What constitutes "genuine" hope, and what is its role in the healing process? In The Anatomy of Hope, Jerome Groopman demonstrates that belief and expectation, two critical aspects of hope, activate brain circuits that release endorphins and dopamine, both of which have been shown to have psychological and physiological benefits for seriously sick or severely injured patients. This paper construes hope, in Groopman's sense a virtue of healing, as a functioning example of Jamesian "overbelief," the idea that one is not only justified in believing that for which one does not, at present, have enough evidence, but also that in so believing one actually has the capacity to impact the "truth" of the believed thing in question. When James famously noted that "faith in a fact can help to create that fact" he was principally referring to the right for one to have faith in what one religiously believes. This paper extends this Jamesian "right" to the context of healing when a good prognosis seems unlikely. It argues that there is a difference between overbelief and delusion, and furthermore that this difference manifests itself precisely in the pragmatic "fruits" borne out of a faith in a future the actuality of which no one as of yet has the objective insight to dispute. Next, it addresses the question: "how does one make sure that in one's effort to stave off despair, the hope one generates does not slide into delusion?" How does one avail oneself of overbelief while managing not to embrace a false hope that can stand in the way of the sober attitude needed for important decision-making in the face of an impending loss? The paper concludes with some practical recommendations for ensuring that hope remains sound medical therapy.