bibliotherapy

[realthog]

The reading cure

The idea that literature can make us emotionally and physically stronger goes back to Plato. But now book groups are proving that Shakespeare can be as beneficial as self-help guides. Blake Morrison investigates the rise of bibliotherapy

That's the opener of an interesting article in today's Grauniad. You can find the rest of it here: http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2235352,00.html .

Comments

[quilterbear.livejournal.com]

Wow! That is my kind of article! I especially loved this quote: "Reading pushes the pain away into a place where it no longer seems important. No matter how ill you are, there's a world inside books which you can enter and explore, and where you focus on something other than your own problems. You get to talk about things that people usually skate over, like ageing or death, and that kind of conversation - with everyone chipping in, so you feel part of something - can be enormously helpful."

I have always "prescribed" books in my practice (psychotherapy), but have never had a group reading such as described in this article. I have always known of the healing properties of reading. Thank you so much for sharing this!