Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 10, 1 October 1993 — Taking it to the streets [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Taking it to the streets

by Patrick Johnston At the Big Island native Hawaiian health Center, Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi, ho'oponopono

has found direct application as a means of counseling Hawaiians in trouble and those having problems with family members. At the center of the program is Sonny Kinney, center director and staunch

ho'oponopono advocate. "Our first referrals eame through the courts," explains

Kinney. "They felt that Hawaiian legal offenders were not responding to Western-style treatment, either psychiatric

care or group therapy." Kinney has found that through the use of ho'oponopono he ean succeed where other methods have failed. "Eaeh of the steps of ho'oponopono

fo!lows the others in a logical sequence. If you don't do one step you may miss vital inforeonūnueā on page 8

Sonny Kinney

continuedfrom page 6

mation in determining what the problem is. ... It is highly structured and because it is so structured you get better results, you don't leave anything dangling." Ho'oponopono also incorporates a number of elements familiar to Hawaiian culture including pule, or prayer, at both the beginning and end of the sessions. Ho'oponopono was traditionally a very spiritual experience. Kinney does not do group ho'oponopono sessions. He has found that generally the Hawaiians he deals with - largely individuals whose relations with family members have deteriorated significantly - cannot function well in a group environment and work best one-on-one. Families do sometimes take part but this is the exception rather than the rule. Despite this, Kinney's work

has brought together abused daughters with their fathers and helped young people straighten out their lives after years of problems at home. "Even though they are often not talking directly to family members there is a spin-off to all this. Whatever they learn they ean take back to their family so they ean better observe symptoms that lead to family dysfunction." Kinney believes mueh of the reason for the problems Hawaiian families are having now stems from the breakdown in the 'ohana support system resulting from the increased mobility of modern Hawaiians. In his work he tries to recreate that support system using members of the community including kūpuna who are used as counselors in the ho'oponopono sessions.