Background
Dr. Hew Len is a psychologist who worked at the Hawaii State hospital in the high security ward for the criminally insane from 1983 to 1987. He cured an entire ward of criminally mentally ill patients using the simple ancient Hawaiian healing method of Ho’oponopono, (ho-o-pono-pono), a practice involving reconciliation and forgiveness. When Dr. Hew Len arrived at the hospital, it was a dangerous place to work. Every one of the seclusion rooms was occupied with violent patients. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. Among the staff, there was a high absenteeism rate and a lot of turnover.
What is amazing is that during this time, Dr. Len didn’t do any therapy on the patients. He would walk through the ward, and review the patient’s files, not for the purpose of therapy but to see what there was there for him to clean up inside himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients’ files? In an interview in 2005, Dr. Len stated, “I just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’ over and over again.” As we travel a spiritual path, whichever we choose, we eventually begin to understand the importance of taking responsibility for what we say or do. But we usually do not see ourselves as responsible for what others do or say or for what may be happening in our nation’s economy or in the Middle East or in some distant orphanage in India. Dr. Len was working with the concept of Total Responsibility, which is a core teaching of A Course in Miracles.
Philosophy
“If one would take complete responsibility for one’s life, then everything one sees, hears, tastes, touches, or in any way experiences would be one’s responsibility because it is one’s life. The problem would not be with our external reality, it would be with ourselves. To change our reality, we would have to change ourselves. Total Responsibility advocates that everything exists as a projection from inside the human being. It doesn’t deny the reality of the consciousness of others. Instead it views all consciousness as part of the whole, so any error that a person clears in their own consciousness should be cleared for everyone.”
Ho’oponopono
Within a year and a half, all of the seclusion rooms had been shut down, and patients were starting to be able to take care of themselves.
“After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely. Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.”
“Not only that,” Dr. Len went on, “but the staff began to enjoy coming to work. Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.”
Process (with incorporation of ACIM principles)
I am sorry:
I accept total responsibility for all I see because the error lies in my perception. I acknowledge this error and open myself to the correction of this error from the Divine Mind within me. I know that my perception is false and I ask to be shown the Truth.
Please forgive me:
Forgiveness is my only function here. God still is Love, and the world of pain and suffering I perceive is not His Will. (ACIM, WB, Lesson 99) I seek forgiveness for the mistakes in my perception whereby I see lack, guilt, powerlessness, pain, fear, or unworthiness in myself or others. This is not the Truth. Divine Creator, please allow your Light to shine brightly inside me and clear away all darkness and ignorance inside my mind.
I love you
I am one Self, united with my Creator, at one with every aspect of creation, and limitless in power and peace. (ACIM, WB, Lesson 95) When I am healed I am not healed alone. And I would bless my brothers, for I would be healed with them, as they are healed with me. (ACIM, WB, Lesson 137)
Thank you
I rest in God, for in Him I have no cares or concerns, no burdens, no anxiety, no pain, no fear of future and no past regrets. I allow myself to be still and accept healing thankfully. As I rest in God, I feel gratitude that I have finally come Home, and all my frantic fantasies have passed away to be replaced with happy dreams. (ACIM, WB, Lesson 109)
Source: Vitale, Joe, Hew Len Ph.D., Zero Limits, Wiley (2007); Patti Fields www.pattifields.com; ACIM