Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Bibliotherapy, The Healing Power of Reading, and on the Book Therapy website, created by book curator and bibliotherapist Bijal Shah.
As a booklover and subscriber to the LitNuts newsletter, you already make books and reading an integral part of your life. Read on to learn more about Bijal's work and the life-changing magic of books.
Bonus: Receive free bibliotherapy resources and book recommendations when you sign up for the free Bibilotherapy Newsletter.
About Bijal Shah and Book Therapy Services
Bijal Shah is a UK-based book curator and bibliotherapist. She is also a freelance journalist, writer, poet, counsellor, publisher, and a voracious reader. After a decade-plus career in Investment Banking and having completed post-graduate work in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy, she launched Book Therapy, a bibliotherapy and literary curation practice. (Be sure to check out her book, Bibliotherapy, The Healing Power of Reading, below.)Bibliotherapy is "an art therapy that leverages the power of stories to heal." Via Book Therapy, Bijal offers bibliotherapy training and bibliotherapy sessions (for individuals and couples, which includes unlimited email or text support for two weeks following your session). She also creates personalized book prescriptions for therapeutic or personal interest purposes.
Bijal's book recommendations have been featured in the Guardian, BBC Culture, Marie Claire, NBC News, Sydney Telegraph, Reader's Digest, Asian Voice, The New York Observer, and elsewhere.
"Time is precious," says Bijal. "We may only read 2000 books in our lifetime, and for some people it might be a fraction of that. Book Therapy's reading service focuses on creating a truly personalized book prescription (detailed, tailored book recommendations) for clients based on questions that explore your interests, needs and circumstances, and your reading habits." The book prescriptions and book boxes can be gifted and make a great gift for any book lover.
You can learn more on the Book Therapy website, including an online course on the practice of bibliotherapy, A-Z Book Prescriptions for Adults and Children. and more. You can also follow Book Therapy on social media:
Bibliotherapy, The Healing Power of Reading
Hardcover: From $25.12 (via Amazon USA)Other editions: From £9.99 (via linktr.ee)
In this unique and transformational guide to healing, bibliotherapist and counsellor Bijal Shah explores the restorative power of reading. Bibliotherapy traces the history of how therapeutic reading evolved - including the important role played by the best writers such as the Stoics, Montaigne, Eliot, and Wordsworth. In doing so, Bijal offers first-hand stories from clients who have found solace in great works of literature when struggling with grief, relationships, or illness.
Full of practical advice and insights into how bibliotherapy really works, Bijal offers an A to Z reading list of books for every mood and need. A much-needed reminder of how comforting and life-changing reading can be, Bibliotherapy is a sumptuous celebration of books that will invite you to see them as more than just an escape, but a legitimate form of self-care.
Praise for Bibliotherapy
"Utterly fascinating. I have long felt that books can be medicine. Now I understand why. Read this book. Feel better." ~Beth Kempton, bestselling author of Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life
"One of the most fascinating books that I have read in years! Beautifully written and full of insights, this book demonstrates the healing power of stories and how you can transform your life through bibliotherapy." ~Simon Alexander Ong, bestselling author of Energize