Bibliotherapy
I came across another Book House here in Toronto today. This one is on Euclid, just south of Bloor and it has a distinct Canadiana vibe, with the faded stripes of the iconic Hudson’s Bay Company red, green, gold and blue painted on it’s white exterior. It got me thinking about the term bibliotherapy and I came across an article published yesterday in The New Yorker on this very theme. The article, found here: http://http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/can-reading-make-you-happier provides insight into the many how’s and why’s reading is good for the soul. Ceridwen Dovey hi-lights the benefits of reading fiction. “For all avid readers who have been self-medicating with great books their entire lives, it comes as no surprise that reading books can be good for your mental health and your relationships with others, but exactly why and how is now becoming clearer, thanks to new research on reading’s effects on the brain.” She doesn’t only suggest the “emphaty-altruism hypothesis” as she illuminates, from one skeptical author Suzanne Keen who writes in her book“Empathy and the Novel,” that “books can’t make change by themselves” —but readers can “respond with greater empathy to an unreal situation and characters because of the protective fictionality.” And Keen agrees that reading “allows a refreshing escape from ordinary, everyday pressures.”
Reading even a few pages of fiction, a short story, flash fiction, whatever it is you feel inspired to pick up or download can be as refreshing as a walk in the park. For me, reading is like yoga, stretching my mind to examine and breathe into scenarios beyond the tasks (like what’s for dinner) that sometimes weigh me down.
Do you have a Book House in your neighbourhood? I’d love to hear about it.
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