The word bibliotherapy was first used in 1916, when the Greek words for book and healing were first combined.
books, says she is proof that reading can heal. When her late husband had a psychotic episode two decades ago, literature came to her rescue, providing comfort and relief."What helped me as a carer was escaping into writing and into reading, into fiction," she says. "If you’re going through a bad time and have all these wild, weird ideas going through your head, to get inside someone else’s head through fiction gives you a break.
According to Susan McLaine at State Library Victoria , it's been around a long time, most commonly used in psychology and cognitive therapy, using self-help books. The idea of using fiction is more recent.A practising bibliotherapist, McLaine has created a podcast for SLV using short stories and poetry. She describes bibliotherapy as "dwelling time". In the nine-part series, she reads aloud and guides listeners, encouraging calm, comfort and reflection.
It’s the sort of thing keen readers know intuitively. Recognising an emotion or an experience in a story shows us we’re not alone. Seeing ourselves in characters and learning how others coped with similar realities can provide hope, comfort and solace. "We're far more open to thinking about different ways to look at things, to new perspectives," she says.
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