The Miracle Question in Recovery

Using the Miracle Question to hone problems into solutions.

One of my favorite therapeutic tools is the Miracle Question

It comes from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) which was developed by the therapist couple Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1980s. The goal of SFBT is to examine the client’s problem in the here-and-now. It orients a client’s awareness towards solutions, rather than the problem saturated world which the client brings with them into the therapy room.

We are constantly creating the future in our minds and often creating a picture-perfect one; sometimes without even being conscious of the thoughts. SFBT allows a person to bring those thoughts into present awareness. Then, the therapy focuses on creating solutions and goals to achieve that future.

The Miracle Question is used to help both the care provider and the client understand what that future can look like by looking at the problem from the vantage of it miraculously vanishing. The client's response invites a discussion and subsequent lines of questioning about what that new ideal state of being looks like. The question itself asks:

“Suppose tonight, while you slept, a miracle occurred. When you wake up tomorrow, what would be some of the things you would notice that would tell you life had suddenly gotten better?”

The Miracle Question in Practice

You may be saying to yourself, well that’s pretty open to all kinds of responses. Some of which may not be actually attainable. The thing is, the response is the tip of the solution iceberg. We need to continue to look below the surface for the real solutions to emerge. For instance, if someone’s problem is they have gone through a divorce and their ideal version is them being back with their partner, the care provider can respond “How would that make a difference?” The client may respond, “I would have someone in my life again and I would be happy.” Then the therapist would ask “Are there people in your life already who make you happy?” This process begins to show the client that while their problem exists, there are other areas in which the problem does not exist.

That is the beauty of the question: the ability to continue drilling down. Once people see that that the problem is not pervasive in every aspect of their life, solutions can be developed and goals can be set to help develop skills that can help with creating their ideal future state. This is why this question is perfect for helping people working towards addiction recovery.

Using The Miracle Question in Recovery Support

Asking this question to clients working towards recovery can result in a lot of valuable discussion about what their overarching life goals may look like. Addiction disease can make the future feel fuzzy; the compass is not pointing in any clear direction. The Miracle Question can help the client and the care provider begin to find a north star in the recovery process.

“Addiction tells people to keep driving forward even when they want to get off at the next exit. It keeps diverting them from getting off the addiction highway.”

In the case of a person working towards recovery, a response to the Miracle Question might be “I would no longer wake up and want to drink/use drugs.” The care provider would then pose, “How would that make a difference in your life?” The client may respond, “I would no longer feel the need to drink when I am feeling nervous or anxious.” The care provider would then examine this with the client and ask, “Are there times in your life now when you don’t feel anxious or the need to drink/use drugs?” Based on this response and subsequent ones, the client and care provider begin to develop goals for the problem of drinking/using drugs in relation to feelings of anxiety and nervousness.

The Miracle Question and resulting drill down can hone the problem into a well-defined solution. Goals can then be created and action items can be developed as homework between sessions to become more aware of moments where the problem is not as noticeable. The client can also practice the skills they are learning in the process in real-world settings.

Making Miracles Happen

This is a quick and really rewarding therapeutic technique. It does require some practice to understand the drilling down techniques. You want to be able to use the questions to get a well-defined solution, which is not easy, but it is so rewarding when you finally get it down. This is such a great way to quickly build rapport and increase a client’s engagement in any type of therapeutic, counseling, or coaching session. Client’s feel like they are a part of the process and have a say in the direction their care goes. It removes that element of feeling like the care provider is the one with all the answers, when in fact the client really is the expert in their own life.

People have the strengths and abilities to create solutions to their problems. They just need a guide to help them make sense of the directions that the backseat driver of addiction disease is messing up. Addiction tells people to keep driving forward even when they want to get off at the next exit. It keeps diverting them from getting off the addiction highway.

This is why I love the Miracle Question. It helps make the addiction disease easier to ignore and the directions easier to follow. It allows a client to be in the driver’s seat and the care provider to act not as a new backseat driver, but as the traffic signs on the road. The care provider guides, as the client steers the car off the nearest exit and onto the road of recovery.