A psychological technique aimed at sparking rapid personal transformation has recently gone viral, thanks to a leadership coach’s TikTok explainer.
On June 6, leadership and high-performance coach Olesya Luraschi shared a short video on TikTok, delving into the “miracle question.” This method encourages individuals to imagine how their lives would change if they woke up feeling genuinely happy. According to Luraschi, this technique helps prompt swift emotional healing by envisioning a future where current problems are resolved.
Luraschi, a Harvard-educated coach, posted the video on her TikTok account, @olesyaluraschi, where it quickly gained traction, amassing over 425,000 views in under two weeks and sparking an online discussion about the technique’s effectiveness.
“This is considered the miracle question in psychology,” Luraschi explained. “It’s called a miracle question because it often allows people to change in just a couple of sessions—sometimes, even just one session.”
She further elaborated that the goal is to reverse-engineer the life you want to live, rather than just focusing on current problems, which is a common approach in many therapeutic contexts.
The technique encourages individuals to pinpoint how they would feel once they have achieved ultimate happiness or the emotional state they aspire to embody. “How would we know that we’ve achieved the state that we want to achieve?” Luraschi asked.
Luraschi described this approach, which focuses on desired happiness rather than current challenges, as a departure from traditional psychological methods. It recognizes that everyone’s definition of happiness is unique, and some may not even believe that a state of happiness is achievable.
Neuroscientist Dr. Sará King shared her perspective with *Mindful*, a mindfulness and meditation resource, noting that happiness isn’t simply the opposite of suffering. “Happiness, to me, is very rich, rewarding, and complex,” King said. “[It is] something that I can experience when I know that I’m really being held in the integrity of my community and my family and what it is that I am rooted in, what it is that I stand for.”
Steve Hickman, associate clinical professor at the University of California San Diego, also told *Mindful* that the common conception of happiness is misleading. “Happiness, as most of us habitually think of it, is a myth,” Hickman said. “We think of it as a destination at which we arrive or a steady state that we achieve. But when one stops and actually thinks of such a thing, it’s hard to imagine that being desirable.”
Luraschi’s technique can be tailored to fit anyone’s definition of happiness or their specific goals. Trained at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School, Luraschi now coaches leaders in the technology industry and regularly shares explainer videos to her over 128,000 TikTok followers.
Her video has not only drawn the attention of individuals seeking self-improvement but has also sparked discussions among mental health professionals about the “miracle question’s” potential benefits in therapeutic settings.
One TikTok user, @stjohngenealogy, suggested rephrasing the question: “Suppose you woke up tomorrow living your ideal life, what would be different?” Others shared their visions of happiness, from financial freedom to overall well-being.
A clinical psychologist, known online as @dr..angelica.shie, commented that she frequently uses a similar technique in her practice, calling it the “magic wand question.” “If you had a magic wand… What would be different?” she wrote.
Luraschi’s “miracle question” continues to resonate with many, offering a powerful tool for envisioning and achieving a happier, more fulfilling life.
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