What is Literature Therapy?

Literature Therapy in a Nutshell

Don’t know what literature therapy is? Here is a super short and super fast intro to literature therapy. Here is literature therapy in a nutshell.

What It Is

Literature therapy (or bibliotherapy) is the use of literature as a therapeutic tool.

How It Works

Reading develops empathy and creates an awareness of others, changing the way we think, feel and act. When we recognize or identify with a character or situation, it leads us to connect with the story and gain insight. Insight which leads to change.

The Benefits

Reading can physically relax you, distract your thoughts, improve your mood and increase your intelligence and memory. Even more, reading helps you develop empathy, compassion, perspective and honest perceptions of yourself and others.

Learning from Others

In our own lives we are limited to our own experiences and the experiences of those closest to us. As wide as those may be, there’s still so much more of the world around us, so many people we haven’t met, and such a range of emotions that we have yet to experience.

What’s the most classic story—the oldest story in the world?

The fight of good over evil. The hero’s journey. The defeat of a villain.

But what happens when you don’t know who the bad guy is?

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor invites us into a story with precisely this predicament. With multiple narrators, Taylor invites us into the minds of two unlikely heroes, both of whom are taught to see the other as their greatest threat.

These varying perspectives present a fascinating story, a strong moral debate, and no shortage of adventure—but does it have something more to offer?

In the field of bibliotherapy (the process of providing therapeutic help through reading), one of the valued outcomes is a shift in perspective.

As we’ve all experienced, stories take us places. They show us the world we’ve yet to see, and far off worlds that we will never see. They demonstrate the possible and the impossible. Perhaps that is what we love best about reading—the ability it gives us to go on grand adventures without ever leaving our bedroom.

But that’s not all it can do.

Reading also places us in circumstances and makes us feel emotions that we may never have experienced before. Reading gives us varying perspectives.

Keith Oatley described this process in his discussion on fiction.

“People who read it improve their understanding of others. This effect is especially marked with literary fiction, which also enables people to change themselves. These effects are due partly to the process of engagement in stories, which includes making inferences and becoming emotionally involved, and partly to the contents of fiction, which include complex characters and circumstances that we might not encounter in daily life.”
Keith Oatley

This effect of varying our perspectives is more prominent in reading than in other activities, because the act of reading by itself requires more brain activity. It forces us to engage and interact in a way that television does not.

When we are used to oversimplified stories of good vs. evil, sometimes we try to overlay that onto reality. But the truth is, in reality there isn’t usually a good guy and a bad guy. People are more complicated than that. Sometimes two sides with different opinions are just that—two sides with different opinions. There isn’t always someone who is in the wrong. And there isn’t always someone who is in the right.

Strange the Dreamer challenges our ideas about who is the hero and who is the villain, by offering us the varying perspective of both sides.

Selecting a Book for Literature Therapy

The nature of literature therapy makes the book selection a highly individualized process. The ideal situation is where the characters in the book experience a similar problem to that which the reader is experiencing. The more important aspect of this is that the character expresses their emotions in a way that the reader can relate to. This interaction with the character leads to the ideal result of the reader understanding their own feelings or those of others in a better light or new way.

As a result of this, the process of book selection can be extremely difficult, especially when working with a group. The ideal outcome with a reading group is that readers will learn the process of recognizing their own emotions in those of the characters and develop the skill for themselves of dealing with their own emotions even if the book being read does not personally relate to them.

In Bibliotherapy for youth and adolescents: School-based application and research McCulliss and Chamberlain compiled the following suggestions when selecting a book:

1. Motivating and challenging experiences

2. Suitability to age, ability, and maturity

3. Elicits response

4. Range of literacy structures

5. Proper use of language

6. Broadens understanding of diversity

7. Develops sensitivity and understanding

In the same research, the following questions were suggested when identifying if a book was a good selection:

Is the story simple, clear, brief, non-repetitious, and believable?
Is it at an appropriate reading level and developmental level?
Does the story fit with relevant feelings, needs, interests, and goal?
Does it demonstrate cultural diversity, gender inclusivity, and sensitivity to aggression?
Do characters show coping skills, and does the problem show resolution?

Most importantly the reader must form a connection with the characters or story in the book. As human beings, we have the ability to see ourselves in each other. The basis for literature therapy is that we develop this skill. Every book may not change your life, but reading a book is never a wasted experience.

History of Literature Therapy

Although literature therapy is considered a relatively new concept with research currently being done to expand the idea, the idea of literature therapy as it exists today has actually existed for almost a hundred year.

The term bibliotherapy, which is a common term for literature therapy, was first coined by Crothers in 1916 where he “recommended assigned reading materials in order to expand an individual’s level of self-understanding and to expand the understanding of others’ perceptions.”

This same idea of an increased understanding of self and others is the basis for literature therapy today. When we better understand ourselves and the world around us we have a better awareness of our experiences and are better able to cope with the difficulties that arise. This is the idea that Crothers developed almost a hundred years ago.

The healing power of literature has been found even further back in history, throughout time. Researchers have recognized the ancient Greeks as the first people to recognize books as therapeutic tools. Around 300 BCE the inscription above the library at Thebes in Alexandria, Egypt read, “The Healing Place of the Soul.” A similar inscription was also found in the Medieval Abbey Library of St. Gall in Switzerland reading, “The Medicine Chest for the Soul.”

These ancient peoples recognized the medicinal and healing effects that literature can have on the soul. More recently, research has identified these healing effects as reduced stressed, better sleep, increased empathy, improved understanding and a greater ability to solve problems.

In recent years the study of bibliotherapy has greatly expanded and bibliotherapy programs have emerged in certain areas of the world.

References

Melissa Allen Heath, Kathryn Smith, Ellie L. Young. “Using Children’s Literature to Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning.” 2017.

Debbie McCulliss. “Bibliotherapy: Historical and Research Perspectives.”2012.

Benefits of Literature Therapy

Research and scientific study has found many benefits of reading. These benefits can come from simply reading casually or from a more focused process of literature therapy.

Some benefits of reading casually are the following:

Reading lowers your heart rate and physically relaxes you
- Reading reduces stress levels by 68 percent according to David Lewis at the University of Sussex, which is more than listening to music, having a cup of tea and taking a walk.
It distracts your thoughts and improves mood
- Reading improves people’s mood, according to a survey by the “National Year of Reading,” a program that was conducted in England in 2008 to explore the benefits of reading in everyday life. 63% of participants reported they were more relaxed when reading.
It increases intelligence and memory
- According to Dr. Ken Pugh of Haskins Laboratories at Yale University, because reading is more demanding on your brain that processing images or speech it exercises your brain in a way that other leisure activities won’t.
It helps you solve problems
- Debbie McCulliss in her work Bibliotherapy: Historical and Research Perspectives states that it increases your ability to find workable solutions to identified problems as well as realize a variety of potential solutions
It rewrites your brain to be more compassionate and develops empathy
- Keith Oatley described this process: “Fiction is the simulation of selves in interaction. People who read it improve their understanding of others. This effect is especially marked with literary fiction, which also enables people to change themselves. These effects are due partly to the process of engagement in stories, which includes making inferences and becoming emotionally involved, and partly to the contents of fiction, which include complex characters and circumstances that we might not encounter in daily life.”
It helps you develop perspective
- American author James Baldwin stated, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”
It develops a more honest perception of yourself and others
- Debbie McCulliss, again, in her work Bibliotherapy: Historical and Research Perspectives states that it enhances self-conception and discovery of others with similar problems or situations which creates a sense of belonging.

Literature therapy is a research-backed solution to anxiety and other mental illnesses. Therapy through literature, often referred to as bibliotherapy, is a rising field of study which uses books and literature as a therapeutic tool. Bibliotherapy is based on the foundational understanding that certain reading materials can expand a person’s self-understanding and the understanding of others. In other words, reading develops empathy and creates an awareness of others. It has the possibility to change the way we think and changing the way we think, can change the way we feel, which ultimately impacts behavior. The idea of our thoughts and feelings impacting our behavior is the basis for cognitive behavioral therapy, referred to as CBT. This is the foundation of literature therapy.

The actual process of literature therapy follows four steps as described in McCulliss and Chamberlain’s research on bibliotherapy for youth.

identifying the reader’s issue
selecting the book to match the reader’s needs
guiding reading based on a planned approach
following-up on what the reader learned or gained from reading

During these steps, McCulliss and Chamberlain explain that the reader should experience five stages in order to yield results. The five stages of literature therapy are simplified as recognizing, feeling, thinking, universalization and projection.

Recognizing is identifying with the character or situation in the story
Feeling is connecting with the story and gaining inspiration
Thinking is the insight which occurs and leads to motivation for positive change
Universalization is the recognition that we are not the only one having these problems
Projection occurs when we consider what this could mean for the future

Through this process literature therapy has been found to be effective because of the overall improvement in mental health caused by the following results:

empathy
positive attitudes
personal and social adjustment
positive self-image
new interests
tolerance, respect, and acceptance of others
realization that there is good in all people
socially accepted behaviors
examination of moral values, which can result in character development
enhanced critical thinking skills
perspective and universality of problems
insight into human behavior and motives
increased capacity for self-evaluation
higher-level reasoning
careful planning before taking a deliberate course of action
choices and alternative solutions in problem solving

Overall literature therapy is the process of developing a deeper connection with the human experience. As we better understand the emotions in others, we can better understand our own feelings. This is ultimately the response that bibliotherapy is searching to evoke.

“Every reader finds himself. The writer’s work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself.” -Marcel Proust

References

Melissa Allen Heath, Kathryn Smith, Ellie L. Young. “Using Children’s Literature to Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning.” 2017.

D. McCulliss and D. Chamberlain. “Bibliotherapy for youth and adolescents: School-based application and research.” 2013.

Debbie McCulliss. “Bibliotherapy: Historical and Research Perspectives.”2012.

Literature Therapy in Action: Books on Prescription

Despite the research being done, literature therapy is still a relevantly new concept. However, there are programs emerging around the world that are taking advantage of the idea of literature therapy to improve lives.

One of these programs is the “Books on Prescription.” This program operates out of public libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland. People are referred to the program where they are given a combination of fiction and self-help books in order to provide a self-help method of assisting those with low to medium levels of mental illness.

This program is designed with the idea that when people are given the correct resources they can help themselves when dealing with low severity mental illnesses. It is often described as a low-cost solution to mental illness because it does not require many resources and simply operates as a program which gives people the resources to help themselves.

In 2012 Rebecca Furness and Biddy Casselden performed an evaluation on this program and found that throughout the United Kingdom widespread mental illness is still a constant, that helpful and effective treatment is still inadequate and that only a quarter of adults suffering from depression or anxiety disorders are receiving treatments. Their conclusions were that although this program does not appear to be making a huge impact, that a widespread, standardized Books on Prescription program could provide simple access and have a positive impact on the quality of lives of those suffering from mental illness.

In addition, Patricia Neville studied that role of Book on Prescription programs in Ireland and concluded in her findings that overall participants were positively inclined to literature therapy.

Let us know about other programs you’ve heard of and the impacts that they are making around the world.

References

Rebecca Furness and Biddy Casselden. “An Evaluation of a Books on Prescription Scheme in a UK Public Library Authority.” 2012

Patricia Neville. “Prose Not Prozac? The Role of Book Prescription Schemes and Healthy Reading Schemes in the Treatment of Mental Illness in Ireland.” 2013.

Literature Therapy in History: John Stuart Mill

Literature therapy is a research-backed solution to anxiety and other mental illnesses. Therapy through literature is a rising field of study which uses books and literature as a therapeutic tool.

When I first started looking into literature therapy it was because it was something that I had experienced in my own life. I have always loved to read. When possible, reading is the number one way I spend my time. There is no better thrill than being placed into someone else’s life and discovering your own. That’s why I love reading. I love for other people to teach me how I feel by showing me how they feel.

This is the basis of literature therapy: that you can learn to understand your own emotions by reading stories. (Simply put, that’s how I view it)

I was at university when I started looking into literature therapy and realized that it was an actual research-backed solution to mental illness. During this time I was taking a European literature course and, while discussing this with my professor, was pointed to the story of John Stuart Mill.

John Stuart Mill was an influential philosopher and writer of the 19^th century. In his autobiography he describes a mental breakdown which occurred in his early twenties. This state of mind left him depressed and completely incapable of work. A condition which no doubt could be diagnosed in today’s world.

After months of dwelling in despair, he is finally pulled out of this darkness. How does he overcome this despair? It is a passage of literature from William Wordsworth that ultimately frees him from this depression.

A.W. Levi in “The ‘mental crisis’ of John Stuart Mill” described that as Mill read that passage he realized he was once again capable of feeling, that literature allowed him to feel and connect to what was behind his depression and ultimately connect with his own inner thoughts.

In his own words John Stuart Mill described this experience in his autobiography:

“[W]hat made Wordsworth’s poems a medicine for my state of mind, was that they expressed, not mere outward beauty, but states of feeling and of thought coloured by feeling, under the excitement of beauty. They seemed to be the very culture of the feelings, which I was in quest of. In them I seemed to draw from a source of inward joy, of sympathetic and imaginative pleasure, which could be shared in by all human beings.”

More than a hundred years later, I am able to share that same experience as John Stuart Mill and feel the healing power that literature can offer. There are countless examples to be found throughout history, because the human experience is universal, and few things connect us better to it than our own stories.

If you’re looking for a story that speaks to you, check out our highlighted books for recommendations.

Our Mission

At I Came from a Book we work to achieve our mission: Attacking Anxiety through the Remedy of Reading.

The purpose of I Came from a Book is to give children and youth the resources and techniques to deal with or prevent mental health concerns before they experience them. Our ultimate goal is to prepare the world for the mental illnesses that all people inevitably face to some degree in their life with the hope that we will create a world full of people prepared to face life and succeed.

I Came from a Book is based on the core values of Kindness, Strength, and Connection.

A key belief in I Came from a Book is that to some degree everyone experiences mental illness at some point in their lives. With the research showing that most people are suffering in silence, at I Came from a Book we believe in treating everyone with Kindness at all times. This applies to everyone we come in contact with because just as A. A. Milne stated through the mouth of Winnie the Pooh, “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”

In accordance with the belief that everyone suffers sometimes, we believe that everyone has the Strength to stand up and face the world whether through the help of professionals, friends, family, or themselves. We promote personal strength with the firm belief that it’s okay to fall down sometimes as long as you stand back up. We remember this through the wise words of J.K Rowling through Albus Dumbledore, “suffering like this proves you are still a [person]! This pain is part of being human…the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength.”

The most foundational principle of I Came from a Book is Connection. Connection is the epitome of what we are trying to achieve. Connection to ideas, to feelings and emotions, to characters, to experiences, and to those around us. It is connection to others that brings about the greatest healing and connection to each other that brings about the greatest success. We progress together. Through true connection the human soul is sustained as C.S. Lewis described, “Friendship…is born at the moment when one man says to another ‘What! You too? I thought no on but myself…’”