About seven years ago I took a course called Literature and Mental Health, I wanted to better understand how bibliotherapy works. I learned that through reading poetry, specific metrical stresses, rhymes, can help us cope with our emotional stress. And that Sidney’s sonnets and Austen’s Sense and Sensibility can teach us about suffering and recovering from a broken heart. And Shakespere’s Hamlet and poems by Wordsworth and Hardy can help us think differently about the grieving process. And PTSD, which is depicted in war poetry, can give an insight into other sources of trauma. And that people choose particular texts during periods of depression, and that there could be a link between bipolar disorder and creativity. And that Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the greatest studies of ageing and that it might be helpful to think about this play in the context of dementia.

Bibliotherapy can be helpful because sometimes we need someone to put words to our experience, to what we feel. By reading someone’s story, observation, reflection or emotional process we can make sense of our own situation and feelings. It can help us to self-reflect. However, which material will bring relief or insight is subjective. But the process of searching for the right words, in itself, can give a different perspective and a different angle to look at our experiences.

Literature can either help us or hinder us. It can be toxic or innocuous or elevating. Being mindful about what you put into your mental pot is crucial because the pot will produce thoughts and feelings, which will lead to certain behavior, choices and decisions.

Which literature uplifts you?