• learn new ways to manage pain.
• learn to manage stress.
• recover self-esteem.
• heal old wounds of abuse and abandonment.
• heal relationships.
• develop responsibility and commitment.
• develop healthy attitudes toward self, others and nature.

Does one of the questions to the left match yours? Yes? Click on it.

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Do you have a question about HOPE that is not answered here?

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How can I give to HOPE?                                                     (top)

Use Paypal to "Make a Donation"
click on the button below.

(enter "Donation" in the box where it says "Payment for:")

Thank You

Who can benefit from the HOPE experience?                       (top)

• Persons with life-threatening illnesses.
• Persons working to cope with trauma from any time in their lives.
• Persons with debilitating chronic illnesses.
• Persons who want to make significant changes in their lives.
• Persons whose image of life is becoming distorted, fading, foggy or even bleakly black; like a fading TV set.

What happens to these people?                                           (top)

• They find themselves in the company of others who want to make any of these changes and they discover that they all seek the same things, hope, love, and acceptance.
• They find a new, healing focus for their lives.
• They take their power back from people, places and things that took the power in the first place.
• They recover their souls.

How do we do it?                                                                  (top)

We use resources that have empowered human beings for thousands of years, put into modern words and supporting actions, encouraged and supported by a group of people who have come together for this express purpose. The key resource we all have is the ability to choose our attitudes for any given situation. This applies to all situations, which explains why such varied people with many different kinds of challenges find help in a HOPE Group.

How do I know if it’s for me?                                               (top)

Come to three meetings and you will find out.

Is it "religious"?                                                                   (top)

It is not "religious," but it has something all religions certainly have in common-- spirituality. It recognizes that we are spiritual beings called souls who are immersed in the human experience. It honors the spiritual journey of each individual soul. (Go to our Core Philosophy to find out more.)

What is a typical HOPE Group like?                                    (top)

At the beginning of each two hour meeting, we sit in a circle, say "Hello" to newcomers, and introduce ourselves. We welcome newcomers without imposing any need to hear their reason for coming to the HOPE Group meeting. We commonly welcome newcomers with brief statements of why we came to a HOPE Group in the first place and why we come back (often they are different, suggesting the growth that a HOPE Group environment nurtures).

We make sure that everyone has a copy of the Golden Book that contains the HOPE Group Opening, the Principles of Attitudinal Healing, and the HOPE Group Guidelines. They are laminated, folded, single sheets of gold-colored paper that say who we are, why we're here, and how we're going to get what we came for; choose the success-full attitudes on which we choose to build these ideas; and a set of agreements as to how we're going to get along for the meeting. We jointly read the three pieces; share thoughts, memories, feelings; ask HOPE questions; and allow silence, for it can be more powerful than words.

With 30 minutes to go, we may choose to relax to a guided relaxation or imagery. At closing, we stand in a circle holding hands, with the right hand up and the left hand down. (It prevents big men from dominating small women!) Still in the circle, we recite the Prayer for Serenity. Hugs are permitted, but not insisted upon; for some people they are too intimate. The two hours will have flown by.

What does it cost?                                                               (top)

Volunteer, free-standing HOPE Groups charge no fixed fees; rather, they accept voluntary contributions of all sizes based on the principle, "value given for value received" to support the HOPE-trained group guide, the place of meeting, and HOPE, the organization.

Professional HOPE Groups that are part of a clinical service of a healthcare office or institution charge fees for that service according to the policies of that office or organization. Part of those fees pay for HOPE's ongoing support of that service. These groups provide patients and practitioners the support they all need for the most beneficial health care in these too-busy, crowded times.

Who is a HOPE guide?                                                         (top)

• She or he is a person who wants to work with people who, like her or him, are working to solve problems in life that lead to a greater understanding of life itself.
• S-he is a person who believes in the inherent ability of each one of us to heal in his or her own way.
• S-he is a person who is willing to let go of her-his attachments to any special outcome.
• S-he is a person who is willing to accept and appreciate the concept that mind, emotions, body and spirit are all real and in relationship in each one of us, and that health comes from the nurturing and balancing of all of these components.
• S-he believes in the power of the mind to effect great changes, and is willing to work with other minds to develop the possibility for change in each one.

How does one become a HOPE Group Guide?                      (top)

Guide training is offered periodically throughout the year. Click here for more information on training and workshops offered by HOPE