Hawaiian Healing Therapies

by Barbara Helynn Heard

Practicing lomilomi, I have embraced  a whole family of Hawaiian healing therapies and the Hawaiian culture . On my journey I have become familiar with many traditional Hawaiian healing arts.

Like me, are you learning to be a healer as opposed to the western construct of learning to do massage? Do you continually aim to live conflict free within your own mind and heart? Knowing your gifts, knowing your purpose and being of service is key.

In the Hawaiian indigenous healing paradigm, in contrast to the mainstream western healing paradigm, healers work holistically and cooperatively, not  hierarchally. Body, mind and spirit are equally divine and interconnected. And even within the body, each part is interconnected with all other parts.

Hawaiian healers – whether they specialized in lomilomi, herbal healing, cleansing, ho’oponopono or the other healing therapies – traditionally were an integral part of the community and were not business entities. Although patients often gave healers gifts of food or supplies, they didn’t pay with money. In fact, the entire Hawaiian life system was set up cooperatively. This gives a whole different feel to the healing experience.

And, when a person was sick or injured, treatment involved using many healing therapies. A full family ho’oponopono session was frequently the initial step in treatment. This might be followed with colon cleansing and fasting, herbal healing, lomilomi bodywork which included both massage affecting the soft tissue and organs as well as joint mobilization, and more. Use of prayer in several forms was woven through out all healing work.

Hawaiian healing therapies and tools include: (click on highlighted fields to navigate to related screens)

• Ho’oponopono: being in alignment with the highest good
• Lomilomi: bodywork
• Lomi ‘ili’ili aka lomi pohaku: use of hot stones in massage format
• Ho’onoho’iwi: using bones as levers to affect soft tissues
• La’au lapa’au: herbal healing
• Ho’oma’ema’e – colon cleansing and fasting
• Pule, oli and mele: prayer, chant and song
• ‘olelo Hawai’i: Hawaiian language
• Kokua: outreach
• Ahupua’a: community
• Ha: breath
• Haha: assessment
• Ho’okuano’o: meditation
• Hale pulo’ulo’u: “house of purification”, Hawaiian sweat lodge

All of my lomilomi teachers continually weave these various healing therapies into their lomilomi classes. If you have read this far, I'm guessing that you too are a healer who helps people change their lives and embrace health.

And I'm guessing that, like me, you've discovered that in our healing world we always have more to learn! If you are drawn to lomi lomi, please do come learn with me!

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Copyrighted 2010 Barbara Helynn Heard
For more information visit www.lomilomi-massage
Email barbaraheard at msn dot com
Phone 1-206-323-5871 Seattle, Washington

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