The Three Faces of Hope

"It's tempting to think of plasticity as something that happens when you change a behavior because those things often translate directly into a new skill such as learning to swing a golf club or mastering a new software program. But the fact is, you often experience neuroflexibility through emotion. The following CBT exercise called 'The Three Faces of Hope' illustrates this perfectly.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being none and 10 being the most, rate how hopeful you feel about your life so far and your future to come.

"Next, choose three important, positive people in your life — someone from the past, someone from the present, and someone you wish to meet in the future. Visualize each person, one at a time, imagining why each of these individuals would want you to feel hope. Use all of your senses and let your brain fully imagine the experience of being with that person; see their smiles, hear their words of support, feel the warmth of their encouragement.

"Now, using that same scale, has the strength of your hope changed? If it has, not only have you successfully changed your brain, you've measured that change in a meaningful way. Don't be surprised if the strength of your feeling of hope moves around. If you practice this sort of thought-changing exercise often enough, your brain may adapt so that hope becomes a more prominent emotion."