Asking yourself a simple question could help save hundreds on therapy bills, a mental health counselor has claimed.
In a popular TikTok clip, Olesya Luraschi, a Harvard-trained leadership and high-performance coach, shared what psychologists call the “miracle question.”
He said it can help people change their attitude and behavior after a single therapy session, improving performance at work and increasing feelings of accomplishment.
The TikTok video, which has attracted more than 425,000 views, asks: ‘Suppose you wake up tomorrow and you’re happy. What would be different?’
Asking this simple question can help clients reverse engineer the life they want instead of getting stuck in their current problems by identifying clear steps they need to take to reach their life goal, he said.
Ms. Luraschi shared the miracle question on TikTok, garnering more than 425,000 views and 15,600 likes. Some users said the question was brilliant, others said it didn’t work for them.
Having people ask themselves the miracle question can help them progress in therapy. Luraschi said he can get patients out of the therapy chair after a session.
Ms. Luraschi runs a private practice where she focuses on training people in the technology industry and shares psychology. tips for your TikTokwhere he has obtained more than 128,000 followers and 1.8 million likes.
Some commenters were not impressed with his suggestion.
“Most people have no idea what would make them happy,” said user5636243237705.
Neillien wrote: “If I woke up tomorrow and was happy, I would be retired.” Can I afford to retire? Never. How does this help?’
Others still found it useful. Ann_marie52353 wrote: “Well, contrary to popular opinion in the comments, I think it’s brilliant.”
Psychologists have been using this approach since at least 1998, according to the Lake Superior State University psychologist. Russell Searight.
It comes from psychologists who practice solution-focused therapy, a technique created in the 1980s that encourages clients to focus on problems in their daily lives instead of analyzing the past.
It is particularly useful in helping people overcome depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, according to the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy.
The miracle question applies best to people who are goal-oriented and driven by future perspectives, Kristen Gingrich, a licensed clinical social worker based in Maine, shared on his own TikTok.
In the original version of the question, psychologists asked patients to imagine that a “miracle” had occurred during the night and they had woken up happy.
This is where the expression “miraculous question” comes from.
Asking this question could increase the likelihood that the client and doctor will form a “firm alliance”, which could help the client feel more comfortable and benefit more from the therapy, according to Professor Searight.
This helps the therapist better understand what the client wants from therapy, Ms. Gingrich said. This way, they can better guide the client toward her ideal life.
He uses it when a client feels stuck. This can help them overcome plateaus in progress. “Instead of focusing on everything that went wrong, they can focus on the things and progress they could make.”
However, not everyone benefits from the miracle question, Daniel Lawsonsaid a psychotherapist. Sometimes therapists need to adapt the wording of the question to make it more applicable to their particular situation.
“If it’s not personal to them, then it necessarily won’t work,” Dr. Lawson said.
He added: “so don’t blame your client, listen to them and don’t let your past ruin your future.”