Bibliotherapy Puns

I'm a mental health counselor and I want to compile a list of good books that can help those suffering with mental health problems like anxiety and depression, bipolar, OCD, or any other psychological issue. There's so many such books on the market, I can't read them all. I'm hoping you might help me find the truly helpful ones. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I'm looking for a book/article/video for an adult client who was sexually abused as a child/pre-adolescent by an older brother. Client is high-functioning, psychologically minded, and, deeply ambivalent about addressing it - we're knee deep in this part now. He's at the place of not wanting to think/talk about it and feeling like maybe he should (maybe). Didn't disclose until recently, has only talked about it once before, with a trusted friend. Has never done any reading before.

Any suggestions for material that could help him get some perspective, maybe others' accounts of their experience and recovery, an overview or something else? He needs to go slow, stay in his window of tolerance.

TIA

Hey, guys.

So, I posted here a while ago something about my anxiety and panic attacks and got some recommendations on the CBT self-help guide Feeling Good, by David Burns. I am currently in chapter 3, but so far it seems to me that the book is focused on depression especifically.

Is anxiety necessarily linked to mild depression? I know both stems from lack of serotonine, but I usually don't feel down or sad at all (although my results of the test at the beginning of the book were "mild depression", probably because I scored the highest in "concerns about health"). Is this book for people in my situation? Is everybody with anxiety and panic disease also depressed to some degree?

I know from time to time we have experiences from reading a certain book that really helped us made sense of ourselves and changed our lives for the better, be it fiction, philosophy, science, or self-help. I am wondering if there is any academic literature in psychology that scientifically investigates the reading process, possibly for the purpose of psychoeducation?

I have not taken classes into this area, so I am unfamiliar with the keywords and theories. But my brief search brings me into the realm of neuropsychology of dyslexia, which isn't currently what I am looking for.

Hello everyone,

I first came here about a year and a half ago after my therapist helped me figure out that one of my main problems was childhood trauma. Over the last 18 months or so, I've gone from a reclusive wreck to happy and healthy, reconnecting with friends and family, with my energy intact almost every day, few to no flashbacks, and no chronic pain. Therapy was one component, but honestly, the amount of information and healing that came from books was most of it. The reason, I think, is that good authors distill decades of experience into their books. In essence, I felt like I had a support team of a dozen of the best therapists, counselors, psychologists, and researchers in the world.

Because I've had such great success, I wanted to share my reading list. Hopefully it will lead one or two people to similar health, happiness, and healing. One last forewarning: if you're new bibliotherapy, BE PATIENT with yourself. When I got started, I could only read one or two pages at a time. It was so incredibly emotionally draining to engage. It wasn't until I had fully finished the first two that I had gained the skills and abilities to overcome emotional barriers and integrate these books at a reasonable pace. Today, I can easily read these kinds of books in two or three sittings. Because of this newfound ability, I can gain almost overnight healing. It's nothing short of miraculous!

• The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. This is the cardinal work on trauma. It is very academic and establishes that trauma involves the entire mind and body. Fear, the root of trauma, is one of the most primitive responses. Practically every animal on the planet can express fear in some way, and it affects every cell in our body.

• Complex PTSD by Pete Walker. Pete puts his personal experience with trauma as well as his work as a therapist into this well organized book. He provides a much closer and personal look at the lived experience of childhood trauma. This book is incredible dense, with valuable insights packing every page. You'll learn about emotional flashbacks, regressions, and inner critic, among many other topics.

• Running on Empty by Jonice Webb. This book is highly accessible and focuses on emotional neglect. It's less focused on trauma and more focused on our emotional needs from childhood, and all the various ways our parents might have failed us. This work is important because it sheds light on just how pervasive emotional neglect is, and why

I’m not looking for strictly educational/informational reads on sexual assault and violence. What I’m looking for are narrative and poetry books. Creative nonfiction counts too.

Books that have good takes on mental illness and health in general are good too.

Preferred genres: • fiction • graphic lit, manga, manhwa • quick/short poetry books

Examples of what I have already: The famous ‘milk and honey’ by Rupi Kaur was so helpful for me coping with PTSD.

I have ‘Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me’ which doesn’t have that much to do with sexual assault specifically but does have themes of dangerous sexual experiences.

Books that don’t have mental health themes or trauma are good too if it has healthy sexuality and mindful representations of mental health. If you are a survivor or sexual assault too and you have other recommendations that helped you cope, please tell me what was great about them.

Title says it all! I'm looking for a book that I could recommend to chronically depressed clients--something they could read and see him/herself in, know that somebody gets it and got better. Any memoirs or hybrid first-person/self-help accounts? I've seen books like this for self-harm ('How Not to Fall Apart'), schizophrenia ('The Center Cannot Hold'), anxiety ('At Last A Life'), procrastination ('The More You Do The Better You Feel'), but I can't think of one for depression.

Recently started seeing a client, a young man with a very spotty dating record, who's been malnourished on seduction/manipulation dating books/YouTube videos. Additionally, I think he needs a basic primer on social/dating skills. So I'm looking for something that has useful tips and a healthy perspective on relationships.

Hi everyone,

I'm a current master's level intern, and I have been working with an individual client for about 6 weeks now. She is currently waitlisted for couples therapy in our clinic (in addition to individual therapy) and asked if I could provide suggestions for books/workbooks her and her husband could use while they are waiting for a couples counselor to open up.

Any suggestions? I'm not very familiar with couples work and/or literature, so anything is welcome. Thanks!

I have read this book cover to cover before. I did not do the exercises, because I was not convinced I'd heal. 2 points more and I'm extremely depressed. That suddenly woke me up. I've decided I must not be overcome by depression anymore. No one can do the healing for me but me. I'm doing this for me. ♡

bibliotherapy

noun: A form of supportive psychotherapy in which carefully selected reading materials are used to assist a subject in solving personal problems or for other therapeutic purposes.

noun: An expressive therapy based on an individual's relationship to the content of books, poetry, etc.

Word of the day Provided by : wordnik

A little about her: She always wanted art school but was forced in a different direction. Thinks herself a failure and unable to accomplish anything. Religion was “forced” on her and has to wear certain things, although this might change soon.

I realize this shouldn’t be the primary way of treatment, and it isn’t. I appreciate any suggestions.

Hi all: my patient has to take a few weeks off therapy but has found empowerment in narratives of those in maintenance with their OCD symptoms as well as psychoed on OCD. Presents with aggressive obsessions, often around existential topics (death, life). Some elements of relationship-focus. I am combing the internet - have you found any success in this area in the past?

Hello.

Well, a disclaimer. Self-help is not enough, go see a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor or psych therapist first. They are the expert. Reading books is just a supplement, and if you feel disciplined enough to self - help.

Okay back to regular programming.

So you see, I knew I was brought up with a personality that is prone to mental disorder, it was partially my reason for taking Psychology as a degree, and being more acdemically inclined...and in keeping with my sanity so I could work and perform well at work, I resorted to reading books.

I nose dived to Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Dummies, both book and workbook. Working out the exercises can be fun or boring, sometimes I already understand the answer and purpose so I didnt bother writing further, or I genuinely got stuck in the question, and that would be an eye opener. Still worked through them, so much realization.

No wonder doing the Life Coaching work book was hard. I was far from that stage in life where I'm ready or willing to pursue life to the fullest... I just need to learn how to be normal and living day by day. I wasnt able to finish that book.

I had a few therapy sessions but I stopped going as I reached a break through, got busy at work and I dont feel like the therapist is a good fit for me. I never learned if my diagnosis is dysthymia (chronic depression) or a personality disorder, but he acknowledged that my one major episode abroad last 2015 was classic depression.

Nowadays, oh you read it that far? Sorry for my rambling, I was never a good conversationalist but I love to write... I wanna share something I read from the daily devotional type of book.. The Daily Stoic. Go read even just the sample from Google Play Books... the tidbits are helpful and is reflective of the way I try to live my life to keep me sane and alright.

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .” — E PICTETUS, D ISCOURSES , 2.5.4–5

It may hurt some feelings. It may turn people off. It may take some hard work.But the more you say no to the things that don’t matter, the more you can say yes to the things that do. This will let you live and enjoy your life—the life that you want.

Hello!

I am new to working with 55+ clients and would like to acquire some resources and bibliotherapy sugeestions to have available. The issues that have presented quite frequently include: retirement, empty nest, increasing awareness of mortality, feelings of isolation, and needing to reinvent self/find new meaning. Any feedback is appreciated!

Thank you!

Hey Redditt,

Since r/Bibliotherapy seems dead would you please help me and take my bibliotherapy survey? It can be found here:

https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bqFtihPHk3U9NYh

Thanks!

I'm looking for scientific journals on the efficacy of self-help books in general. However, I'm having zero luck.

Last year, I was going through dangerous levels of depression. I have never been an outwardly emotional person, but last year I caught myself crying--sobbing heavy tears--about a break up. I was in a dark scary place, dealing with profound feelings of regret, loss and heartache. . Besides seeking help through online therapy, talking to friends, trying St. John's Wort, I also read about bibliotherapy and tried it.

It helped so much.

I read "The Curse of Chalion" by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Discovering Cazaril felt like a revelation. Cazaril is a broken man, with painful failures and regrets. It was so refreshing to read a fantasy novel about someone a little bit older and who had been broken and beaten down. Being in my 30s now and having been through many ups and downs, I could relate to Cazaril in a way that I can not to younger, more innocent protagonists of more typical fantasy books. This sounds corny, but watching Cazaril acknowledge his flaws, his fears and fight against them and stick to his values and help people he cares about gave me strength to continue to fight. I felt better.

Anyways, check it out.

Good luck anyone reading this.

Always feel free to PM me if you need someone to talk to.

Just recently went to a new psychiatrist and she recommended I read "Feeling Good: the New Mood Therapy", I made it a little of the way into the introduction and the author kept talking about bibliotherapy. Is it a real science or am I being scammed?