New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

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Love a page-turner? According to the therapeutic art known as bibliotherapy, fiction and non-fiction books – including poetry, essays, short stories and self-development guides – can help us heal, transform our quality of life, and understand ourselves on a much deeper level.

The term bibliotherapy, which originates from the Greek words for book “biblion” and healing “therapeia”, links back to the philosopher Aristotle, who believed literature had healing benefits, and that reading books was a way of treating illness. In fact, ancient Greeks placed inscriptions over library entrances, stating the building was a “healing place for the soul”.

Bibliotherapist Sonya Tsakalakis, founder

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