The Healing Power Of Books
An exclusive interview with two of the best bibliotherapist’s
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” — Jhumpa Lahiri
Bibliotherapy, also called book therapy, is a creative arts therapy modality that involves storytelling or reading books as healing. Samuel McChord Crothers coined the term ‘bibliotherapy’ in August 1916. It comes from the Greek words “biblion” which means book and “therapeia” which means healing. Bibliotherapy is not a recent concept. Contrary to popular belief, it dates back to Aristotle, who considered that books have a healing effect. He opined that reading fiction was a way of treating illnesses. This continues to prevail even today, as recent research in bibliotherapy shows that just taking part in a reading circle can contribute to psychological well-being in people with mental illnesses such as chronic depression and anxiety.
The first time I heard about bibliotherapy was in a webinar I attended by Mrs. Bijal Shah, an investment banker turned book curator and bibliotherapist, based in London, UK. She notes, “bibliotherapy is using the power of literature as therapy.”
Her detailed description of how books can improve mental health intrigued me and I had to know more! So I ventured to dig deeper.
I interviewed Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin from London, who co-founded the world’s first Bibliotherapy Service at The School of Life in London in 2008. They are authors of The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies and The Story Cure: Books to Keep Kids Happy, Healthy & Wise. They also spread awareness regarding the benefits and techniques of bibliotherapy worldwide.
How does bibliotherapy heal the mind?
Ella explains,
“An ancient library in the city of Thebes, Greece bore an inscription over the door naming it a ‘Healing-Place for the Soul’. Books show us we’re not alone, that other people have grappled with the same fears and joys and despaired in the same way. Stories reveal to us our common humanity even when they’re written by someone two hundred years ago, or who lived on the other side of the world. We learn about others, and we learn about ourselves. This is healing.”
Similarly, Susan concurs,
“stories do something very special, which is to transport the reader to another place, and another time, completely. When we’re really caught up in a story, we no longer hear the noise of the train or the conversations of the other passengers; we don’t notice that the light is fading. We have stepped into the shoes of the point-of-view character in the story, seeing what he/she sees, smelling what he/she smells, and feeling what he/she feels.”
She notes,
“When we finish a story that has transported us, we get to take away with us some life experiences of that character — the wisdom, the emotional run-off, the sense of having lived through whatever they’ve lived through. It’s this that heals us and where the real magic of novels lies.”
Are people choosing bibliotherapy over normal therapy nowadays?
Susan thinks people are increasingly realizing, too, that the act of reading a novel can be therapeutic — especially this year during the pandemic.
“Our brains are usually so distracted by our busy lives that we don’t do many things that require sustained focus and a quiet space. This year, people have had time for reading and rediscovered the benefits of it.”
She references a variety of studies to support her beliefs. Certain findings have revealed that reading lowers blood pressure, and some others have shown that people who read literary fiction are more empathetic. “This is because when they read novels they practice inferring what the characters are feeling, and this is a skill they can take back into normal life” highlights Susan.
However, Ella believes that there is no alternative to traditional therapy.
“Bibliotherapy isn’t a replacement for therapy. We’re not trained therapists, and we always encourage someone to seek professional help if they think they are depressed or suffering from any sort of debilitating mental issue. The people who come to us are mentally curious. Often they are entering a new life stage — leaving home, moving on from a relationship, or looking to change their career. They want some mental space in which to explore their decision.”
Ella goes onto state that while reading might be a healing process, it doesn’t lead to any specific answers. How then does Bibliotherapy help? Ella explains,
“Reading is a subjective experience — what you take away from Anna Karenina will differ from what I take away. We try to choose books — or combinations of books — that get you thinking rather than direct you to a particular conclusion. There’s no right or wrong answer to whether Anna Karenina was right to have an affair. But we can see that her decision brought complications and that while she gained some things, she also paid a high price. The novel offers a space in which to explore all these things, and to some extent live through them ourselves safely.”
My interview with both Ella and Susan was very insightful. Reading is part of my routine too. Although, I could never imagine that books can have such wondrous effects on human beings.
If you or your loved ones are trying to find that mental space, entering a new stage of life, or the pandemic has been too hard on you and you need a break to clear the clutter of your mind, then try visiting a bibliotherapist. While it’s not an alternative for therapy, it can heal us in ways we are unconscious of.
