About Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy covers a broad spectrum of approaches that help people to take more control of their health and wellbeing. A Bibliotherapy program can be any activity involving print or non-print material, either imaginative or informational, and which is often discussed with the aid of a facilitator, one to one, or in a group format. Bibliotherapy is the creative and practical use of reading, writing, storytelling for well-being and personal development. Books, stories and poems invite readers to explore their inner and outer worlds.

The Editors – Larry Butler and Ted Bowman

“Bibliotherapy uses literature to bring about a therapeutic interaction between participant and facilitator.”
Biblio/Poetry Therapy: The Interactive Process by A.M. Hynes and M. Hynes-Berry (2012). St. Cloud: North Star Press

“Poetry should be part of every modern hospital, not just as something to keep patients amused. It’s a powerful force, which can help us through the darkest times…Poetry can save lives!”
The Poetry Cure (2005) edited by Cynthia Fuller and Julia Darling. Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books

“Poetry can give us a sense of identity with the mood or thoughts of feelings of the poet. In addition, it broadens out our experience and helps us understand that some experiences, such as loss or making difficult moral choices, are not unique to us but are part of the human condition.”
Poetry, Therapy & Emotional Life (2013) by Diana Hedges. London: Radcliffe Publishing

Bibliotherapy “…is about how the acts of reading and writing personally meaningful words can act as springboards to growth and healing through the guidance and encouragement of a skilled helper.”
Poetry and Story Therapy (2011) by Geri Chavis. London: Jessica Kingsley

“Just as meditation is the art of staying alert to the endless play of the mind, so too is poetry.”
The Poet’s Way (2010) by Manjusvara. Cambridge: Windhorse Publications

“Poetry can be written individually or in groups; it can be read to oneself or aloud. These are the only limits on its use in the context of healing.”
The Healing Word (1999) by Fiona Sampson. London: The Poetry Society