At some point or other, everyone experiences stress. Stress is essentially an emotional and physical reaction to some stimulus. Though people tend to categorize stress as an entirely emotional or mental reaction, the response caused by stress ultimately causes a physical reaction in the body. The physical reactions caused by stress, if such reactions occur regularly over time, can lead to a number of physical ailments. Fatigue, back pain, muscle soreness, and even heart dysfunction have all been linked to chronic stress reaction. It's understandable then why many people seek ways to reduce the stress in their lives.
While stress can result in physical outcomes, the notion of a stressor is a mental response. That is to say, what a person does or does not consider a stressor results from individual perception. What one person considers stressful, another person may not. Treating stress conditions then almost always involves attempting to alter how a person views stress, and then how they respond to it. A number of treatments subscribe to this sort of mind over matter approach, and for some people it's proven successful.
There are increasingly alternative approaches to treating stress and other forms of emotional distress. Practicing ho'oponopono is one method that some advocate. Ho'oponopono is an ancient technique that originated in Hawaii and was used as a conflict solving measure. It's worth noting that ho'oponopono is still used in Hawaii today as a means of solving conflict. There was a form of ho'oponopono that developed as a singular response to solving problems. Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono is a form developed by a revered Hawaiian woman named Morrnah Simeona. This updated version of ho'oponopono allows a single individual to solve problems and improve life outlook.
Though ho'oponopono is not universally accepted as some form of healing method, it has a growing number of practitioners who swear by its results. According to some, ho'oponopono provides stress relief and a sense of overall peace. The ultimate goal of ho'oponopono in many ways is to surrender and be guided by a positive force. This of course is quite different from many proactive treatment approaches, and as such is seen skeptically by some. There are those who have even equated ho'oponopono to a form of fantastical magic. This is refuted however by regular practitioners of ho'oponopono who say the ho'oponopono method is not magical but spiritual, and has been documented to work besides. Agree or disagree about whether ho'oponopono works, there's no denying a growing interest in the method.
