'Ai Pono Hawaii provides a serene, homelike setting for those struggling with eating disorders to he
Hawaii's Premier Eating Disorder Treatment Center providing Residential and Partial-Hospitalization Treatment on Maui and Virtual IOP for Hawaii residents.
04/22/2026
For many individuals in eating disorder recovery, the most taxing part of the journey doesn’t happen at the dining table. Instead, it occurs in the sterile environment of a doctor’s office.
Weight stigma in medical settings creates a cycle of anticipatory anxiety and dread. Learn how to practice self-advocacy and reclaim your agency in healthcare.
04/21/2026
Join us for a Sip & Shop event at J. McLaughlin on Sunday, May 3rd. 15% of all sales will benefit the 'Ai Pono Foundation. The mission of 'Ai Pono Foundation is to provide access to information and care for individuals struggling with eating disorders. You can check their website at aiponofoundation.org. We hope to see you there!
04/10/2026
Eight years ago, I did not want to go to treatment. Returning to ‘Ai Pono now, I feel emotional because I know how meaningful this program can be. ‘Ai Pono offers more than treatment. It offers support, compassion, and a place where healing can begin. If you are struggling with eating challenges and looking for care, ‘Ai Pono is a beautiful place to start.
03/26/2026
Our hearts are with everyone across Hawaiʻi affected by the recent storms and flooding.
We also want to share that everyone at our facility is safe and okay. While the weather has changed some of our usual routines, we have been staying connected, continuing to care for one another, and adapting with intention and compassion.
We are especially holding in our thoughts those in recovery, who may be feeling the impact of this disruption in deeper ways.
We are sending care to all those facing damage, uncertainty, or upheaval across the islands. Please stay safe and continue to follow guidance from local officials and emergency responders.
-‘Ai Pono Team 🌈
03/18/2026
What does art therapy have to do with eating disorder recovery?
According to Razi Wilson, Art Therapist at ‘Ai Pono Hawaii, it can help clients explore shame, perfectionism, control, and emotional pain in a way that goes deeper than words alone.
For many women struggling with eating challenges, the healing process involves more than talking. Art therapy can offer a nonverbal, embodied way to reconnect with emotions, challenge the inner critic, and move through patterns that keep recovery feeling stuck. At ‘Ai Pono Hawaii, this work is integrated into our holistic, evidence-based, trauma-informed residential treatment program for women in Maui.
If you are searching for treatment in Hawaii, residential treatment for women, or a compassionate program that supports full-person healing, visit aipono.com to learn more.
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Ai meaning “to eat, nourish” and Pono meaning “with ease, naturally, in perfect order and wholeness.”
At the ‘Ai Pono Eating Disorder Program, we recognize that eating disorders are complex problems with psychological, emotional, nutritional, and biochemical components, but we do not view women who struggle with these problems as irreparably damaged. Rather, we see them as highly intuitive, sensitive beings who have developed an obsession with food, fat, and dieting as a way of coping with social and psychological stress.
“When a woman enters the labyrinth of recovery, she follows a twisting, winding path to her center. Finding a sense of who she is as a woman, she exits with a new way of being in the world.”
– Eating in the Light of the Moon
We see the recovery process as a journey towards self-awareness. Through this journey, a woman can learn to nourish herself physically, as well as emotionally, and restore a sense of balance to her life. We believe that eating disorders can be successfully treated and overcome. A life of struggle and conflict can become one that is rich, meaningful, and fulfilling.
We provide a serene, nurturing setting in which women can be given a temporary reprieve from the stressors of their everyday life that may hinder the discovery of the deeper meaning embedded in their eating disorder symptoms. We believe that recognizing and identifying the adaptive function of the eating disorder can point one towards the development of life-skills necessary for resolving the eating disorder.
Our program offers tools to help identify, accept, and express our needs and feelings directly, rather than through our relationship with food and eating.
“Don’t get stuck looking at the finger pointing towards the moon. Look at the moon.”
– Zen saying
At ‘Ai Pono, we strive to provide an essential connection to one’s inner wisdom, or internal guidance system. We believe that this connection can provide women with a lifelong solution to specific struggles with eating, rather than a temporary fix. We believe complete recovery is possible.
“An eating disorder is like a w**d: if you cut it off at the top, given the right circumstances, it can grow back. But if you go down and clear out its roots, it can be eradicated.”
– Anita Johnston, Ph.D.
By developing better skills for dealing with their bodies, their feelings, and their relationships, women who suffer with eating disorders can reclaim their lives and health.
‘Ai Pono Programs were built upon a philosophical foundation that stems from a belief that there is deep meaning to be found in the struggle with an eating disorder. This meaning, however, remains a mystery — buried beneath a myriad of painful symptoms — until those who struggle choose to resolve their specific eating problems and embark on the journey to recovery.
