written by Maryam Dada, M.A., RCC
mildy edited by Linda Lin, RCC, CCC RCAT
Do you have a favourite fictional book and if so, what makes it your favourite?
Is it the characters? The storyline?
Or a bit of both?
Increasing research has come out around the therapeutic benefits of reading fiction and bibliotherapy.
In this blog post, we’ll be exploring:
• the self-improvement fallacy
• why reading is an act of resistance
• how reading fiction both influences and amplifies our empathy and sense of self
• bibliotherapy as a creative approach to collective healing
The Self-Improvement Fallacy
In the 90s, we saw a big push towards reading self-help or psychological books that really influenced societies’ reading habits. It makes sense, when we think about therapeutic reading, we are naturally going to want to read educational, self-help, and informative books.
According to market research, the self-improvement industry (books, podcasts, academies, courses) is only going to continue growing. While there is a lot of good and useful information in these self-help books, they often sway towards being text heavy, which can take some time for us to process and digest, and don’t always leave us feeling ‘improved’.
On one hand, I understand the desire for accessible self-improvement interventions, and on the other, I worry about the implications of a society driven by “self-improvement” (air quotes intended).
Self-improvement implies that there is always something to be working on. In other words, it operates on the belief that you, just as you are, are not good enough.
From a therapeutic perspective, there is a difference between acknowledging things that would be helpful to work on…and believing that you always need to improve.
You don’t always have to be improving something about your life — in fact, this notion may stem from feelings of internalized capitalism and productivity. Instead, it can be helpful to ask, who benefits from you having these feelings?
Why Reading Fiction is Key
This is where fiction comes in. Human beings are experiential in nature. This means we learn best through experiencing something.
Reading fiction is different from studying a text or absorbing information. The very act is experiential. When we read stories we are getting a first-hand account of a characters’ lived experience.
We get to go on adventures with them, understand what they’re feeling, and take part in their journey. It’s a gateway into a different life or timeline, a peek into a world different from our own. That’s what makes reading fiction so invaluable, the opportunity to experience life from a different perspective.
Bibliotherapy is a gentle, creative therapeutic approach that uses literature, storytelling, and poetry to offer perspective, deepen insight, and support positive change in clients. Books can provide a form of support that allows clients to find comfort, wisdom, and emotional connection.
“We are more alike than we are unalike”- Maya Angelou
The Therapeutic Benefits of Reading Fiction
There are many therapeutic benefits to reading fiction (Billington et al., 2010; Parker, 2018; Dodell-Fetir, Tamir, 2018) it can:
↑ our capacity to understand and relate to others
↑ our empathy and compassion for ourselves and others
↑ our social well-being—while reading we relate to characters in the story and that helps to both normalize and validate different experiences
Give us diverse perspectives on matters
Give us insight into other communities and groups
↑ our concentration and ability to focus
↑ our self-awareness and ability to articulate
Allow us to slow down and process stories
Help to regulate our nervous system
Help us engage in an act of counterculture. In a fast paced world that lauds productivity as the standard, reading is an act of resistance.
Increased Empathy and why it matters
Reading fiction allows us to deep dive into the human condition with its powerful capacity for resonance. We experience the spectrum of emotions from the protagonist and in doing so are simultaneously expanding, validating, and normalizing our own experience of what it means to be a human.
One of my favourite quotes comes from Donna Tartt’s Goldfinch, on Art. She says:
“…even if we’re not always so glad to be here, it’s our task to immerse ourselves anyway: wade straight through it, right through the cesspool, while keeping eyes and hearts open.”
Increasing our empathy and our understanding of human behaviour, we take part in the struggle against moral apathy… or what happens when we no longer care about one another.
James Baldwin famously said, “I am terrified of moral apathy, the death of the heart”
Reading fiction is one of the best protective mechanisms against that struggle, precisely because of its relatibility. Given the current climate on book bans and universities censoring students, it is incumbent on us, the people, to question the systems at place, seek knowledge, and expand our awareness.
Have you read any famously banned books? If yes, consider why they might have been banned and what it means to sensor a narrative. Knowledge is our best ammunition against ignorance, and as a result against indifference. It's not only cool to care, it's crucial.
Maryam is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Decipher. If you like to explore themes in tv, media, or literature and how it relates to your life or the different things you may be going though, she may be a good fit. She is currently taking new clients! Book a free consultation with Maryam today—available online and in person in so-called Vancouver, BC.
