The life coach goes viral with a ‘wonder question’ that she believes can immediately make you happier… but does it also work on YOU?

Asking yourself one simple question could save you hundreds of therapy bills, claims a mental health coach.

In a popular TikTok clip, Olesya Luraschi, a leadership and high-performance coach trained at Harvard, shared what psychologists call the “miracle question.”

She said it can help people change their attitudes and behavior after just one therapy session, improving job performance and increasing feelings of satisfaction.

The TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 425,000 times, 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 bogged down in their current problems, by identifying clear steps they need to take to achieve their goal life, she said.

When people ask themselves the miracle question, they can make progress in therapy. Ms Luraschi said it can get patients out of the therapy chair after one session.

Ms. Luraschi has a private practice where she focuses on coaching people in the tech industry, and shares psychology tips for her TikTokwhere she has amassed over 128,000 followers and 1.8 million likes.

Some commenters were unimpressed by her suggestion.

“Most people have no idea what would make them happy,” says 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 belief in the comments, I think it’s brilliant.’

Psychologists have been using this approach since 1998, according to the Lake Superior State University psychologist Russell Searight.

It comes from psychologists who practice solution-focused therapy, a technique developed in the 1980s that encourages clients to focus on the problems in their daily lives, rather than analyzing the past.

It is especially useful in helping people overcome depression, anxiety and low self-esteem British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy.

The miracle question is best applied to people who are goal-oriented and driven by future prospects. Kristen Gingrich, a licensed clinical social worker based in Maine, shared in her own TikTok.

In the original version of the question, psychologists asked patients to imagine that a “miracle” had occurred overnight and they woke up happy.

This is where the term ‘wonder question’ comes from.

Asking this question makes the client and doctor more likely to form a “strong alliance,” which could help the client feel more comfortable and benefit more from therapy, says Professor Searight.

This helps the therapist better understand what the client wants out of therapy, Ms. Gingrich said. This way they can better guide the client towards his/her ideal life.

She uses it when a client feels stuck. This can help them overcome the current plateaus. “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: Dan Lawson, said a psychotherapist. Sometimes therapists need to adjust the wording of the question to make it more applicable to their unique situation.

“If it’s not personal to them, it necessarily doesn’t work,” Dr. Lawson said.

He added: “So don’t blame your client, listen to your client and don’t let your past ruin your future.”