Three great therapeutic reasons to use fiction books to gain advice.

Have you ever wished there was a book you could read that would solve your problem?

Bingo. There is.

Whatever problem you've got, a book is already written about it that tells you how to SOLVE the issue. You just have to find the book (fiction or non fiction), read it, and implement the lessons into your life.

Using a book to solve a problem is called, Bibliotherapy.

Reading is a great past time and a wonderful, wonderful healer. Reading
creates different brain waves and allows us to think in a new and
different way. Followed with a bit of positively manipulated activity related to the story, reading a book may well be the best super therapist in the world!

Get into the classics - they are full of valuable life lessons, no matter what era they were written or you are reading them. Here's Penguin's list of Aussie classics (because I'm an Aussie and LOVE the rawness of Australian literature.)

Apart from just the while-a-way-time of reading, here are three great therapeutic reasons to use fiction books to gain advice:

1. Identification of character and social situation: This identification
   increases the probability of learning different behaviors and receiving
   advice.
2. Catharsis: Through identification, an emotional connection with the
   character or social situation allows us to learn from and discuss their
   emotional responses to the situation.
3. Insight: Through beneficial discussion and follow-up activity/thinking, we
   integrate the link between the story and our own life, with
   opportunities to practice how to address and solve issues of concern.

But, enough about therapeutic benefits: want to know how to use the book to solve your problem? Of course you do so here's the 8 steps of turning a fiction book into bibliotherapy:

1. Identify the practical advice (the message) you want to know
2. Match the message you seek with an appropriate book. Seek out
   classics/fiction/non-fiction that deals with the particular issue (drugs,
   death, alcoholism, fear, bullying, sexual assault, separation, anxiety, blended families, money trubles, etc). While searching
   for the advice appropriate book, remember that:
   2.1 The book should match your reading ability and patience level ,
   2.2 The text must be at an interest level appropriate to your interest (i.e., you're not going to read a piece of chick lit if you're into drag racing),
   2.3 The theme of the book should match your identified need,
   2.4 The characters should be believable so that you can identify with the dilemma,
   2.5 The plot of the story should be realistic and involve creativity in
   problem solving (you know this by the blurb and reviews).
3. Decide on the setting and time for the story reading.
   Will you read it when you are alone or in the company of others? Will it go everywhere with you or stay on the bedside table?
4. Knowing that you need to be active for bibliotherapy to be
   effective, motivate yourself to become involved with an associated
   problem solving follow-up activity directly related to something in the book.
5. Design one or more follow-up, book-connected activities,
   based on your interest and ability. This may be as simple as
   having a discussion with someone about the characters after story end or calling a book-club discussion. Or, you may want to do some art, journal around the story. I like to take a visit to a place somehow connected to the story and imagine how the characters would act in that moment.
6. Pre engage in the follow up activities by making suggestions to yourself throughout the reading. At the end of a chapter or every few pages, sum up so that “the message” does not get lost in the fantasy.
7. Immediately after story end, take a break and do some reflection on the material.
8. When doing the follow-up activities, briefly retell the
   story to yourself, focusing on how the characters solved their issue, and ask yourself what you could do to honour the advice/message in the book.
9. Ask your family to ask you questions about the book so that you can integrate the advice gained by honestly answering any questions they may have.

Happy bibliotheraping….there’s a little therapist in us all.