can break barriers to peace and harmony, from the broadcaster’s description. It is also a podcast episode.

▶ The Healing Practice of Ho‘oponopono (with Ramsay Taum) | WHAT SCHOOL YOU WENT? – PBS Hawaiʻi. A Hawaiian cultural advisor on the healing practice of hoʻoponopono.

• Dr. Joe Vitale – What is Ho’oponopono? – Joe Vitale’s own channel. This is the popular, four-phrase version, so treat it as one account.

▶ Dr. Joe Vitale – What is Ho’oponopono? – Joe Vitale. The popular four-phrase version, from the author of Zero Limits.

Podcast

• The Healing Practice of Ho‘oponopono (with Ramsay Taum) – WHAT SCHOOL YOU WENT?, PBS Hawaiʻi. The same episode on the Digital Pasifik archive.

Accounts and sites to follow

• Liliʻuokalani Trust: website, publisher of Nānā I Ke Kumu.
• PBS Hawaiʻi: YouTube.
• IZI LLC (SITH classes): website.
• Foundation of I: website.
• Mana O Molokai: website.
• Pacifica Seminars (a dissenting view): website.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Ho’oponopono

What is ho’oponopono in simple terms?

It is a Hawaiian practice of “setting things right”. Traditionally a family gathers to talk through a conflict, confess, forgive and release it. Today the word also describes a self-focused method taught since the 1970s and a four-phrase mantra: “I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.”

Are the four phrases traditional?

No evidence suggests they are. They are not among the steps recorded in Nānā I Ke Kumu. They are linked to Ihaleakala Hew Len and Zero Limits, and sources disagree on whether Morrnah Simeona taught them.

Who was Morrnah Simeona?

A Hawaiian healer (1913 to 1992), named a Living Treasure of Hawaiʻi in 1983. In the mid-1970s she adapted ho’oponopono into the self-focused method SITH and founded the Foundation of I.

Is the story about the Hawaii State Hospital true?

It is unverified. We found no independent record or study, and Vitale’s own academy says the specifics are less verifiable and that correlation isn’t causation. It’s a story, not evidence.

Does ho’oponopono work?

There is no good evidence that it does what its promoters claim. A small randomised dissertation found less unforgiveness, but a larger randomised blood pressure trial found no significant difference. Research on forgiveness, gratitude and compassion is more positive, but it tests other things.

Is ho’oponopono cultural appropriation?

Some Hawaiian practitioners say that selling a self-help version as ancient Hawaiian wisdom is a problem. You can reduce harm by being accurate about the origin, crediting Hawaiian teachers and supporting Hawaiian-led work. See the cultural respect section.

How do I do ho’oponopono for myself?

Pick one situation, own your part without self-blame, then say the four phrases slowly and notice what shifts. Short, regular sessions are easier to keep up. See our step-by-step section.

Does ho’oponopono work on other people?

There’s no evidence that it changes other people. The practice is about your own responses. If you need a real change in someone’s behaviour, a conversation, boundaries or professional help are more reliable.

Can ho’oponopono make me feel worse?

Yes, sometimes. Guilt-focused phrases can stir up shame, and repeating “I love you” to yourself can backfire if you have low self-esteem. Stop if it hurts and seek support.

How much do ho’oponopono classes cost?

Official SITH Basic I classes list US610toUS655 for a new adult in the US, and prices elsewhere range from about US295toUS630 in the countries we checked. A Hawaiian-led online course lists US$1,200. The four-phrase practice and several books are free or cheap.

Is there a “Pacific Institute of Peace”?

We couldn’t find an organisation of that name connected to ho’oponopono. The groups we did find are Pacifica Seminars, the Foundation of I, Inc. and IZI LLC.

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Key Takeaways

• Ho’oponopono is three things: a traditional Hawaiian family process, Morrnah Simeona’s 1970s self-focused SITH method, and the modern four-phrase mantra.
• The traditional process is relational. It involves prayer, honest discussion, confession, forgiveness, release and restitution, usually led by a facilitator.
• The four phrases are a later development. Their origin is disputed, and they are not in the traditional steps.
• The hospital story is unverified. Treat it as a story, not proof.
• Direct evidence is thin. One small randomised dissertation, one uncontrolled study and one larger trial with no significant difference. Related research on forgiveness and gratitude is more positive.
• Respect matters. Name the Hawaiian origin, say which version you use and credit Hawaiian teachers.
• Take care. Don’t use “100% responsibility” to blame yourself for harm done to you, don’t replace medical care, and compare prices and refund terms before paying.

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