The Miracle Question

A different place to start

One thing I have found particularly fascinating in my current psychology studies is the variety of angles and starting points different therapeutic approaches can take. I especially like one called solution-focused therapy.

In many approaches, there is a strong emphasis on understanding the problem itself: where it comes from, what maintains it, how it developed, and how it shows up, which can of course be useful and necessary.

But with solution-focused therapy, there is a deliberate shift towards the person’s preferred future, which in some ways also reminds me of coaching. The focus is less on analysing what is wrong, and more on what the person wants instead, what is already working, and what small signs of movement may already be there.

What I also found interesting is that research tends to support this approach, especially the focus on strengths and future-oriented questions like the miracle question, which one of the best-known tools. In fact, the miracle question itself has consistently been associated with positive results across studies, which is relatively rare to see with that level of consistency.

The miracle question approach

The miracle question goes like this: you are asked to imagine that, while you are asleep tonight, a miracle happens. It does not matter what the actual miracle is, but simply that your issues and previous concerns are no longer there. You then imagine waking up with that version of yourself, and you are asked different questions such as:

What do you notice first about yourself? What are you doing differently? How are you moving through the day? Who else would notice? And what else?

You go quite in depth in this section. What I find interesting in this is that it pushes the conversation away from abstract wishes and towards something more concrete. It is one thing to say “I want to feel better” or “I want more clarity” and another to describe and feeling it in concrete terms.

Not just unrealistic positive thinking

The miracle question is also usually followed by a scaling question e.g. If the preferred future you just described is at 10, where are you now?

Let's say the answer is 3. Instead to ask how you could get from a 3 to 10, the question becomes: what would a 4 look like?

That small shift really matters as it reduces overwhelm and it turns a distant aspiration into something more manageable. Research has found that scaling questions are not just a way to measure progress, but are critical to the efficiency of the miracle question.

But that does not mean ignoring the potential harsh reality

There was for instance this micro-analytic case study of solution-focused therapy with an extreme case of a suicidal teenager. The therapist used brief, focused problem talk to ensure safety and clarify the situation, and then quickly shifted the conversation back to what was working, small signs of improvement, and possible next steps.

I find that nuance important, because without it, solution-focused therapy can sound more simplistic than it really is and as if it can only work when there are no serious problems.

A parallel with career reflection

I can also see a very strong parallel and case with careers. When people feel off at work, the first questions can be often framed around the problem e.g. Why am I stuck? Why am I unhappy? Why does this role not feel right?

Those questions matter, but they can also keep the attention on what is wrong. The miracle question can offer a different perspective:

If, tomorrow morning, the issue you currently feel in your work was no longer there, what would actually be different? What would you notice first? What would your day look like? How would you start the morning? What kind of conversations would you be having? What would other people notice about you?

This moves the reflection away from vague dissatisfaction and towards something much more tangible. And then the next question becomes less overwhelming too. Not “how do I redesign my whole career?” but “what would a move from 3 to 4 look like?”

Sometimes that might still point towards a major change, but sometimes it reveals something smaller and more immediate: a different way of working, a missing condition, or a part of you that has not had enough room recently.

Bringing it together

What I take from the miracle question is that there are different ways to deal with problems, and sometimes it might mean moving from the problems itself to focus on solutions.

If we stay only with the problem, our focus will likely be on what is wrong. But If we can also build a clear picture of what better would look like, in real and observable terms, then the next step can often become easier to see and achieve.

Perhaps that is the real value here, not that the miracle question will resolve everything, but that it helps make the next step more tangible.

And if you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read and hope you enjoyed it. As always, please feel free to reach out and let me know your thoughts.

In the meantime, please take care of yourself.