Could a book be your ideal mental health prescription?
The pandemic reinvigorated our love of reading, and has seen a rise in bibliotherapy – reading to improve our wellbeing. JENNIFER BARTON reports on this trend
AS I devoured a Gothic horror, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I was engrossed in the beautiful descriptions and detailed characters. My mind was totally focused – it was the best I’d felt in ages.
The truth was, I’d been feeling lost and lacklustre following the birth of my third child in five years. Books used to be my sanctuary, but they just weren’t cutting it any more.
So when I heard about bibliotherapy sessions being run by the School of Life, I decided to give them a go. Would they help me get my mojo back?
Simply put, bibliotherapy is when any text – fiction, poetry, self-help, even graphic novels – is used to boost wellbeing and mental health.
Books have long been a source of comfort, nostalgia and escapism. But during the pandemic, they became a lifeline for many. With more time on our hands to read, book sales skyrocketed.
More than 212 million print books were sold in the UK in 2021, the highest figure for a decade and this has led to a rise in bibliotherapy. The concept of books as medicine is nothing new. What was known as “literary caregiving” was used to help wounded soldiers in the First World War, and studies have found that reading is beneficial for lowering stress levels and improving memory.
Difficulty accessing mental health care in the pandemic also led to a renewed interest in bibliotherapy, which uses books to help with issues such as stress and grief.
Some forms of bibliotherapy are even available on the NHS, such as the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme, which uses principles of CBT and self-help books to encourage healing.
So how does it work?
The idea behind bibliotherapy is simple – you read yourself happy. This can be done alone, by choosing a book on the premise that it will enhance your mood, or under the guidance of a bibliotherapist, who will prescribe the books depending on your specific needs.
Keith Topping, professor of educational and social research at the University of Dundee and member of the British Psychological Society, says: “In theory, any text can have a therapeutic benefit, so poetry, fiction, philosophy, graphic novels and memoirs can all be just as effective as self-help books.
“Some reading material is intended to be therapeutic. Others turn out to be such by accident.”
Bibliotherapist and counsellor Bijal Shah ( booktherapy. io), prescribes her clients books to help them deal with anxiety and depression, as well as cope with major life changes. She prescribes across all genres, from self-help to memoir and fiction.
“The most important thing is that books offer a really safe space.
You’re connecting with the book, and you can talk about your issues through the lens of the character,” Bijal says.
Elsewhere, The School of Life’s (theschooloflife.com) bibliotherapy sessions, which specialise in fiction, are designed to help readers sift through the overwhelming number of books on offer to find what will appeal most.
In search of inner peace, before my own session I filled out an online questionnaire, which asked about reading habits and personal circumstances.The consultation with bibliotherapist Simona Lyons was a face-to-face casual chat, but could almost have been a traditional therapist’s appointment.
During our talk we realised that books were deeply linked to my childhood, identity and state of mind.
I worried that not reading enough – and my tendency to mindlessly scroll on my phone instead – was taking a toll on my mental health.
Simona prescribed me a book there and then, a 1920s novel by
Dorothy Canfield Fisher called The Home Maker, about upending traditional parenting roles. Then, a few days later, the full prescription pinged into my inbox, outlining my ailment (“struggling to find a satisfying post-motherhood literary identity”) and a reading list which included Gothic horror, historical fiction and short stories. I was instructed to read and start a writing journal with my thoughts on books and authors. A lot like mindfulness, it encouraged me to focus, and I was amazed when my mood began to lift.
The session helped me feel less isolated and my whirring mind felt more at peace.
You can do it alone, too. BookBar’s Shelf Medicate bundles (from £30 for three books, bookbaruk. com) are based around a theme or mood, whether you want to put a smile on your face or be transported somewhere else.
All you need is a comfy chair, and a nice cup of tea, and of course a really good book.
The most important thing is that books offer a really safe space. You’re connecting with the book, and you can talk about your issues through the lens of the character Bibliotherapist and counsellor Bijal Shah