英文原文
How to Use the Miracle Question in Therapy: 3 Examples
The Miracle Question is a solution-focused tool that helps visualize a future without current problems, fostering hope & clarity. By describing detailed changes post-miracle, individuals can identify actionable steps towards desired outcomes. This technique encourages a shift from problem-thinking to goal-oriented solutions, enhancing personal & therapeutic growth.
The miracle question opens the door to the client’s possibilities for therapy. It does this by simply asking them to consider what an alternate reality might look like – one in which things are different, better, and problems are resolved.
The miracle question is a popular intervention in Solution-Focused Therapy. It asks the client to imagine and discuss a possible world where problems are removed and issues addressed. The question may take various forms, such as asking the client, “Assume your problem has been solved. What is different?” Or, “Assume your problem is gone. What does this mean to you?”
For the therapist, the intervention can “build a good storyline and lead the client to envision how different their life would be if a miracle happened overnight.” The answers provided offer insights to the client while supporting the overall definition of the goals for therapy.
The power of the miracle question appears to be in its ability to lift clients out of ‘real life,’ shaking loose their constraints and imagining what could be. Crucially, it helps the client piece together a specific and elaborate vision of what their lives would be like in the absence of a problem. Along with setting goals, the purpose of the miracle question is to generate a virtual vision of what life would be like if a miracle occurred, prepare the client for exceptions to the problem, glimpsing a world in which the problem is no longer present, either temporarily or permanently, and create a progressive narrative where the client’s life is pictured as becoming better rather than worse.
3 Examples of the Miracle Question in Action
Asking the miracle question
You can modify the following approach and wording according to the circumstances, such as individual, couple, or family therapy.
Try out the following with your clients
This may seem like a strange question to ask, but please bear with me. Imagine going about your life as normal and heading off to sleep at the usual time. Unknown to you, during the night, something happens – a miracle. When you wake up the following day, something exciting has happened. The very problem that brought you to see me today is no longer there. What would be the very first difference you would notice in your life?
Helpful follow-ups
The following questions offer valuable follow-ups and progress the dialogue. They help the client create and explore new possibilities
How will you know the miracle has happened? What will others (parents, partner, children, work colleagues, etc.) notice about you that makes them aware things are different or better? What would their reaction be? What would they do? What would you do next? What would we see (feelings, thoughts, and behavior) if we compared a before and after picture? Have you ever seen elements of this happen before?
Answering the miracle question
The following statements are two unique examples of responses to the miracle question given by a couple during marriage therapy, having sought help for relationship difficulties
“We would spend more time with each other like we used to.” “My wife would have an interest in me again like when we first started dating.”
How to Use the Question in Groups: 2 Activities
Learning to use the miracle question positively in groups to generate conversation and progress requires a little more thought. It becomes even more critical to phrase the question well, create goals, engage, find exceptions to the problems, remain patient, and respond to each client in the group constructively.
The miracle question can be helpful with survivors of natural disasters, including children as young as six. Working in families or larger groups, the process “can facilitate adaptive coping, immediate solution-building,” and provide an opportunity to share essential strategies to discuss emotions, fears, and needs.
Group miracle question
The miracle question is powerful in a group setting. The process helps to imagine how good life could be if the group had everything they ever wanted.
Ask the group to sit in a circle and close their eyes. Ask them to picture the following: Imagine waking up tomorrow morning. By some miracle overnight, you have been given everything you ever wanted and life has turned out just as you have always wished. Ask each member of the group to keep imagining and ask themselves the following: What would you notice that would make you realize the miracle had happened? What would you hear and see? How would you feel differently inside? How would you be different? Ask the group to share how that future might look and feel. Then ask them to share what steps they could take to make some of this come true.
Group miracle question exercise
While the following exercise is powerful for individuals, it can promote intense discussion and valuable sharing of solutions in a group.
Ask the group to sit in a circle and close their eyes. Ask them to picture the following: Imagine waking up tomorrow morning. By some miracle overnight, all your problems are gone. Ask the group to imagine how they would feel and behave. Ask the group to choose one thing (it can be very small) they might do if the miracle happened, such as meeting with friends, beginning a new class, or starting to exercise. Now, imagine acting as if the problem were gone. How could you progress with your new activity, action, or behavior if your problem were no longer there? Ask the group to share the one thing they would start doing if their miracle happened; encourage them to explore how it would feel trying out the new behavior.
The miracle question appears surprisingly straightforward, yet it has the power to provide deep insights into the client’s goals, wishes, dreams, and the obstacles they put in their way. The potential of the miracle question comes from its ability to create understanding and the awareness it generates through ongoing dialogue. Such questions talk new and additional meaning into being and help shape the therapeutic outcome.
The miracle question is incredibly valuable for the client and the therapeutic process; indeed, “when therapists are taught that the miracle question is a tool for creating hope, their faith in their clients will increase, and their anxiety will decrease as a result.” Therapists can adopt the miracle question as a powerful tool for encouraging further conversation and uncovering the deeper drives that brought the client to their office for help.
中文翻译
如何在治疗中使用奇迹提问：3个示例
奇迹提问是一种焦点解决工具，帮助人们想象一个没有当前问题的未来，培养希望和清晰感。通过描述奇迹发生后的详细变化，个人可以识别实现期望结果的可操作步骤。这种技术鼓励从问题思维转向目标导向的解决方案，增强个人和治疗性成长。
奇迹提问打开了客户治疗可能性的门。它通过简单地要求他们考虑一个替代现实可能是什么样子来实现这一点——一个事情不同、更好、问题得到解决的世界。
奇迹提问是焦点解决治疗中一种流行的干预措施。它要求客户想象并讨论一个可能的世界，在那里问题被移除，问题得到解决。这个问题可以采取各种形式，例如问客户，“假设你的问题已经解决。有什么不同？”或者，“假设你的问题消失了。这对你意味着什么？”
对于治疗师来说，这种干预可以“构建一个好的故事情节，引导客户想象如果一夜之间发生奇迹，他们的生活会有多么不同。”提供的答案为客户提供见解，同时支持治疗目标的整体定义。
奇迹提问的力量似乎在于它能够将客户从“现实生活”中提升出来，摆脱他们的约束，想象可能的情况。关键的是，它帮助客户拼凑出一个具体而详细的愿景，描绘在没有问题的情况下他们的生活会是什么样子。除了设定目标外，奇迹提问的目的是生成一个虚拟愿景，描绘如果奇迹发生生活会是什么样子，为客户准备问题的例外情况，瞥见一个问题不再存在的世界，无论是暂时还是永久，并创建一个渐进的叙述，将客户的生活描绘成变得更好而不是更糟。
奇迹提问在行动中的3个示例
询问奇迹提问
您可以根据情况修改以下方法和措辞，例如个人、夫妻或家庭治疗。
与您的客户尝试以下方法
这可能是一个奇怪的问题，但请耐心听我说。想象像往常一样生活，在通常的时间睡觉。您不知道的是，在夜间，发生了某事——一个奇迹。当您第二天醒来时，发生了令人兴奋的事情。今天带您来见我的那个问题已经不存在了。您会注意到生活中的第一个不同是什么？
有用的后续问题
以下问题提供了有价值的后续问题并推进对话。它们帮助客户创造和探索新的可能性。
您如何知道奇迹已经发生？其他人（父母、伴侣、孩子、工作同事等）会注意到您有什么不同，让他们意识到事情不同或更好？他们的反应会是什么？他们会做什么？您接下来会做什么？如果我们比较前后图片，我们会看到什么（感受、想法和行为）？您以前见过这种情况的某些元素吗？
回答奇迹提问
以下陈述是夫妻在婚姻治疗中对奇迹提问的两个独特回应示例，他们因关系困难寻求帮助。
“我们会像以前一样花更多时间在一起。”“我的妻子会再次对我感兴趣，就像我们刚开始约会时一样。”
如何在团体中使用问题：2个活动
学习在团体中积极使用奇迹提问以产生对话和进展需要更多思考。措辞问题、创建目标、参与、找到问题的例外情况、保持耐心并对团体中的每个客户进行建设性回应变得更加关键。
奇迹提问对自然灾害幸存者有帮助，包括年仅六岁的儿童。在家庭或更大的团体中工作，这个过程“可以促进适应性应对、即时解决方案构建”，并提供分享基本策略的机会，讨论情感、恐惧和需求。
团体奇迹提问
奇迹提问在团体环境中很强大。这个过程帮助想象如果团体拥有他们想要的一切，生活会有多好。
要求团体坐成一个圈并闭上眼睛。要求他们想象以下情景：想象明天早上醒来。由于夜间某个奇迹，您得到了您想要的一切，生活正如您一直希望的那样。要求团体的每个成员继续想象并问自己以下问题：您会注意到什么让您意识到奇迹已经发生？您会听到和看到什么？您内心会有什么不同的感受？您会有什么不同？要求团体分享那个未来可能是什么样子和感觉。然后要求他们分享他们可以采取什么步骤来实现其中的一些。
团体奇迹提问练习
虽然以下练习对个人很强大，但它可以在团体中促进激烈的讨论和有价值的解决方案分享。
要求团体坐成一个圈并闭上眼睛。要求他们想象以下情景：想象明天早上醒来。由于夜间某个奇迹，您所有的问题都消失了。要求团体想象他们会有什么感受和行为。要求团体选择一件事（可以非常小），如果奇迹发生他们可能会做，例如与朋友见面、开始新课程或开始锻炼。现在，想象好像问题已经消失一样行动。如果您的问題不再存在，您如何推进您的新活动、行动或行为？要求团体分享如果他们的奇迹发生他们会开始做的一件事；鼓励他们探索尝试新行为会有什么感觉。
奇迹提问看起来出奇地简单，但它有能力提供对客户目标、愿望、梦想以及他们设置的障碍的深刻见解。奇迹提问的潜力来自于它通过持续对话创造理解和意识的能力。这样的问题将新的和额外的意义带入存在，并帮助塑造治疗结果。
奇迹提问对客户和治疗过程非常有价值；确实，“当治疗师被教导奇迹提问是创造希望的工具时，他们对客户的信心会增加，他们的焦虑会因此减少。”治疗师可以采用奇迹提问作为鼓励进一步对话和揭示客户寻求帮助的更深层动力的强大工具。
文章概要
本文介绍了奇迹提问在焦点解决治疗中的应用，这是一种帮助客户想象问题解决后未来的技术。文章解释了奇迹提问的定义、目的和力量，强调它如何将思维从问题导向转向目标导向，培养希望和清晰感。提供了三个具体示例，包括询问方式、后续问题和实际回答，展示了在个人和团体治疗中的实践。特别关注了在同伴咨询和团体环境中的应用，描述了两种团体活动，帮助成员共同构建解决方案愿景。文章总结指出，奇迹提问通过对话创造理解，增强治疗联盟，是促进个人成长和问题解决的有效工具。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容
想象一下，如果你一觉醒来，所有烦恼都像魔法一样消失了，你会注意到什么不同？这就是“奇迹提问”游戏！它就像让你画一张未来美好生活的图画，比如“如果问题解决了，我会更开心地和朋友玩”。在团体里，大家可以一起闭眼想象，然后分享如果奇迹发生，我们会做什么小事，比如开始学画画。这能帮助我们看到希望，找到改变的小步骤。
焦点解决心理学理论评价
奇迹提问是焦点解决短期治疗中的一颗璀璨明珠，它完美体现了“聚焦解决方案而非问题”的核心哲学。这项技术通过邀请客户描绘一个没有问题的未来图景，巧妙地引导思维从“问题是什么”转向“我想要什么”，从而激活内在资源和目标导向动力。它赞美了人类与生俱来的想象力和创造力，将治疗对话转化为共同构建希望叙事的合作过程。奇迹提问不仅强化了治疗联盟，还通过具体化愿景帮助客户识别例外时刻和微小改变，为持续成长铺设道路。
在实践上可以应用的领域和可以解决人们的十个问题
奇迹提问在多个领域展现出广阔应用前景，它能帮助人们解决以下十类问题：在同伴咨询中，协助青少年应对学业压力，通过想象成功场景提升动力；在学校心理辅导中，帮助学生处理人际关系冲突，构建和谐交往愿景；在职场心理健康项目中，缓解员工工作倦怠，描绘平衡生活蓝图；在家庭治疗中，改善亲子沟通，设想温馨互动时刻；在社区支持小组中，帮助居民应对生活变故，规划积极未来；在康复治疗中，鼓励患者想象健康生活，增强康复信心；在团队建设中，促进成员协作，共同设想团队成功画面；在个人成长工作坊中，引导参与者突破自我限制，展望潜能实现；在危机干预中，为受创者提供希望锚点，想象安全稳定生活；在教育培训中，激发学习者设定清晰目标，可视化学习成就。这些应用都聚焦于赞美个体韧性、探索目标可能性和开启未来新篇章。