journal_august_2026_release_full_edition - Flipbook - Page 21
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David:
Would you like some good ideas?
Dustin:
Yep. (Stated enthusiastically)
David:
You sure? Say we came up with some good ideas, would that be OK?
Dustin:
Yep. I would do that.
I now turn to his parents and ask them one of Michael White9s classic inquiries—a
unique outcome question and am stunned almost to disbelief by their answer.
David:
Has there been a time, Marie or Tim, when Dustin played around
with being more self-reliant? Was there a time he had a try at it and
it didn't work out & he had a go & but he didn't stick at it long
enough?
Mother:
(After some reflection, she replied thoughtfully, trying to find the
words to express herself.) How will I put it? He wasn't playing around
with being more self-reliant, but if he had in his mind that he wanted
to do something, even if he was a bit wheezy, he could make his
asthma go away.
David:
(I am shocked to hear this &) Pardon, am I hearing things? Hold on!
Did you hear what your mother said? She said you could make your
wheeziness go away when you really wanted it to.
Dustin:
Yeh. (In no way contested his mother9s comments)
Mother:
And likewise, if he really doesn9t want to do anything, he can make
himself have an attack too.
David:
(Uttered with unrestrained excitement) Oh & great! He can give
himself asthma; he can stop asthma. This is great news.
Mother:
Mind you, he hasn9t done that lately. That was when he was younger.
What Is a Good Question—and What Does It Do? A Forty-Year Reflection on Inquiry in Narrative Therapy
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, August 2026 Release, p. 9-45.
www.journalcnt.com
