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Last posts on private forums:  sare  2008-06-16 09:56:33 matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:59 pieniadz 2008-04-12 20:52:26
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Last posts on private blogs: matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:17 mary 2008-04-12 19:27:47 |
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Lastly added medical terms:
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You are in: Main Page / Medical articles / Lifestyle / Bibliotherapy
Bibliotherapy is a therapy with books which is popular for children and adults. It can be used for many diseases e.g. depression and research says that reading brings enormous relief.
Unfortunately, people read less and less books, only half of us read once book a year. That's a great pity because books are good for .... everything.
Diseases, pressure and difficulties that we have to face every day make more and more people seek some emotional support. Bibliotherapy is often used for combating everyday problems.
Back to the ancient times, there was an intuitive belief that books can bring relief from suffering. The walls of the Library of Alexandria were covered with a sentence "Medicine for the mind". In 1272, the hospital in Al-Mansur in Cairo used a therapy which included reading Koran. Whereas in the 18th century in Europe reading religious texts was included in treatment of the mentally ill.
The term bibliotherapy comes from Greek 'biblion' (book) and 'therapeo' (therapy) includes therapy with books. It is therapy based on books which support the conventional methods of medicine. It is a form of psychological support and a help in finding solution to problems, it's also a way of realizing ones needs. The occupational therapy with books uses therapeutic properties of literature. It's done by following the adventures of protagonists who found themselves in similar situations as patients, by reading the books therapists can encourage people who take part in the therapy to change their behavior, way of thinking or simply help them function properly in family, school or among peers.
There are several roles the books fulfill:
- calm down - adventure books, fantasy, humorous
- stimulate - adventure books, wartime, about traveling
- provoke thoughts - novels, biographies, romantic novels, sociological books
- provide with religious emotions
The most important aspect of bibliotherapy is that the person reading a given book would find something important for himself.
However, the effects of books should be well-planned before giving the book to the patient. The emotions crated by books can't be fully predicted, they can make people feel both positive can negative emotions by reminding good and bad memories. Appropriate literature relieves from stress connected with disease, hospital stay or being disabled, it also helps to trigger creativity of a patient.
If we want the therapy to be effective, we have to read the book thoroughly, analyze the behavior and personal characteristics of the protagonist. Without the analysis reading will become an ordinary free time entertainment.
Therapy with books makes us get to know ourselves more, understand the world and people surrounding us. Literature provides us with models of behavior, strengthens self-esteem and gives motivation to studying and learning. Moreover, reading books remove the fears from childhood which were caused by improper parental care or problems at school. Apart from that, the literature develops personality and imagination, gives roles of behavior, helps to keep emotionally stable and protects us from sadness, fear, anger or boredom with apathy. On top of that, books enable us to break away from sad reality and makes us understand people more. Take a book into your hands and you'll forget about all bad things surrounding you and you're free the potential that's in you.
Techniques used in bibliotherapy:
- reading out loud by therapy partakers
- listening to the therapist reading
- discussion over a read book
- writing a letter to the literary character
- inventing a different ending of a book
- pretending a protagonist and acting out various role plays
- drawing to illustrate the book
Added by:
mary
not connected with health care system
Added on:
2008-07-15 12:00:02 ,
Updated:
2008-07-15 12:05:55
Bibliography:
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