Women & Design // Behind the scenes
In 2006 an article titled, ‘The world’s most unusual therapist was shared and read by over 5 million people. The article described a psychologist who healed mentally ill criminals without ever seeing them professionally.
Inspiration is a word we hear a lot as creatives. People are inspired by other people, nature, art, music, and many other things. It is different for different people. The word inspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. So, have you ever thought about what inspires you? Is it books? Stories of great people doing great things? Where do you find motivation, determination, and the courage to be your best self? If you’re like me, you may find that these questions have confusing answers. This is because we’re exposed to so much information on the daily and whether we like it or not, it influences us. We collect all this information, experience and it becomes everything that we are. How can we go from this ‘everything’ to a state of ‘nothing’? I’ll explain — so in a state of nothingness (you’re not thinking anything, feeling anything, you are just ‘being’) you experience true inspiration.
Let’s rewind a couple of years — In early January 2019, I checked in to the ER at the hospital for knee surgery (an MPFL reconstruction). I had suffered about 3-4 knee cap dislocations over the span of three years and an MRI finally revealed the severe damage to my ligament. Post-surgery, I was required to stay at the hospital for 3 days. I had an idea of what to expect post-op because I had watched some vlogs, done some research regarding recovery. But I didn’t expect the world of pain and suffering I was going to experience — physically and mentally. Physical pain passes but the toll painful surgery takes on your mental health is enormous. I cannot imagine what people with cancer and other illnesses go through on a daily basis. Mentally, I hit rock bottom. One of the reasons for this was because I couldn’t do anything myself and my independence means a lot to me. This state of extreme sadness is what made me pick up the book ‘Zero Limits’ by Dr. Joe Vitale.
An Unusual Therapist
In 2006 an article titled, ‘The world’s most unusual therapist was shared and read by over 5 million people. The article described a psychologist who healed mentally ill criminals without ever seeing them professionally. Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len was working in the Hawaii State hospital and in his office, he reviewed patient files all day. While he went through these files, he worked on himself and over the course of four years, all the (criminally insane) patients healed.
Patients who were shackled were allowed to walk around freely, they were taken off their mediations and the most hopeless cases eventually returned to society, healed! If all of this sounds ‘insane’, trust me, I refused to believe it. But, no matter what I thought — this was possible. Dr. Hew Len achieved something that modern medicine today, would openly deem false or a coincidence.
Ho’oponopono
Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian ritual that promoted cleansing and healing within families. In many Polynesian cultures, it is believed that a person’s mistakes can lead to illness. Some believe it angered the gods, some believed it attracted malevolent spirits and the rest believed that illness came because of the guilt these errors caused. The latter theory is one that you will find in several new thought books where the authors believed that guilt, anger, and resentment manifested on the physical body as disease (dis-ease — the opposite of comfort). Ho’oponopono is defined as - to put to rights or to put in order. Another definition is Mental cleansing, a method by which families repaired relationships through prayer, discussion, confession and repentance.
In the traditional ritual of Ho’oponopono, the most senior member of the family conducts the session. Members gather and work through their problems. Everyone’s feelings are acknowledged and towards the end, repentance and forgiveness take place. This exact method of love, forgiveness, and repentance was employed by Dr. Hew Len to heal criminally insane patients. However, there were some differences in the methods he used. The traditional group practice of Ho’oponopono was modified by Morrnah Simeona (A healing priest or kahuna lapa’au) to fit modern situations. Dr. Hew Len was a student of Morrnah’s. In this modified practice, the responsibility of all events occurring in one’s reality lies with them. For example, you get hurt, that’s your responsibility. Now, a stranger on the street gets hurt (through no fault of your own) that’s also your responsibility. Because this person exists in your reality. So, by working on yourself (cleansing through repentance and love) your reality changes. This is a powerful practice that is explained in detail in the book, ‘Zero Limits’. I highly recommend it!
When Inspiration strikes
The constant internal cleansing that ho’oponopono offers, doesn’t just heal you, it heals everything and everyone around you. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, cleansing what? Every single thought, belief, judgment you’ve made about anything. You might also wonder, what does this have to do with inspiration? The repeated practice of cleansing through ho’oponopono will eventually lead you to a state where you are zero (aka thoughtless, nothingness, pure consciousness). In this state of zero, you find inspiration. Solutions to whatever problems you may be facing. Ideas/Opportunities to fulfill your dreams. All of this inspiration becomes available to you once you let go of what you think you know, once you become limitless! Because we are beings of endless capabilities — we only need to realize our true power.
Ho’oponopono changed my experience of life. My greatest learning — taking responsibility for my reality. There’s no one to blame, it’s all you. A reflection of your internal state. This helped me cleanse the pain I was going through post-surgery. I drowned myself in books and focused on getting better one day at a time. What is important to understand is that even with internal practices like ho’oponopono it takes time, patience, and consistency to get better. It took me months to get back to my normal mental state because if I wasn’t focusing on cleansing, my mind would find a way to crawl back into the hole. I’m so grateful for experiencing the benefits of ho’oponopono and knowing the truth about inspiration. I also extend my deepest gratitude to Morrnah Simeona, Dr. Hew Len, and Dr. Joe Vitale. Ho’oponopono did wonders for my mental health! Read the book, practice it and let me know what you think.
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With 🧡 Team WID.