Exciting Research I Came Across Whilst Writing My Book :)

Hi folks,

I am so excited to share with you an exciting piece of research that I came across whilst researching and writing my book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading.

An ancient philosophy that examines the power of literature and art to evoke emotion, and its potential to lead to therapeutic relief and catharsis, specifically, the ancient Indian philosophy of Indian Rasa Theory. The philosophy explores nine emotions (rasas) that art and literature evoke — joy/laughter, courage, wonder, anger, compassion/sorrow, fear, humour, disgust and love. This framework now often informs my own bibliotherapy approach and the use of literary genres. Here’s a snapshot of how each emotion is explored through the different literary genres.

✨ Shringara (Love): Romance novels that spark hope and connection.
✨ Karuna (Compassion): Tragedies that help us embrace vulnerability.
✨ Adbhuta (Wonder): Fantasy and sci-fi that expand our horizons.
✨ Raudra (Anger): Dystopian/Psychological Fiction that help channel frustration into empowerment.
✨Veera (Courage): Adventure and historical fiction that inspire bravery.
✨ Bhayanaka (Fear): Thrillers and horror that help us confront our anxieties.
✨ Hasya (Laughter): Humor and satire that lift our spirits and bring joy.
✨ Shanta (Peace): Spiritual texts and reflective essays that calm the mind.
✨ Bibhatsa (Disgust): Dark fiction that challenges us to face uncomfortable truths.

So next time, you’re looking to work with literature in a therapeutic way, I hope this framework will help you identify books that resonate with your current emotions, enabling you to explore and process them through literature.

Is there a genre that you are always drawn to? This framework might give you a clue as to what emotion you are subconsciously looking to explore and work on further.

PS If you want to learn more about the philosophy you might find our online course, Indian Rasa Theory & Bibliotherapy Online Course, helpful.

You might also enjoy the following articles

40 Books from 2023 You Need to Read in 2024

40 Books from 2022 You Need to Read in 2023

40 Books from 2021 You Need to Read in 2022

Bibliotherapy Techniques — What Are They and Do They Work?

Bibliotherapy: The Magical Healing Quality of Literature

How Can Re-writing Your Narrative Help You Gain Closure

Is Bibliotherapy Effective? It is Evidence-based?

And also our online courses:

Bibliotherapy, Literature & Mental Health

Children’s Bibliotherapy Skills

Raising A Reader & Storyteller

A big hello and thank you for reading! Passionate about literature, psychology, and life I launched Book Therapy as an alternative form of therapy using the power of literature. I train mental health professionals, librarians, teachers as well as readers on using bibliotherapy in their own work through our online Bibliotherapy, Literature and Mental Health course. We also curate reading lists/personalised book prescriptions for clients based on their individual needs. This is our signature personalised reading service.

You can also check out Book Therapy’s other free reading lists and A- Z of book prescriptions (covering both fiction and non-fiction). These suggest books based on your existing life situation (e.g. anxiety, job change, relationship heartache) as well as interests (e.g memoir, historical fiction, non-fiction, crime etc). There’s also a Children’s A — Z of Book Prescriptions. Feel free to check out the blog for more literary gems. There’s also a post on my personal story of how I entered the world of bibliotherapy and book curation.

In this role, I have had the opportunity to publish a book called The Happiness Mindset, and write various literary essays and pieces for newspapers and magazines. I have undertaken bibliotherapy workshops for The United Nations, various libraries in New York and corporate organisations in the UK and US. My book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, Marie Claire, NBC News, Asian Voice, New York Observer, Sydney Telegraph and various other publications. If you are a parent you might enjoy a podcast I’ve recorded with speech and language therapist Sunita Shah on Raising A Reader & Storyteller. And if you’d like to connect, email me at bijal@booktherapy.io or www.booktherapy.io.

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