Have you been emotionally moved by something that you have read in books and articles? The power of right words on emotions can summon tears, laughter, sometimes. When you are trying to navigate mental well-being challenges, you can use this power of words as a form of treatment known as bibliotherapy. Reading this article, you will get to know about bibliotherapy, its types and its benefits.
What Is Bibliotherapy?
Bibliotherapy had been discussed in psychodynamic models in the 1950s. It was introduced into medical vocabulary in 1966 to encourage cognitive change. It’s used as a form of treatment in psychotherapy approaches. Any format of written work which includes magazines, research papers, poetry and blogs.
What Are the Different Types?
Bibliotherapy brings personal change through reading. It falls into two categories:
- Clinical: Using literature to create cognitive change and attaining therapeutic goals.
- Developmental: Informational materials used by medical professionals to assist with puberty issues.
Why Do Medical Professionals Use It?
Bibliotherapy helps individuals see the larger picture when worried. Literature can help you experience emotional ramifications with the help of fictional characters.
When Medical Practitioners Start to Use It?
Bibliotherapy can help with relationships and substance use recovery by impacting depression symptoms in a positive way. It also helps in other situations like stress, childhood behavioral challenges and eating disorders
How Does Bibliotherapy Help?
Literature can help you understand your motivations and behavior with fiction and nonfiction. It offers exercises, and coping tips as well. By reading fiction, you typically experience emotional release, which Aristotle described to be “catharsis.”
Benefits of Bibliotherapy
Some of the benefits of bibliotherapy are as follows:
- We can learn from the perceptions of others: When reading literature, you may learn about ways to think about the issues you are experiencing. These problems are based on how the characters mentioned in the book experience the issue. This may include extra strategies the author has used.
- Seeking mental health benefits aside from your counseling session: Many counseling sessions have a time duration of 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Bibliotherapy helps you to continue the healing process through the way when a mental health professional is not present. It also leads to further questions that come up for you which you can discuss in your counseling sessions.
- Gaining self-awareness: Literature encourages you to reframe about your experiences in a different light. Bibliotherapy inspires reflection and introspection, which are greatly valued in the healing process.
- You can read whenever you want: Bibliotherapy helps you to create your own reading schedule in spare time. You can read at night, early in the morning, at work or home. This is helpful because many of us live busy lives with professional occupations.
- Reading materials: There is likely some reading material that is suitable for every reader. Whether it is topics that you can find in written text, audiobooks, e-publications, picture books or novels etc. You can find something that meets your specific goals.
When Is Reading Not Good for Mental Health?
Some bibliotherapy is harmful which involves propaganda or misleading information.
Who Is A Good Candidate?
Bibliotherapy is safe for people of all ages, but it may not be recommended for those who have a short attention span.
What Can I Expect?
Bibliotherapy is guided by a mental health care professional. You’ll likely be given a reading recommendation based on your range of emotions and realizations. These emotions could lead to new insights.
The Bottom Line
Bibliotherapy is the use of literature to overcome challenges in life with right reading material. It can increase your intellectual insight toward yourself. Self-help books and reading literature at home that empowers you, can be considered as bibliotherapy.