Blog — book therapy session

Last week we interviewed Pirjo Suvilehto who is a fascinating Finnish bibliotherapist, having completed a Docent in Literature and a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Oulu. She has significant experience in the fields of creative writing and literary education. She's also a lecturer at the University of Oulu and has completed extensive research in bibliotherapy, children's literature, creative writing and art pedagogy within human-animal sciences. Her doctoral thesis is the first academic study in Finland to consider children's and adolescents' bibliotherapy. She's also authored 30 published books of poems, picture books and nonfiction and trains student bibliotherapists in...

April is National Poetry Month and naturally a great time to explore the immense therapeutic powers of poetry. Reading and writing poetry both engage our senses along with our emotions, making the art form experiential and hugely effective in connecting with our minds. Both writing and reading poetry, through their expression of feelings and words have highly therapeutic effects on the mind. The structure of a poem favours brevity yet the best poems also capture succinct detail, making them incredibly powerful in getting a message across to the reader. Writing poetry requires the poet to be extremely disciplined with his...

This blog is dedicated to our loyal clients and readers, who have supported us on our little journey to spread our love of books; and how they can lift you from difficult moments. Yes they truly can give you wings 😊 Jenny Stone: I have been reading books for years and never realised that I was self-dispensing therapy. Whenever I can empathise with a narrative it influences my mood, my mind, my emotions. Ironically I feel understood. It eases my mind and relaxes me, even if I don't have a solution straightaway. I love all of Bijal's book prescriptions - she just...

Best for book serendipity in a world where we are overwhelmed with books. Bibliotherapists or book therapists are experts on books. There are so many books, many of which we may never know about were it not for someone who has read extensively and is aware of what book is the most relevant for your particular needs at a given point in time: the magic of the right book at the right time. In that respect a book therapist can be life-changing and in a world where we are all fighting for time, it might just be the best investment...

"Healing for the Soul" The first origins of book therapy or bibliotherapy can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, who built libraries holding both entertainment and educational books. Aristotle's literature was considered medicine for the soul. King Ramses II also had a dedicated chamber filled with books that was aptly labelled "House of Healing for the Soul". In the early nineteenth century doctors were prescribing books for guidance and respite from suffering. Soldiers who were involved in World War One were reading to manage post-war trauma. The practice expanded further in the 1950s when Carolyn Shrodes, author of 'The...