What is bibliotherapy and can it help maintain mental health during the coronavirus crisis?
With Hong Kong’s self-imposed lockdown, many people find themselves bombarded with news and information, but mental health experts suggest books can help alleviate the stress
Hong Kong isn’t on lockdown but many people are opting to restrict their social activities for fear of contracting the coronavirus, known as COVID1-19. This leaves many with ample time at home and an increase in the demand for home entertainment. While there are streaming services and apps on your phones to keep you busy, nothing beats a good book to mentally escape for a while. We speak to Chrissy Ryan, resident bibliotherapist at Ultimate Library’s Barefoot Bookshop in luxury resort Soneva Fushi, to see how book therapy can help those with readers’ block in these trying times.
The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else
First of all, what is bibliotherapy?
“For me, bibliotherapy is about helping people make the most of the time they dedicate to reading, and encouraging them to develop healthy reading habits. We have a consultation session together, where I get to know them, their reading habits, tastes and a little about their lifestyle,” Ryan explains.
“I then use all the information I’ve learned to help them think about what they want to get out of reading in the future, and put together a list of books that will expand their approach to reading and give them a new appetite for it. It’s all about understanding exactly what it is that makes someone enjoy reading and removing the obstacles that prevent them from doing so.”
According to Ryan, some professional therapists use bibliotherapy to help people overcome problems and understand their emotions.
What would a typical session be like?
“I often encounter people who feel that they ought to be reading a certain type of genre, or that everything they read should be educative. In our busy lives, we’re simply not going to make time for something we do not enjoy or feel pressured to do. In this instance, I begin with recommending books that they will actively want to read.”
