I’m not in therapy, but like many people, I have issues that could use some working through. Just ask my mother — on second thought- no, not my mother — please, not her! Compassionate, well-trained therapists offer sound advice and plenty of tissues, but those weekly sessions never last for the long haul. They get expensive, and fifty minutes of forced conversation can turn into something to dread.
This is why the concept of bibliotherapy struck me as not only practical but downright inviting. Bibliotherapy is the practice of reading books to help address the everyday ailments of life, such as low-level anxiety, heartache, and midlife melancholy. It’s important to note that this is not intended to replace traditional therapy for severe conditions. For any book lover (like me), the appeal is especially obvious: Time spent pleasure reading can be guilt-free in the name of mental health and wellness. With little more than a stack of novels and cozy chair, you could, in theory, heal yourself.
The belief in the therapeutic effect of storytelling is nothing new. In ancient Greece, the entrance to the library of Thebes was inscribed with “healing place of the soul.” Around the end of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud was using literature in psychoanalysis sessions. Later, during World War I, hospitalized patients were encouraged to read books as a means of recovering from trauma.
The term “bibliotherapeutics” is believed to date back to 1916, the Atlantic Monthly reported on the goings-on at a Bibliopathic Institute, run out of a church basement, where a self-anointed specialist dispensed the works of Tolstoy, Shaw, and Thackeray like tinctures and tonics.
“The primary function of poetry, as of all the arts, is to make us more aware of ourselves and the world around us.” W.H. Auden
A study in 2000 revealed that when people read about an event, they display activity in the same brain regions they would if they had actually experienced it. Other studies found that people who read literary fiction tend to show more empathy. Reading has also been shown to nurture a sharper mind and coax our bodies into a state of deep relaxation, similar to meditation. It is clear to me that books help people become happier and healthier, not to mention more emotionally attuned to others.
They say that art and literature tell you truths about the world and about yourself that no one else can tell you.
As the days, nights, weeks and months of social distancing roll into one another, the world may feel like it’s crumbling. You just might need a little dose of perspective. If so, you may be able to find the solace, inspiration, and even the unexpected belly laugh at the moment you need it — at a bookcase near you.
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