Bibliotherapy

Every now and again I find myself reading something fairly random, but interesting, on the internet. Last week, I read a fascinating article in The New York Times Magazine about Gwyneth Paltrow and her company, Goop.

On other occasions, I find myself reading random (but interesting) things on the internet when I go looking for scholarly articles. I'm not a researcher, but I've come to realize that the bleeding edge of thought and ideas in society is based on the work published by researchers and PhDs. These random digital expeditions are infrequent and most of the time cursory, but every now and then I find something that expands my mind.

Recently, I read a scholarly article (see page 49) about Bibliotherapy.

BIBLIOTHERAPY. noun. Psychiatry.

The use of reading as an ameliorative adjunct to therapy.

In case you don't know what the phrase ameliorative adjunct means, basically it means 'helpful aid'. Before reading this article I had never heard of bibliotherapy before. After a quick search, I found that indeed it was a real thing. The more I read about it the more I realized that the impact of this project has closely followed the impact of bibliotherapy. This is a quote taken directly from the Good Therapy website:

"Creative bibliotherapy utilizes imaginative literature—novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and biographies—to improve psychological well-being. Through the incorporation of carefully selected literary works, therapists can often guide people in treatment on a journey of self-discovery. This method is most beneficial when people are able to identify with a character, experience an emotional catharsis as a result of this identification, and then gain insight about their own life experiences."

While I have gone to a therapist before and had some personal experience in the realm of mental health and mental illness, I had never come across bibliotherapy before. In the case of my challenge to read the AmazonClassics library of ebooks, I suppose that Amazon played the role of my bibliotherapist because it selected the literary works to include in their collection.

The description above mirrors precisely what I'm doing with my reading challenge. I'm on a journey of self-discovery, and I'm finding the most benefit from this project when I'm able to identify with a character, experience an emotional catharsis as a result of this identification, and then gain insight about my own life experiences.

Who knew that I've been treating myself with bibliotherapy all this time?!