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Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood—and yet most transformative—actions available to us. For years, I carried the weight of unresolved anger and resentment. I believed I was protecting myself by keeping my distance from those who had wronged me. I was imprisoning myself in a loop of emotional pain, blocked creativity, and spiritual stagnation.
All of that changed when I was asked by my friend Kevin Martin to join a forgiveness group. I struggled at first because I thought to myself, “Why do I need to forgive? They were the ones who hurt me.” I decided to join the Ho’oponopono group out of curiosity. We met weekly and each time we met, miracles happened. Relationships were mending, work was improving, opportunities were coming up for people out of the blue. I was in shock.
Ho’oponopono is a simple yet profound spiritual practice that translates roughly as “to make right.” It centers around four simple phrases: I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.
At first, the words felt awkward. But something within me began to shift. I began using the prayer as a daily mantra every morning for ten minutes when I woke up and just before bed. I began directing it toward people who had hurt me deeply. People who, frankly, I didn’t believe deserved my forgiveness. I said the prayer anyway. Using a stack of index cards, I wrote each person’s name on a card and said the Ho’oponopono repeatedly until the charge lifted. Once I picked up the index card and felt completely neutral, I would throw the card away. The forgiveness was accomplished. The biggest form of forgiveness was for myself. I made a list of circumstances and people whom I had hurt, ways I had doubted and times I hadn’t believe in myself.
And then, something miraculous happened.
Three months after I began the mantra, I was in my car when my phone rang. I looked down and was stunned. It was the very person I had been praying about—the one I believed I could never forgive. We hadn’t spoken in 14 years.
They said to me, “I noticed things have changed between us.”
But there had been no conversation. No apology. No reconciliation. The only thing that had changed was me—and the Ho’oponopono.
In that moment, I realized the real power of Ho’oponopono: it doesn’t require anyone else to participate. It doesn’t depend on external validation, mutual agreement, or even understanding. It is about releasing the hold that anger and resentment have on our souls. I realized that holding onto resentment was like swallowing a poison pill, expecting the other person to die.
After that phone call, my life began to shift in powerful and unexpected ways. A sense of peace I hadn’t felt in years returned. And the creative block I had carried like a boulder on my back for over a decade… dissolved.
The miracle for me was that I felt neutral about them. They didn’t know I forgave them, and I didn’t care that they didn’t know. I no longer needed them to acknowledge the pain they caused. I used to be so triggered by this person that just saying their name would send me into a panic attack.
For fifteen years I tried to write a book. I had outlines. I had drafts. I had ideas scribbled on napkins and voice notes recorded in the middle of sleepless nights. But nothing ever landed.
Once I released the past and truly forgave, the words came pouring out of me. The title came first: In Every Belief is a Lie. Within five months, the book was finished—and one week after its release, it became a Best Seller. Weeks later, I was contacted by someone connected to Dr. Joe Vitale.
Dr. Vitale was in the movie The Secret many years ago, which was about the law of attraction. The movie catapulted his career, and he owes his life-changing moment to the Ho’oponopono.
Joe Vitale heard about Dr Hew Len, a Hawaiian therapist who was able to clear out a section of the prison intended for the criminally insane. They couldn’t keep employees because that section of the prison was completely out of control. Dr. Hew Len explained that he was asked to work at the prison, but he told them that he didn’t see his patients individually, he prayed over their files. Out of desperation, due to being required to keep a therapist on staff, they hired him and in a short period of time, the section for the criminally insane was cleared out. Eventually, this led to the book “Zero Limits” which Dr. Vitale and Dr. Len wrote together.
Dr. Vitale believes so strongly in the process of forgiveness and the Ho’oponopono that he decided to make a movie about it. I was asked to be in his movie, “Zero Limits” coming out September 25 on Amazon and Apple TV! In a million years, I did not see that coming. Cast members have been running red carpet premieres around the world to sold-out audiences. “Zero Limits” has already won 18 awards and been nominated for 32 international film festivals, and it’s not fully released yet! My hope for this movie is that it creates a movement. A coming together no matter what your beliefs. With everything that has happened in the world, now is a time for forgiveness and reconciliation. I believe that we can create harmony in the world if enough of us bring the Ho’oponopono into their daily practice!
Some might call this coincidence. I call it coherence.
Forgiveness, real forgiveness, puts you in resonance with the higher frequencies of creation. It cleans the slate. It aligns your internal frequency with truth, peace, and possibility.
This is what Ho’oponopono gave me. It taught me that healing doesn’t require confrontation. That reconciliation can happen on the soul level. That we can clean memories, not just for ourselves, but for generations before and after us.
When I say those four phrases now, I feel the power they carry. I feel the forgiveness ripple through time. I feel the burden lift. And I am reminded that what I once believed was unforgivable, was simply unhealed.
Miracles continue to happen in my life.
To anyone carrying a heavy heart, I offer this:
I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.
Let the words wash through you. Say them for others. Say them for yourself. Say them even when it feels like nothing is happening. Because something always is.
Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting. It’s about freeing.
And when you do, miracles begin. My new mantra is: expect miracles!
Lisa B. Schermerhorn CH
As a Certified Hypnotherapist, Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Energy Medicine Practitioner, Lisa specializes in releasing limiting beliefs, inherited ancestral patterns, and unconscious behaviors. Her innovative approach empowers individuals to break free from barriers and live authentically.
Lisa served as Vice President of Business Development for a pioneering start-up that utilized virtual reality to address pain, memory loss, and stress reduction. She is the author of the international bestselling book, In Every Belief is a Lie, which explores the transformative power of the mind.
An award-winning speaker, Lisa has inspired audiences at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Columbia University. She is featured in Joe Vitale’s upcoming film, Zero Limits, premiering September 25, 2025, on Amazon and Apple TV. Her work with elite performers, including professional athletes, showcases her expertise in developing the “Winners Mindset,” a skill she honed under Bob Reese, former head trainer for the NY Jets.
Lisa is also a certified “Why Coach,” helping individuals uncover their deeper purpose and live with greater intention. She combines her personal resilience with her professional expertise to bridge the gap between science and spirituality, offering tools that transform lives.
