Bibliotherapy

sustaining a life well lived - from within

Individuals - Schools - Businesses

What is Bibliotherapy?

D.H. Lawrence once said that ‘One sheds one’s sicknesses in books - repeats and presents again one’s emotions, to be master of them’, and I thoroughly concur. Some define Bibliotherapy as the prescribing of fiction for life’s ailments, which in many cases stands true, although some people do gravitate towards non-fiction. So what is Bibliotherapy? It is the use of literature to nourish the soul.

There is more to well-being than being well rested and taken care of - these are important elements and building blocks for most who are caught up in the messiness and chaos of the fast-life. True well-being goes deeper and touches those elements within us we only know are there but cannot quite understand.

Well-being is that which allows for the flourishing of human potential; that which allows you to set about your day with a firm sense of purpose, what matters and why; it is that which allows you to DO.

More information about school and business packages may be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page!

Why should I start Bibliotherapy?

I believe that everyone should be initiated through one of life’s greatest pleasures - reading.

For some of us it is something we get the bug for from family, parents or grandparents who read to us before going to bed only for us to continue reading after they’ve gone - under the sheets with only the light from a troch to guide us! For others it’s through school and the school library, where they’re exposed to the world of books and the journeys lying in wait! Then for others who never really catch that bug, books are just books … but I’d like to change that. Books are not simply books - they’re far more than words can say. They nourish our souls in ways that speaking and talking can never really do - or at least not in the same ways.

Bibliotherapy is for everyone - kids, teens, adolescents, adults, oldies… it’s there for those of us who love reading but have somehow lost our way to reading with meaning and intention, and it’s also there for those who have no clue where to begin!

So why should YOU start Bibliotherapy? Why not?! Give yourself the chance to fall in love with words, with journeys, with characters and their stories - your stories.

Through my Bibliotherapy sessions I will be able to share with you tools for you to rediscover, connect and enjoy life. These sessions are dedicated to helping you lead more resilient and fulfilled lives. Literature has thought me so much more about myself than anything else, apart from experience of course, but reading is just another kind of experiencing, of living, and of seeing.

We will be looking (without consciously looking) to find:

  • calm

  • self-understanding

  • compassion

  • empathy

  • love

I place special emphasis on self-development and self-understanding with youngsters as well as adults, as this ensures security in their sense of self and allows one to make optimal and reliable decisions around major life issues which have mostly to do with love and work.

Books are always there for you. They’re just waiting to be picked up.

How does it work?

How does Bibliotherapy contribute to a calmer, more resilient and self-aware life, you ask?

Well really it does all this by tackling:

  • self-knowledge

  • relationships and spirituality

  • work

  • social life

  • leisure and culture

What I try to push towards is the importance of reading slow and reading aloud.

Services

1-1 Bibliotherapy Sessions - €50/HR

Coaching sessions you can book from time to time when you need a bit of a boost or some inspiration in life.

If you’re interested in these but would prefer a group setting check out my Women’s Circles which combine both literature and community!

1-1 Workshops - €200/3 weeks

Here I’m also offering a bundle of 3 workshop sessions - you may choose any 3 of the workshops I’ve created which are built on a particular theme and then linked back to nature. These are very interesting in the way we get to explore not only literature and poetry, but also art, performance art, music and the cycles of nature. As with the courses you may wish to pursue these alone with me, or with a guest.

1-1 intuitive Work - POR

I’ve developed specialized literature courses (which you can find in the Events section as Listening to Literature I and II, Deep Listening) that are 6 week long programmes aimed for groups. Here you have the opportunity to choose whichever course you prefer, for us to do on a 1-1 basis or you can also have another guest who may join you for the process. All the courses are based on literature and use short texts (I provide everything), so that you will have around 1 hour of reading a week - this time includes reading the text and also time to think about the topic and how it applies to your life.

Get in touch about any of the sessions above via email or through the button below.


Does this sound like something you want to explore to be able to create balance in your life and enjoy the simple moments?

To find out more or to schedule a bibliotherapy session, email us or give us a call, or hit the botton right here.


How do I prepare for a bibliotherapy session?

There’s not much you need to prep for your first session, because really that’s just the time you need to let me know why you think you need Bibliotherapy and how you want it to help you. This is your time to let me know what ails you and for me to be there to find the novel cure!

For the next sessions then that’s a different story - here we’ll elaborate on your reading, how it’s helping, what you’re feeling when you read, if you’re associating with the characters or story and of course if you’re seeing some form of transformation.

If you’re taking the 6 week course then all the material will be provided every Monday and we discuss on the Saturday evening, your thoughts and feelings.

If you’ve taken up the workshops we’ll be going through 1 topic every week. I will send you the material every Monday and you’ll have till Saturday afternoon to go through it, think about it and also create something (if you so wish).


Where can I find more information and inspiration?

If you’d like to read up on Bibliotherapy I recommend researching it (you’ll find quite a bit), but you can also head over to Our Blog and look out for blog posts labelled:

  • wellbeing

  • bibliotherapy

  • inspiration

  • books

These posts will allow you to start implementing some changes in your lifestyle.


Other Services


Bookinate - coming soon!

Book Clubs - Available for Members

You can also check out my ‘Book Club’ blogs to see which books have and continue to inspire me!

Proofreading with a difference - Now Offering!

So the interest in offering proofreading with a little twist started from the notion that your work should always be yours, and it should be further nourished by discussion and understanding of your topic. This is why I now offer group proofreading, so to speak, where I will be there as a guide and you can have others also point out different things for you to think about - remember different ideas and perspectives gives you the advantage. I will also be there to help with the nitty gritty. To learn more, have a read through Proofreading with a Difference and head over to the events page for the details!

I would definitely like to say that my area would be the Arts, Wellbeing and Psychology but do get in touch if you’re outside this area and are interested!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Writing Workshops - Coming Soon!

Writing Retreats - Coming Soon!


Please do reach out to us if these options aren’t the right fit for you.


Schools & Businesses


How can a Bibliotherapist help Schools and businesses thrive?!

Bibliotherapy need not only be done with the individual, as with reading it works when done alone as well as with others.

Books tackle the common and possibly mundane predicaments we might find ourselves in - school and studies, moving house, changing career and building work relationships, finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, even having a midlife crisis. Yet books also delve into our harder trials - losing a loved one, the trials of adolescence, becoming a single parent, changing course and changing plans. All our ailments deserve a remedy, and some might be closer at hand than you think! Whether it’s the bed bugs that just can’t let you sleep, or your mind doing a good-enough job at that; or the fear of commitment or even the fear of letting someone in; or a complete lack of sense of humour or that job you just can’t get yourself to leave - books have got you covered. This is the kind of medication you can find not at the drugstore, but in the library, at the bookshop or even downloaded to read on your electronic device.

Bibliotherapy has been a popular form of therapy to increase resilience and well-being for many decades - whether we are familiar with the actual term or not. The term itself was coined just over 100 years ago by American essayist Samuel McChord Crothers in an essay entitled “A Literary Clinic”. Yet, fascinatingly the recognition of the power of literature can be found long before the 20th century, as the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus mentions that the sacred library of Pharaoh Ramses II bore the inscription “healing place of the soul”. I, for one, strongly believe that the stories we choose to read with intention are soothing and essential for our soul. From the myths that talk of trials and challenges and rites of passage, to Balzac and Proust, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Austen and Dickens, to the contemporary tonics.

I am here to support you on your well-being journey with the tools of my trade - books!


Well-being solutions for school and the workplace

Each of these solutions may be done in-person or via Zoom, though I prefer in-person especially when it comes to schools.

I’ll be able to help you coordinate the following and more.


Workshops and Webinars

These are around 60 minutes and aim to enhance health and happiness through listening as well as tackling diverse topics from literature, a short essay, life, work, balance, art and philosophy.

The Art of Breathing

This is something which I believe to be essential. To be able to live properly we have to know how to breathe properly. How many of us actually breathe properly?

This workshop is great for all age-groups, to show individuals how to stop and recognise what’s going on with their bodies and their breathing. We will go through different types of breathing to promote balance in the body, the ability to keep calm and also create focus - depending on what is needed in the moment.

This will go hand-in-hand with meditation.


Book Clubs

Creating a book club at school, at work and even at home with family and friends - it’s all about making the time for yourself and for your mental and physical well-being.


For more on what can be done with Businesses please have a look at our Health Coaching page to get an idea of how these exercises compliment each other.

It’s all about balance

Collaboration

If you would like to collaborate on a project, workshop or even link up to support individual clients, I’d love to hear from you!

Are you ready to begin an inward journey?

Malta

ruthless@commonrouts.com

+356 79281400