The Miracle Question: A Solution-Focused Therapy Technique for Hope and Positive Change
The Miracle Question is a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) practice that gently invites you to imagine what life might look like if something important changed for the better. The question is often framed like this: suppose that while you were sleeping, a meaningful shift happened and the problem was less present, less powerful, or no longer shaping your day in the same way. When you woke up, what would be the first small sign that something was different? From there, the practice becomes more specific: What would you notice in your body, your mood, your routine, your relationships, or your choices? What might someone close to you notice? Research on SFBT, solution-focused questions, and the Miracle Question suggests that this kind of future-oriented and resource-focused practice can support hope, clarify preferred change, and help people identify concrete signs of progress (Abdulla, 2023; Franklin et al., 2017; Franklin et al., 2024; Neipp et al., 2021; Vermeulen-Oskam et al., 2024).
This practice is not about fantasy, denial, or pretending that barriers do not exist. The most useful answers are usually specific and observable, such as getting out of bed a little earlier, taking a breath before responding, noticing a moment of relief, reaching out instead of withdrawing, or handling one familiar trigger differently. The Miracle Question helps move attention from “What is wrong?” to “What would I notice if things were even slightly better?” From there, you can begin to identify times when parts of the preferred change may already be happening along with strengths, supports, and next steps that may be available in small ways. You might ask, “What would be one tiny sign that I was moving in that direction?” The point is not to magically solve everything. The point is to make hope specific enough that it can become practice (Abdulla, 2023; Franklin et al., 2017; Neipp et al., 2021; Vermeulen-Oskam et al., 2024).
References
Abdulla, A. (2023). Brief computerised self-help interventions, the “miracle question,” and the moderating effects of openness-to-experience. International Journal of Wellbeing, 13(3), 24-47. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v13i3.2799
Franklin, C., Ding, X., Kim, J. S., Zhang, A., Hai, A. H., Jones, K. V., Nachbaur, M., & O’Connor, A. (2024). Solution-focused brief therapy in community-based services: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 34(3), 265-276. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231162611
Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Froerer, A., & Johnson, S. (2017). Solution focused brief therapy: A systematic review and meta-summary of process research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 16-30. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12193
Neipp, M.-C., Beyebach, M., Sánchez-Prada, A., & Delgado Álvarez, M. C. (2021). Solution-focused versus problem-focused questions: Differential effects of miracles, exceptions and scales. Journal of Family Therapy, 43(4), 728-747. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12345
Vermeulen-Oskam, E., Franklin, C., van’t Hof, L. P. M., Stams, G. J. J. M., van Vugt, E. S., Assink, M., Veltman, E. J., Froerer, A. S., Staaks, J. P. C., & Zhang, A. (2024). The current evidence of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis of psychosocial outcomes and moderating factors. Clinical Psychology Review, 114, Article 102512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102512
