Huna (Long)

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Max Freedom Long · 1948 · Hawaiʻi

What it is

Huna (Hawaiian huna, "secret") is a Western esoteric and New Thought-style self-help and prayer system that Long, a white American schoolteacher who lived in Hawaiʻi from 1917 to 1931, presented as the rediscovered "secret science" of the kahuna. It is an esoteric practice taught openly in books,…

Format

• Huna has no clinical phase model or session protocol; it is a self-study and group practice. The structure below is how the sources lay out the path, followed by how a psychotherapist can frame work with a client who practises it.
• Belief review and "clearing" – critically examining one's beliefs daily and holding that the only sin is hurting another person; Huna Research's motto is "The Hurtless and Helpful Life". Long says hindering complexes must be removed before "High Magic" and that this is best done in a group.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Membership and cost as published: Huna Research reported yearly dues of $25 and members in about 50 countries (article undated). King's organisation, Huna International, was formed as a religious order in 1973 with three branches. Course fees for King's or other teachers' trainings:.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line): Long's claims of healing, telepathy and "changing the future" rest on anecdote and reported cases, without controlled results. No practice described here treats any physical disease.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• pathologising the belief itself; missing a prodrome because content is spiritual.
• requests to pray together, send mana or do a reading: decline warmly and explore the wish behind it.
• debt, secrecy, loss of other relationships. Support the client's own decisions; no confrontation of the group.
• shaming the client; turning therapy into debate. Working signs: the client holds both what Huna means to them and the cultural critique.
• any untreated physical condition: encourage a medical review and route all treatment decisions to the doctor; never advise on medicines.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.