英文原文
How to Use the Miracle Question in Therapy: 3 Examples
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 miracle question prompts and motivates negotiation between therapist and client. When introduced into the session, it typically offers a departure from the prior dialogue. The conversation then proceeds to work out the full meaning of the answer given.
The power of the miracle question is to bring clarity to the therapeutic process while strengthening the therapeutic alliance through the client’s presentation of their problem.
The Purpose of the Miracle Question in Therapy
Negotiation and back-and-forth dialogue are crucial to the process of posing and making sense of the miracle question. The therapist uses the insight it provides to “bring forth clients’ ideas, goals, and possibilities” to uncover the potential outcomes of therapy.
When the client considers the question, it generates new dialogue with the therapist with the miracle as a clear focus. Whether a starting point or later in the interview, it introduces (or reintroduces) further potential for growth into the conversation.
The client becomes more active and potentially more engaged in the therapeutic process, constructing and negotiating valuable meanings and insights while showing that they wish to benefit from the discussion.
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.
* Create a progressive narrative where the client’s life is pictured as becoming better rather than worse.
For the therapist and client, the response to the miracle question becomes “the common ground upon which the two agree to build a new foundation.”
3 Examples of the Miracle Question in Action
The following three examples explore how to use the miracle question and its impact.
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.”
Language becomes more than a tool for understanding. The process of asking, sharing, and understanding the miracle question communicates experiences and wishes between the speaker and the listener.
It is important to remember that while initiated as a single question, the broader process of creating a vision of what life could be like may require an entire session. Furthermore, it takes skill to pose follow-up questions, yet it is worthwhile, as it involves building more detail and meaning through elaboration.
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.
2 Other Helpful Psychology Techniques
While the miracle question is a powerful technique in Solution-Focused Therapy and elsewhere, there are other helpful approaches as well.
Exception questions
It can be helpful to reflect upon exceptions to the present problems in the client’s life. Such an approach can be a valuable way to “discover clients’ previous successes and amplify the client’s strengths.”
While the miracle question offers insight into treatment goals, exception questions highlight possible pathways to achieve them.
An example exception question and statement include:
* Was there a time when you were able to respond without anger?
* Tell me of a time when you and your wife enjoyed one another’s company.
Scaling questions
Scaling questions provide a useful way to assess a client’s progress toward their goals. “The evaluation outcome can further guide the treatment by adjusting the behavior modification plan” in therapy.
Such questions are popular in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, where the aim is to find immediate solutions and actively assist clients in resolving their problems.
Two examples of scaling questions include:
* On a scale of 0 to 10, how committed are you to finding a solution to your relationship problems?
* On a scale of 0 to 10, how controlled do you feel by your father?
A Take-Home Message
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.
Research into asking and answering the miracle question shows it creates dialogue through negotiation. The meaning is constructed between client and therapist socially, while they responsively negotiate what they say and how they say it.
The answer to the question – what the miracle looks like – is woven back into the client’s life and their network of interpersonal relationships.
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
奇迹提问是焦点解决疗法中一种流行的干预方法。它要求来访者想象并讨论一个可能的世界，在那里问题被消除，问题得到解决。这个问题可以采取各种形式，例如询问来访者：“假设你的问题已经解决了。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“构建一个良好的故事情节，引导来访者想象如果一夜之间发生奇迹，他们的生活会有多么不同。”提供的答案为来访者提供了见解，同时支持治疗目标的整体定义。
奇迹提问促进并激励治疗师和来访者之间的协商。当引入会话时，它通常提供了一个与先前对话不同的出发点。然后，对话继续进行，以理解所给答案的全部含义。
奇迹提问的力量在于为治疗过程带来清晰度，同时通过来访者呈现他们的问题来加强治疗联盟。
奇迹提问在治疗中的目的
协商和来回对话对于提出和理解奇迹提问的过程至关重要。治疗师利用它提供的洞察力“引出来访者的想法、目标和可能性”，以揭示治疗的潜在结果。
当来访者考虑这个问题时，它会与治疗师产生新的对话，以奇迹为明确焦点。无论是作为起点还是在访谈后期，它都会在对话中引入（或重新引入）进一步成长的潜力。
来访者变得更加活跃，并可能更投入治疗过程，构建和协商有价值的含义和见解，同时表明他们希望从讨论中受益。
奇迹提问的力量似乎在于它能够将来访者从“现实生活”中提升出来，摆脱他们的限制，想象可能的情况。至关重要的是，它帮助来访者拼凑出一个具体而详尽的愿景，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，描绘如果发生奇迹，生活会是什么样子。
* 为来访者准备问题的例外情况，瞥见一个问题不再存在（无论是暂时还是永久）的世界。
* 创建一个渐进的叙事，其中来访者的生活被描绘为变得更好而不是更糟。
对于治疗师和来访者来说，对奇迹提问的回应成为“双方同意建立新基础的共同基础”。
奇迹提问在行动中的3个示例
以下三个示例探讨了如何使用奇迹提问及其影响。
提出奇迹提问
您可以根据情况（例如个人、夫妻或家庭治疗）修改以下方法和措辞。
尝试与您的来访者进行以下操作：
这可能是一个奇怪的问题，但请耐心听我说。想象一下，像往常一样生活，并在通常的时间睡觉。
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。
今天让您来找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。它们帮助来访者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，让他们意识到事情变得不同或更好？
* 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）？
* 您以前是否见过这种情况的某些元素发生？
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。”
语言不仅仅是理解的工具。提出、分享和理解奇迹提问的过程在说话者和倾听者之间传达了经验和愿望。
重要的是要记住，虽然作为一个单一问题启动，但创建生活可能是什么样子的愿景的更广泛过程可能需要整个会话。此外，提出后续问题需要技巧，但这是值得的，因为它涉及通过详细阐述构建更多细节和含义。
如何在团体中使用该问题：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来访者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（包括年仅六岁的儿童）有帮助。在家庭或更大的团体中工作，该过程“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，以讨论情绪、恐惧和需求。
团体奇迹提问
奇迹提问在团体环境中非常强大。该过程有助于想象如果团体拥有他们想要的一切，生活会有多美好。
* 要求团体坐成一个圆圈并闭上眼睛。
* 要求他们想象以下内容：
想象明天早上醒来。由于一夜之间的某个奇迹，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看起来和感觉如何。
* 然后要求他们分享他们可以采取哪些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。
* 要求团体坐成一个圆圈并闭上眼睛。
* 要求他们想象以下内容：
想象明天早上醒来。由于一夜之间的某个奇迹，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，想象表现得好像问题已经消失。如果问题不再存在，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。
2个其他有用的心理学技巧
虽然奇迹提问是焦点解决疗法和其他地方的一种强大技巧，但还有其他有用的方法。
例外提问
反思来访者生活中当前问题的例外情况可能会有帮助。这种方法可以是“发现来访者先前的成功并放大来访者的优势”的宝贵方式。
虽然奇迹提问提供了对治疗目标的洞察，但例外提问突出了实现这些目标的可能途径。
一个例外提问和陈述的示例包括：
* 有没有一次您能够不带愤怒地回应？
* 告诉我一次您和您的妻子享受彼此陪伴的时间。
量表提问
量表提问提供了一种有用的方法来评估来访者朝着目标的进展。“评估结果可以通过调整治疗中的行为修改计划来进一步指导治疗。”
这类问题在焦点解决短期疗法中很受欢迎，其目的是找到即时解决方案并积极帮助来访者解决问题。
两个量表提问的示例包括：
* 在0到10的范围内，您对找到关系问题的解决方案有多投入？
* 在0到10的范围内，您感觉被父亲控制的程度如何？
带回家的信息
奇迹提问看起来出奇地简单，但它有能力提供对来访者的目标、愿望、梦想以及他们设置的障碍的深刻洞察。
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。这类问题将新的和额外的含义带入存在，并帮助塑造治疗结果。
对提出和回答奇迹提问的研究表明，它通过协商创造对话。含义是在来访者和治疗师之间社会性地构建的，同时他们响应性地协商他们说什么以及如何说。
问题的答案——奇迹是什么样子——被编织回来访者的生活和他们的人际关系网络中。
奇迹提问对来访者和治疗过程非常有价值；事实上，“当治疗师被教导奇迹提问是创造希望的工具时，他们对来访者的信心会增加，他们的焦虑会因此减少。”
治疗师可以采用奇迹提问作为一种强大的工具，鼓励进一步对话，并揭示将来访者带到他们办公室寻求帮助的更深层驱动力。
文章概要
本文介绍了焦点解决疗法中的奇迹提问技术，这是一种帮助来访者想象问题解决后未来情景的干预方法。文章详细解释了奇迹提问的定义、目的和实施方式，包括三个具体示例和后续问题。特别强调了在团体治疗中的应用，提供了两个团体活动，帮助成员通过想象奇迹发生后的变化来探索目标和解决方案。文章还提到了其他相关技巧，如例外提问和量表提问，并总结了奇迹提问在促进治疗对话、增强希望和明确目标方面的价值。
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，所有烦恼都消失了，你会注意到什么不同？奇迹提问就是让你这样去想象，帮助你看清自己想要的生活是什么样子，就像玩游戏一样设定目标。
焦点解决心理学理论评价：奇迹提问完美体现了焦点解决心理学的核心理念，它引导个体从问题导向转向目标导向，通过构建积极的未来愿景来激发内在资源和希望。这种技术强调可能性而非局限性，鼓励来访者聚焦于解决方案而非问题本身，从而促进自我效能感和成长动力。
在实践上可以应用的领域和可以解决人们的十个问题：奇迹提问可广泛应用于心理咨询、教育辅导、职场培训、家庭治疗和社区支持等领域。它可以解决人们的以下十个问题：1. 缺乏明确的生活目标；2. 人际关系冲突；3. 工作压力与职业迷茫；4. 情绪低落与动力不足；5. 自我怀疑与低自尊；6. 创伤后恢复困难；7. 成瘾行为改变；8. 家庭沟通障碍；9. 青少年成长困惑；10. 团体协作与凝聚力提升。通过想象奇迹后的积极变化，人们能更清晰地看到前进方向，增强解决问题的信心。