Abraham Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale

A Practical Guide for Visualizers

You do not have to feel amazing to change your emotional state.

That is one of the most useful ideas behind the Abraham Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale. If you are a visualizer, you can use the scale as a simple way to notice where your thoughts are taking you and then deliberately choose a thought that feels slightly better.

The trick is not to jump from despair to happiness in one giant mental leap. That usually feels fake.

Instead, you move gradually.

Think of it as climbing a staircase. You take one step, find your footing, and then take another.

What Is the Abraham Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale?

The Abraham Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale is a list of emotional states arranged from feelings that generally feel better to feelings that feel worse.

The scale is associated with the teachings of Abraham Hicks, presented through Esther Hicks, and is commonly used as a way of identifying your current emotional state and choosing thoughts that can help you move toward a better-feeling state.

At the top are emotions such as joy, appreciation, love, freedom and empowerment.

Lower down are emotions such as frustration, worry, doubt, disappointment, anger, fear and despair.

The important point is that the scale is not intended to shame you for being somewhere near the bottom.

It gives you information.

Your emotion becomes a kind of internal signal.

The Emotional Guidance Scale in Simple Terms

The scale is commonly presented as 22 emotional ranges, moving from the highest-feeling states to the lowest.

Here is a simplified version:

1. Joy, appreciation, empowerment, freedom and love
2. Passion
3. Enthusiasm, eagerness and happiness
4. Positive expectation and belief
5. Optimism
6. Hopefulness
7. Contentment
8. Boredom
9. Pessimism
10. Frustration, irritation and impatience
11. Overwhelm
12. Disappointment
13. Doubt
14. Worry
15. Blame
16. Discouragement
17. Anger
18. Revenge
19. Hatred and rage
20. Jealousy
21. Insecurity, guilt and unworthiness
22. Fear, grief, depression and powerlessness

The exact wording can vary between presentations of the scale, but the basic idea remains the same.

You are looking for the emotional state you are experiencing now.

Then you work upward.

Not ten levels.

One level.

Why This Is Especially Useful for Visualizers

Visualizers often spend a lot of time imagining future circumstances.

You may picture the house you want, the relationship you want, the business you want to build, the money you want to earn or the person you want to become.

That can be powerful.

But there is a catch.

Your mental picture and your emotional reaction to that picture matter.

Imagine you are visualizing financial freedom.

You close your eyes and see yourself with plenty of money. You imagine the lifestyle, the home and the freedom to choose how you spend your time.

Then another thought appears.

“That’s never going to happen for me.”

Now your visualization has become an argument inside your head.

This is where the emotional guidance scale can help.

Instead of forcing yourself to believe, “I am wealthy and everything is perfect,” you could choose a thought that feels more believable.

“Things could improve.”

That may feel better.

Then:

“I have solved difficult problems before.”

Better again.

Then:

“There are opportunities I haven’t seen yet.”

Now your imagination and your emotional state are beginning to work together rather than against each other.

You Don’t Need to Feel Happy Immediately

This is perhaps the biggest mistake people make when using emotional guidance.

They believe they must immediately become positive.

Suppose you are angry.

Telling yourself, “I am joyful! Everything is wonderful!” may actually make you feel worse because part of you does not believe it.

Try something closer to where you are.

“I’m angry because this matters to me.”

That can feel more honest.

Then perhaps:

“I don’t have to solve this right now.”

And eventually:

“I can find a better way to deal with this.”

You have moved without pretending.

That’s the useful part.

How Visualizers Can Use the Scale

Visual imagery can be combined with emotional awareness in a very practical way.

Before you start a visualization session, ask yourself:

“How do I feel right now?”

Don’t overthink the answer.

Are you excited? Hopeful? Neutral? Frustrated? Worried? Angry?

Give the feeling a name.

Then choose an image that matches your next emotional step.

Example: Visualizing a New Business

Imagine you want to visualize a successful business.

But today you feel discouraged.

Jumping straight into an elaborate fantasy of enormous success may feel disconnected from your current state.

Instead, picture yourself completing one useful task.

See yourself making the phone call.

See yourself finishing the website.

See yourself helping one customer.

Feel the satisfaction of getting something done.

That is a much easier emotional bridge.

Once you feel a little more hopeful, your visualization can expand.

The Emotional Bridge Matters

A useful visualization does not always have to show you the final destination.

Sometimes the best image is one that makes your next step feel possible.

Imagine someone wants to become financially independent.

Their ultimate image might involve a paid-off home, substantial investments and complete freedom.

Wonderful.

But if they currently feel frightened about money, that picture could trigger more fear.

A better visualization might be opening their bank account and seeing that they have successfully saved their first $1,000.

That feels reachable.

Then $5,000.

Then $10,000.

Your imagination becomes a bridge rather than an escape.

What If You Are Feeling Really Bad?

Don’t fight the feeling.

Start where you are.

If you are deeply worried, try finding a thought that creates even a tiny amount of relief.

For example:

“I don’t know how this will work out yet.”

That is different from saying everything is fine.

Then:

“I don’t need every answer today.”

Then:

“There may be options I haven’t considered.”

The emotional shift may be small.

That’s fine.

A small shift is still movement.

Use the Scale as a Daily Check-In

You can make this incredibly simple.

Three times a day, pause for thirty seconds.

Ask:

Where am I emotionally right now?

What thought is creating this feeling?

What slightly better thought could I choose?

You can even keep a small journal.

Write the current emotion.

Write the thought behind it.

Then write one replacement thought that feels believable.

Don’t aim for perfection.

Aim for movement.

A Simple

Try this for five minutes.

Sit comfortably and close your eyes.

First, notice your current emotional state without trying to change it.

Next, imagine something that feels slightly better.

If you feel worried, visualize yourself feeling safe.

If you feel frustrated, picture yourself calmly handling the situation.

If you feel discouraged, imagine completing one small task successfully.

Stay with that image for a minute or two.

Then let the scene expand naturally.

Perhaps you see yourself feeling confident.

Perhaps you see a conversation going well.

Perhaps you see yourself smiling because something that once seemed difficult has become easier.

The image doesn’t need to be complicated.

What matters is the emotional direction.

Don’t Turn the Scale Into a Judgment System

This deserves attention.

Being at a lower emotional point does not mean you have failed.

You are not being graded.

The scale is better viewed as a navigation tool.

If you are angry, knowing that you are angry can be useful.

If you are worried, recognizing the worry can help you choose your next thought.

The goal isn’t to spend every minute at the top.

Human beings experience a huge range of emotions.

You will have difficult days.

You will have moments of doubt.

You will also experience excitement, appreciation and genuine happiness.

The scale simply gives you another way to understand those shifts.

Abraham Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale Explained for Everyday Life

The simplest way to understand the Abraham Hicks emotional guidance scale is this:

Your current emotion tells you something about the direction of your thoughts, and you can deliberately choose a thought that feels a little better.

For visualizers, this becomes especially interesting because mental imagery can influence the emotional experience of a thought.

Don’t force yourself to picture the biggest possible dream when your mind is resisting it.

Start closer.

Make the image believable.

Let relief come first.

Then hope.

Then optimism.

Then expectation.

Eventually, the bigger vision may feel natural rather than forced.

That’s where visualization becomes much more enjoyable.

You are not trying to wrestle your mind into happiness.

You are giving it somewhere better to go.

And sometimes, the most powerful visualization is simply the next thought that feels a little lighter.