Imagining a desired future in the context of illness or disability

Abstract

This study investigates the imagination of the future in the context illness or disability, using the letters from the future method (LFM) and reading the letters from the perspective of the concept of possibility. The data comprise 30 letters from the participants of an online adaptation enhancement training program called Etäsope, which was organized by Invalidiliitto (The Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities) in Finland from 2020 to 2021. Through thematic analysis, the study identified the following six main themes regarding a path toward a desired future: the self, relationship with others, life circumstances, actions, vivid imageries of the future, and philosophies of life. This study suggests that the LFM is a feasible method for possibility studies as well as for facilitating the construction of future views among people for whom viewing the future in a positive light might be challenging.

A specific feature of humans is the ability to mentally move backward and forward in time, which serves to reflect on the past and envision the future (Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007); thus one epithet associated with humans is prospectus (Seligman et al., 2016). Future orientation entails not only the formation of specific goals and plans to achieve them but also the creation of vague visions of the desired or not-desired state of affairs in the future (Glăveanu, 2023).

A way of conceptualizing the formation of future visions is that proposed by narrative psychology (see e.g. Hänninen, 2004), that is, a person constantly creates in their mind their life story, which spans from their past via the present to the future. In constructing these narratives, people use models available from the sociocultural stock of stories. These models entail views of desirable states of affairs and the method for attaining them. A narrative envisions the future in a manner that is endowed with feeling. In anticipating the future, an individual explores specific opportunities, challenges, and constraints present in their life situation. Under certain, however, envisioning becomes difficult.

Until recently, scholarly attention deserved by the future dimension of psychological functioning has been lacking. Even in narrative research, empirical studies have mainly concentrated on the narratives of past events. Envisioning futures and possibilities have emerged within the scope of social sciences only recently. However, in the last few years, interest studying the future, imagination, and related issues has rapidly increased across disciplines (e.g. Mische, 2009, in sociology; Appadurai, 2013, in anthropology; Zittoun & Gillespie, 2018, in psychology; Gergen, 2015, in social psychology). Interest in what does not yet exist leads to the need for new methodologies (e.g. Hviid Jacobsen et al., 2014).

Several conceptualizations have been proposed for the mental phenomenon associated with the future perspective. For example, Seligman et al. used the concept of prospection for the “mental process of projecting and evaluating the future for the guidance of thought and action” (Seligman et al., 2016, p. 6). Ahvenharju et al. (2018) have proposed the term futures consciousness, which encompasses the dimensions of time perspective, agency belief, openness to alternatives, systems perception, and concern for others. Of special interest in relation to the current study is whether or not a person sees the future in a positive light, which affords one with an idea to pursue or await. The notion that possessing a positive view of the future is essential for mental well-being is widely held. Optimism (vs. pessimism), that is, the belief that positive (vs. negative) events will happen in the future is one of the established concepts related to the views on the future. Optimism is associated not only with mental health but also with better physical health (e.g. Carver et al., 2010). However, the optimism/pessimism construct does not focus on the contents of the positive or negative states of affairs. Alternatively, hope is a slightly broader concept that encompasses optimism, sense of control, and motivation. It has been a commonly used concept to capture a positive view of the future. A few of the ways of conceptualizing hope (see Pleeging, 2022) are viewing it cognitively as the recognition of paths toward a certain goal, emotional hopefulness, or a set of aspects, including mastery, attachment, survival, and spirituality. It has also been viewed as dependent on social relations. Similar to the research on optimism, the research on hope does not typically explore the content of the hoped-for state of affairs (for an exception, see Gross et al., 2023).

A newer concept that denotes a positive view of the future is possibility, which has recently emerged as a concept that unites scholars from various disciplines (Glăveanu, 2023). The basic idea of possibility studies is that identifying conceivable types of new and desired states of affairs is fundamental for people. Seeing possibilities is a product of imagination. It differs from prediction in that it is not bound to probability – even highly improbable outcomes can be possible (Appadurai, 2013). Seeing possibilities is not bound to the current conscious goals of a person; instead, it is a way of becoming aware of one’s desires (Levitas, 2011). In this article, we take the concept of possibility as the point of departure.

Seeing possibilities is an important prerequisite for addressing crises not only at the societal but also at the individual level. At the individual level, envisioning the future may be challenging, for example, for persons with disability or chronic illness. At the onset of chronic illness or acquired disability, future visions that were previously held become questioned. Bury (1982) introduced the concept of biographical disruption to depict the challenges that emerge from such a change. The author stated that the onset of a chronic illness forces people to recognize the possibility of suffering and death, question former relationships in one’s networks, and force people to re-think plans for the future as well as their biography and self. Although people with innate disability do not face a similar disruption, the constraints they often undergo with regard to the attainment of their goals and the restricted array of story models readily available for people with disability (Tarvainen & Hänninen, 2023; Bekken et al., 2021; Garden, 2010) may render the imagination of a desired future difficult. Thus, people with illness or disability often face challenges in envisioning their future.

Letters from the Future Method as a Means for Imagining the Desired Future

One of the methods for investigating and facilitating the formation of positive future visions is the letters from the future method (LFM). It was originally developed as an intervention for mildly depressed elderly people (Bohlmeijer, 2007). Afterward, it has been used as a research method for prompting positive imaginations of the future (see Sools, 2020). Scholars have used this method for investigating future perspectives related to diverse issues, such as unemployment, the consequences of a referendum (Sools, 2020), and life after the COVID-19 pandemic (Hänninen et al., 2022).

Theoretically, the LFM builds on the idea of narrative psychology in which people are thought to continuously mentally construct personal narratives spanning from the past to the future. These narratives are not necessarily constrained by one’s notion of what is probable and not even of what is possible (e.g. daydreams). In the letters, the future is depicted as already realized. A jump toward the hoped-for future disengages the writer from the chains of the present and encourages the use of imagination instead of future prediction skills. In addition, the instruction to think about a positive change urges the writer to imagine the future not necessarily in terms of conscious goals but in line with—sometimes even unrecognized—desires and value orientations. Immersive writing about the desired future situation renders the writing of the letter a therapeutic and value-exploring exercise. It also makes the method socially significant in envisioning a desired future (Hänninen et al., 2021; Sools, 2020).

In practice, LFM entails writing a letter to the present from an unspecified point in the imagined future when a concern the writer has in mind is resolved. Specific means can be used to awaken the imagination of the writer in the LFM. The writer is frequently instructed to imagine having traveled using a time machine to a specific place and time in the future. The objective of this instruction is to enable the writer to write as vividly as possible about the time and place (chronotope) in which they situate themselves in their imagination. Another objective is to free the writer from the restrictions of their present situation and from the habitual goals that they pursue at the moment (Hänninen et al., 2021; Sools, 2020).

Aims of the Study

The objective of this article is twofold. First, we intend to assess the feasibility of the LFM as an intervention for people with chronic physical illness or disability. What are their perceptions of such an exercise? In addition, do they write letters that reflect an idea of a desired future, and what is it like? Second, we explore the feasibility of the LFM method for possibility studies by mapping the features of the letters to the basic ideas of possibility studies.

Method

Context of Data Collection

Data collection was organized in collaboration with Invalidiliitto (The Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities), which is an umbrella organization for various associations related to disability and illness. The Invalidiliitto organized an online adaptation enhancement training program called Etäsope in 2020 and 2021. This program was the first to be held online, and it aimed to deliver remote peer support by building connections between people living in similar circumstances (The Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities, 2014). The Etäsope project allowed our research project to facilitate LFM sessions as a part of the course program and to use the letters written by the participants as research material. The Etäsope consisted of specific thematic courses for people with different challenges related to illness or disability. The courses included the following:

• –“Supporting well-being at work” for persons with disability or long-term illness in relation to work or aiming to enter work;

• –“Dare to be me!” for people aged less than 30 years and who have lived long with a disability or an illness to envision their futures and reflect on their lives;

• –“Means for my well-being” for people with disability or long-term illness to strengthen their well-being; and

• –“Rare in the crowd” for people with rare diseases.

Each course included eight sessions dealing with the life stories, social networks, and resources of the participants as well as the specific challenges posed by their conditions. There were 12 course groups in the program, comprising altogether 60 participants. Exact demographic data of the final group of participants were not available to us, but the persons who enrolled in the courses (N = 147) were mostly (82%) women, and their years of birth varied between 1943 and 2004.

We did not collect demographic data from the participants, as we thought filling out a form would disturb the special atmosphere needed for the imagination exercise. Absolute anonymity ensured maximal trust in the confidentiality of the data collection. Moreover, it would have been inappropriate to ask the participants questions about the specific illness or disability that had brought them to the course. In addition, we considered that the demographics are not essential in this kind of study, in which we focus on the text corpus as a whole, and do not make comparisons or interpretations referring to individuals or demographic groups. In short, the dataset of the study entails a text corpus consisting of letters written in a futuring session in connection with an adaptation enhancement course organized by associations of people with physical disabilities or illnesses.

Letters from the Future Sessions

The session of writing Letters from the Future took place on the seventh meeting of each course. It was facilitated by a research assistant of our research project Narratives of Bodily Difference, of which this study was a part.

The LFM sessions lasted two hours. First, the facilitators of the session introduced themselves, the research project, and the content of the LFM meeting. After the introduction, the facilitator gave instructions for the writing of the letters. The participants were guided to imagine themselves in a future situation in which one of their concerns has been resolved. The participant could choose the point in time be it such as a week, month, or years from the present. The participants wrote a letter to themselves from this imagined future in which they depicted an image of the future and how it feels. In addition, they were encouraged to send a message to their present selves such as encouragement, advice, or wishes. The participants were not instructed to write specifically about their illness or impairment.

The time allocated to writing was 30 min. After writing, the participants shared the content of their letters by reading them aloud or paraphrased them, or described the feelings evoked by writing. All participants shared their letters in turn, after which the others expressed their thoughts about the letters.

Data Collection

The participants were requested to upload, if they wished, their letter from the future in the platform of the research project.

Thirty five participants attended the LFM workshops. Out of them, 30 uploaded their letters for the research project. The length of the letters ranged from 20 to 368 words; the most typical length ranged from 100 to 200 words (when translated from Finnish into English, the word count was approximately 30% higher).

Analysis

We analyzed the data thematically in a data-driven manner. First, the first author identified four major themes. Second, the second and third author read through the data to determine whether they could identify the same themes and whether they found themes that were not identified by the first author. Third, the themes were discussed within the entire author group to refine and validate the thematization. Eventually six themes were identified. Finally, all authors discussed the interpretation of the findings on the basis of the principles of possibility theory as posited by Glăveanu (2023).

Ethical Considerations

According to the Finnish practice, an ethical review for the study was not necessary as it was targeted to adults, it did not threaten the well-being of the participants, and the study was absolutely anonymous (Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, 2019).

When planning the use of the LFM on people with physical disability or illness, the method was adapted so as to avoid excluding any participants (e.g. by assuming able-bodiedness in the language used in the instructions). The group members received a leaflet about the research project beforehand, and they were informed that uploading their letters to the research platform was voluntary.

The fact that data were collected in the context of adaptation enhancement training posed certain restrictions on data collection. The participants were first and foremost people who sought help from the course, and participating in the study must not jeopardize this objective. Thus, participation in the training should not require participating in the research project. For this reason, we did not record or analyze the discussions held in the meeting; instead, the facilitators made notes about the comments regarding the experience. Moreover, we ensured that the writers of the letters remained unrecognizable even to one another. Thus, we pooled the letters from different groups.

Findings

The letters presented the future in a genuinely positive tone. In general, the participants expressed self-compassion, hope, and a vision of good everyday life. While many of the writers explicitly referred to the challenges they experienced during the time of the writing, they positioned themselves in the future as living every day in harmony with an illness or impairment. The letters were also clearly within the scope of the possible, that is, they did not contain pure fantasies. Even those who wrote that l they knew that their illness may worsen in the future perceived it as possible to accept the illness and enjoy the remaining possibilities.

We discerned six major themes in the letters, namely, the self, relationships with others, life circumstances, actions, vivid imageries of the future, and philosophies of life. Each of them represents a different function in searching for and following a path toward a desired future.

In two third of the letters, the illness or disability of the writer was explicitly or implicitly (i.e. as references to work ability, personal aid, or slope) mentioned. In others, the health challenge that had brought the writer to the course was just an unmentioned background for the content.

The Self

In the letters, we discerned three modes of the self, namely, the present self at the moment of writing, the imagined future self from whose point of view the letter is constructed, and the interim self, who takes the present self to the desired future state of affairs.

The letters typically constructed a self-compassionate, even caressing attitude of the future self toward the present self. This notion was evident in the ways in which the future selves addressed or greeted the imagined recipient of the letter, such as “Beloved me” (Letter 10), “Hello the Superhero of my life!” (Letter 4), and “I could tap myself on the shoulder and say ‘hooray me!’” (Letter 22).

The imagined future self could point out the mental resources it recognized in the present self:

You have always been persistent, tenacious, have good resilience, have a strong will and determination. You don’t give up but after disappointments, you get up and keep going, even if the direction changes from time to time. Your positive outlook on life, your ability to always see good things as well as your creative solution-oriented attitude will help you now and from now on. (Letter 23)

The function of this form of expression can be viewed as making the present self-recognize its current potential.

The interim self was the agent who brought the present self to the future state of affairs. The letters typically contained the idea that psychological work on the part of the interim self was required to make a better future possible. Moreover, the interim self was praised and appreciated for doing this work: “Thank you for your persistent struggle for a better tomorrow.” The letters also frequently mentioned determination (in Finnish sisu: guts or perseverance) as a prerequisite for attaining a better future. For example, “You have excellently kicked yourself forward on this rehabilitation path of yours, every day has taken you further toward your goal” and “Thank you for being persistent enough to struggle for a better future!” (Letter 3). By praising the interim self, the present self was encouraged to take and follow a path toward a better future despite the challenges ahead.

The interim self was thanked for adopting and maintaining healthy living habits, which were frequently cited as conditions for attaining a better life. “Now that things are better, I can at last really live the life that feels my own. I feel better in my skin, I don’t feel uncomfortable all the time” (Letter 29). In addition, the letters mentioned ceasing to ruminate about adversities as essential: “It’s great that you decided to end mourning and started to act upon your life through positivity” (Letter 15).

The future self was depicted in very positive terms, including strength, courage, calm, acceptance of the challenges of one’s life situation, and freedom from bitterness: “You are strong … You are braver than ever… It’s good to see how you have grown mentally and dared to go forward in your life” (Letter 16).

The letters also recognized that the path toward the future will not be rosy. Nevertheless, it remains worth treading:

You survive, sometimes it’s tough, there’s a lot of sadness, giving up, and disappointment with your coping — keep going on bravely, stopping every once in a while, and remember to look at how beautiful life is, and it will carry you forward. (Letter 23)

The letters also mentioned that hardship could even be considered a prerequisite of changing oneself and one’s life for the better, which, thus, reassures the present self of the worthwhileness of endurance.

One of the conditions for a better future was the ability to adjust one’s goals according to what is possible without a feeling of resignation. The modest everyday life with its small joys was praised as “the ordinary and at the same time best kind of life” (Letter 24) and “I’m able to enjoy the moment, the warming rays of the sun, and the mild breeze. I’m satisfied — right here, right now” (Letter 5).

Social Relationships

Another main theme in the letters was relationships with other people. The letters encouraged the present self to appreciate support from other people and to reach out for positive relationships and social circles. They also reminded the recipient of the importance of defending oneself against harmful pressure from other people or one’s inclination to please others: “I’ve taken a more relaxed attitude toward parenting, being a spouse and, most of all, maybe toward myself. I have succeeded in this with the support I have received, I could not have done this alone” (Letter 5).

The participants described relationships with close ones as crucial elements of the desired future: “You have a good support network around you who walk by your side, there is always someone to lean on” (Letter 23). The relationship with the present spouse (“my dear old man”) was imagined as caring and loving despite and even because of the illness. They even considered that the illness improved the relationship: “The spouse more often addresses you with thanks and positive words and shares the household chores more evenly. It is great!” (Letter 6) and “We’ve finally learned to be with each other, truly present. We have learned that by ourselves, without therapies” (Letter 9).

The other members of the family (e.g. children, grandchildren, and siblings’ children) were highlighted as enabling the opportunity to see them progress in their lives and to support them (Letter 3). This stance can be considered a way of connecting oneself to a larger network whose life continues after the end of one’s life.

The desired future life was also described to contain contacts with a wider circle of people, such as workmates and friends, with whom the future self met over lunch or dinner and cultural events. The future self was viewed as more open to new contacts and relationships compared with the present one: “I have learned to grasp the moment and be in contact with acquaintances and neighbors” (Letter 12) and “Think about the new people in your life” (Letter 4). In this manner, the letters reminded the present self of the importance of not confining one’s social life due to illness or disability. In a few letters, a new future partner was imagined: “I have met the love of my life who is with me both in light and shadow, and we never need to separate.” In Letter 8, the future self convinced the future self that finding a new partner is possible despite illness, but reminded that the partner should be one who accepts the reality of the illness.

One aspect of opening up to other people was the wish to do voluntary work as a peer supporter for people struggling with the same illness. The letters pose peer support as a give-and-take relationship: “My life consists of being with other people. I have my ailments, but I can help others. Talking to others helps, it doesn’t necessarily cure but it helps to go forward” (Letter 18).

However, relationships with other people also presented problems such as the hurt felt by the participants when old acquaintances seemingly act as if they feared they could catch the illness (Letter 4) or did not understand the condition. However, the future self has learned to not be hurt by this scenario: “I feel I am seen as lazy, but I don’t care” (Letter 5).

Despite the importance of positive relationships with others, the imagined future self was unwilling to do everything to please them. The illness served as a lesson for the future self to maintain boundaries and to say “no” if necessary: “I know myself what I need and what is enough. I can prioritize myself, so I can sometimes seem selfish.” (Letter 5) “However, don’t tolerate any behavior from anyone just because they like you, because surely someone cares about you despite your weaknesses. And if that’s not the case, you’ll know more than well that you’ll be fine and you’d rather be alone than in a bad relationship'' (Letter 8).

Practical Conditions of a Better Future Life

The letters frequently described a desired future in which new medicines or devices have diminished the difficulties related to the illness or disability. In this regard, they explored the conditions of a better future and strengthened the belief of the present self that this scenario can be realized.

The future could be imagined as improved even if the illness does not loosen its hold: “My illness has got worse but I have good medicines” (Letter 10). Imagining things that would make the everyday life easier, such as a wheelchair, help with household chores, or a personal assistant for leisure activities, was also present.

Obtaining social benefits for the aforementioned improvements in everyday life typically requires a lot of work on the part of beneficiaries. The letters frequently encouraged the recipients to be persistent in their efforts to obtain the benefits they need:

You just have to be able to run from place to place and fill out those papers — at some point, the approving letter will pop up in the mailbox. As a result, your life will be freer because you are no longer tied to one place, but you can choose what you want to do, whether you will ever be able to work or study the field of your choice, or even live with that boyfriend. (Letter 8)

Similarly, searching for even a partial cure for the ailment could require effort and hope from the person: “I recommend everybody to persistently search for a cure for their ailment, as has happened to many of the people here” (Letter 1).

Achieving a Desired Life Through Action

The future life was viewed as more than just coping with an illness or disability; it was made meaningful by self-actualizing agency. Adopting new purposive activities was frequently mentioned.

Several writers mentioned activities such as studying or exercising and even preparing for the Paralympics. In addition, reviving a former but abandoned creative hobby was cited: “In my free time I have been able to enjoy my hobbies and I have found my poem vein [ability to write poems] again” (Letter 20). A meaningful job was considered a part of a good future. The letters encouraged the present self to strive for a demanding and rewarding job despite one’s health condition. “My concerns about the future proved unwarranted. On the first try I got in the studies and I got internships in a variety of organizations, and my illness did not cause major problems along the way” (Letter 13). Occasionally, the letters mentioned that the working conditions were adapted to the illness: “I can work flexibly 15 h a week and choose the time when I do my tasks. In this way, my body is holding up fine and of course it also affects my mental well-being” (Letter 10).

For one of the letter writers, the step toward a better future had been the decision to quit the long career and seek a pension, because the illness made continuing work impossible: “The decision was really tough, giving up a meaningful job in which I have worked over 20 years and which I have loved. The decision has, however, eased my life both physically and mentally” (Letter 23).

Vivid Imagery of the Good Future Life

The letters included detailed and sensuous descriptions of moments of the good future life. These included enjoyable activities of the future self, such as writing memoirs, cycling, and knitting socks for loved ones, as well as sensory pleasures such as sounds, smells, and tastes. Writing this kind of description can be considered a way of vividly experiencing the hoped-for-future in the present, which, thus, leads to a good mood.

I’m currently writing the fourth volume of my biography — not very diligently, because I like to sit with a bowl of fruit at my fingertips and a pina colada glass on the table, and every now and then I stop and listen to the birds chirping in that hedge. (Letter 1)

Autumn has always been an inspiring time with its colors and scents, and the effortless journey to the library with an electric vehicle feels like an art experience. I’m going to enjoy reading magazines in the calming atmosphere of the library. (Letter 2)

Forming a Life Philosophy

A common theme in the letters was the formulation of a concise instruction on how to manage difficulties and retain the feeling of meaningfulness of life. These mottos, aphorisms, proverbs, or sayings can be considered as talisman-like mediating signs that help their holders to stay on their chosen tracks (Koski-Jännes, 1999). They could pertain to general formulations of the value of life: “Life is a small big adventure in which we all have a small part” (Letter 3) and “Live in the moment, enjoy life. Life will carry you” (Letter 15). Refusing to give up in the face of adversity was also an important teaching: “The most important thing is to not give up and to move forward. Even though there are difficulties, the best thing is to move forward one day at a time” (Letter 18) and “One potato at a time, as my dear sister would say” (Letter 2).

Discussion

The first objective of this study was to determine how the LFM method works as an intervention method for persons with disability or chronic illness. On the basis of the letters, the LFM seemingly enabled the participants to imagine their lives and envisage possibilities in ways that surmounted the difficulties posed by the illness or disability, but still took them into account. The vision of the future was depicted in a genuinely positive light without being unrealistic. This aspect attests to the viability of the LFM as a tool for rehabilitation enhancement. It is important to note, however, that the participants did not necessarily fully “believe” in the positive future vision they have created; the point is that they were able to imagine one.

The contents of the letters appeared to reflect the dimensions of self-compassion theorized by Neff (2023). Self-compassion refers to a positive attitude toward the self. Neff (2023) proposed that self-compassion is a means of relating to personal adversity, which entails three elements: “how people emotionally respond to suffering (with kindness or judgment), how they cognitively understand their predicament (as part of the human experience or as isolating), and how they pay attention to suffering (in a mindful or overly identified manner).” The letters in the data reflected a warm, accepting, and encouraging attitude toward the three selves (i.e. present, interim, and future). Moreover, they depicted the self as an autonomous person connected to other people. Third, they acknowledged their difficulties without identifying with them. The body of (quantitative) research prompted by self-compassion theory supports the prediction that self-compassion is associated with mental well-being (Neff, 2023). Thus, assuming that writing a letter from the future may help orient toward the future in a hope enhancing manner is reasonable.

The second aim of this article was to assess the feasibility of the LFM as a research method for possibility studies. Therefore, as the next step, we discuss the findings in relation to the principles suggested by Glăveanu (2023) in his inaugural editorial for Possibility Studies.

Glăveanu (2023) writes that, “In contrast to common individual-centric, mind-based approaches to the possible, the ‘locus’ of possibility is the relational space of action and interaction between person and world.” The letters portray this idea in the manner in which the letter writers view the future as a result of their actions, based on their personal strength, and couched in their social and societal environments. Furthermore, Glăveanu (2023) states that “(e)ven when possibilities are imagined by single individuals, awareness of what is possible and its enactment take place within the evolving interdependence between person and context.” In the case of Etäsope, although the letters from the future were individually written, the writing took place together with members of the group, were couched in previous discussions within the group, and were shared after writing. This process rendered imagining the future a shared one.

Furthermore, Glăveanu (2023) asserts that “(t)he possible is intertwined with the actual.” In the letters, the imagined future was couched in the actual in the manner that it considered one’s present health or ability status. The actual was also present in the manner in which the characteristics of the current self were viewed as the cradle of the future self, while the interim self was depicted as the bridge between the present and the future. The characterization of the current self pointed out the potential of the current self for setting out on a path toward a better future.

Glăveanu (2023) also states that “(t)he possible depends on constraints; the possible is mediated (…).” In line with this thought, the letter writers did not forget or sidestep the constraints posed by their illness or disability on their lives. None of the letters mentioned a dream of a miracle cure, while steps toward the better, if mentioned, were modest. Instead, they viewed the future as good despite these constraints. However, the writers frequently imagined that the constraints would be eased by medical or technological innovation. Thus, a desired future was considered to be mediated by medical or technological development (also Gibson et al., 2009).

The idea of Glăveanu that the experiences of the possible are multifaceted was evident in the manner in which the letters were infused by affect and in the sensuous descriptions of the better future. As the letters followed the instruction to imagine a desired future, the affects and experiences were positive in tone. Feeling the pleasures of an imagined future in the present strengthens one’s motivation to endure the challenges that may lie in between.

The letters reflect Assertion 9 by Glăveanus, that is, “experiences of the possible transform the self,” in the way in which the vision of a desired future helped to identify (in the present self) and support (in the interim self) the characteristics that are necessary for reaching the desired state.

Seeing possibilities can strengthen the ability to cope, hope, to find meaning, and to feel competence and self-esteem. The Etäsope letters give evidence that this can occur in the context of the rehabilitation enhancement course and become visible in the letters. This supports Glăveanu’s (2023) notion in assertion 10: “experiences of the possible foster mental health.”

In the subsequent discussions of the writing of the letters from the future, a few of the participants expressed an inconvenience in the face of the creation of unrealistic visions. This notion is in line with assertion 13 by Glăveanu (2023), that is, “the possible should not be romanticized.” In other words, a better future cannot be achieved through mere imagination. Under certain circumstances, people may feel they do not want to build castles in the air; instead, they would like to face the facts. Although the imagination of the writer was seemingly not constrained by what is probable in the majority of the letters, they also did not express absolutely unrealistic futures.

A few of the letter writers in the Etäsope emphasized that their dream was to live an ordinary life. The fact that this aspect was perceived as imagined or dreamed of suggests that people with a long-term illness or disability do not find equal opportunities with other members of the society to live an ordinary life. This notion echoes assertion 13 by Glăveanu (2023): “the possible is political.” Securing a job and obtaining the needed devices and treatments, among others, are the result not only of individual action but of the social environment as a whole, including the social security system and the attitudes of employers. Thus, creating the conditions in which the visions of the possible may come true requires political action.

Finally, the LFM answers assertion 14 by Glăveanu (2023): “the study of the possible requires diverse and creative methodologies.” It differs not only from quantitative approaches but also from ordinary discursive or phenomenological approaches in the way that it encourages the participants to imagine what is not yet real.

Strengths and Limitations

The strength of the present study is the use of the LFM to enhance the ability of people with serious health conditions to identify possibilities in their lives.

With regard to limitations, the sample was notably small, and demographic information was not collected, which made comparisons between demographic groups or types of disability/illness impossible. Thus in the future, a scrutiny of, for example, letters from the future written by people with terminal illnesses, is important.

The letters vividly conveyed the future visions of the participants. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the visions of the future were personally perceived as possible and not only responses to the instructions to the tasks of the course. Nevertheless, assessing the extent to which positive visions are a direct effect of the LFM is difficult. Originally, the participants probably had felt the need to seek help in thinking about their lives, as they had enrolled in the Etäsope program. We find it probable that the entire rehabilitation enhancement course had paved the way for the future visions that were presented in the letters. Thus, examining whether or not the LFM exercise alone could spark similar results and, thus, be used as an intervention method outside the course context would be interesting.

Conclusion

Based on the current findings (and those by previous studies, see e.g. Sools, 2020), the LFM can be considered a viable method for possibility studies, because it effectively reveals the visions of a possible future (Glăveanu, 2023).

Moreover, the findings support the idea that the LFM can be a feasible method for fostering hopefulness in people who find that seeing their future in a positive light is difficult, especially in the context of an illness or disability. Moreover, it could be used in connection with other situations in which people feel they have lost the “direction and compass” (Frank, 1995) in their lives.