208 - Friday Fix: The Miracle Question

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2022

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There’s more than one way to tackle the same problem — especially when it comes to mental health problems. Some therapists focus on problems and all the things that contribute to emotional pain and suffering. Their goal is to help people gain insight into their problems so they can create positive changes. Solution-focused therapists focus on solutions only. These therapists don’t explore old childhood wounds, and they don’t talk about past mistakes. They keep the conversation about the 'here and now' and the steps someone can take when moving forward. That’s why a lot of them ask "the miracle question." It’s a question that helps people start imagining a more positive future. And when people imagine a positive future, they often start taking helpful action. Just talking about a positive future can remind people of their inner strength and the resources they can use to make their lives better. You don’t have to go see a solution-focused therapist to start thinking about a more positive future for yourself. You can answer "the miracle question" for yourself right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:45.3	Okay. You're listening to the Friday fix.
0:50.0	Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that can help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can hold you back in life.
0:53.2	Today I'm talking about the miracle question.
0:55.9	It's a question therapists often use in therapy to help people see their lives from a different
0:59.9	perspective.
1:01.2	Focusing on solutions sometimes helps people start to make positive changes.
1:05.7	So I'll explain what the question is, why it works so well in therapy, and how answering the question right now
1:12.0	might elicit some positive changes in your own life. Here's the miracle question. It's a question
1:17.3	that solution-focused therapists often ask their clients. The miracle is that the problem which
1:23.2	brought you here is solved. However, because you were sleeping, you don't know that the miracle has
1:28.8	happened. So when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell you that the
1:34.8	miracle occurred and that the problem which brought you here is solved? Someone who's starting to come to
1:41.0	therapy for depression might say that after the miracle,
1:46.4	they would notice how energized they felt in the morning.
1:49.7	They might look forward to getting out of bed and starting their day.
1:54.9	Someone of social anxiety might say that they would notice that they were making plans with a friend and looking forward to doing social activities.
1:58.3	Someone who started therapy because of a relationship problem might say they would
2:02.2	wake up and enjoy breakfast with their partner for the first time in a long time. When people
2:07.2	answer the miracle question, they usually identify some really small things that would clue them
2:11.7	into the fact that the miracle had happened. Because keep in mind, the miracle happened when they
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