Bibliotherapy Recommendations?
I'm curious to hear people's account of the best or most useful book they've read in terms of making progress in their mental wellness. I'm interested in bibliotherapy, because I think it's likely to play a larger and larger role in the process of treating depression and related conditions. Just the title of a book is a useful answer by itself, but it's even more useful if you can tell me what was good about the material, what changes it lead to, and how often you revisit it.
Personally, I've finished just a few, so I'll say for me, the best was "Too Perfect - When Being In Control Gets Out of Control" but this book, as you might guess from the title, is just for perfectionists, or perhaps people married to one.
I'm expecting to see lots of endorsements for Feeling Good and Feeling Great, but I will be delighted to hear of books for the first time. And yes, workbooks do count here. This seems to be the trend.
Already I've said too much!
@gregariousThinker5121
My subscribe feature is sadly not working lol, but I would love to see what books and thoughts everyone shares.
I think this is a great idea, thankyou for making this space. ❤
A recently impactful book has been Ikigai for me, late to the party maybe haha, but glad I could make it. I love how they keep emphasizing the importance of little things, the simple things in life, using different words.
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
It's funny you should mention that book, because I've had it in my pile here for years, but I didn't realize until just now that I have both text and audio versions of Ikigai... Every culture can learn from every other culture, but this seems especially true of the world at large and Japan, especially Okinawa... They really seem to have tapped into what makes life worth living in a special way. One of the interesting things about the "blue zones" in which huge numbers of people live to be 100 or older, is that people of all ages hang out together on a regular basis. It's also common for people in these places to continue working, albeit slowly, into their 80s and 90s, even if they don't need the money. Just to have a sense of purpose and being needed.
I have a really bizarre one for you. It isn't exactly what I would call a therapy book and is more like a "how to change the world" book.
It is called Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice. It is very much focused on how disabled people can learn to care for themselves and what their ideas could bring to the world. There is tons of swearing and lots of going back and forth on things. There are also a few chapters that talk about SI that I wouldn't necessarily read. It starts off weird but the deeper you get into it the more profound it is. It has especially excellent tips on redefining self-care.@gregariousThinker5121