Why Your Next Breakthrough Might Come From a Book

Bibliotherapy isn’t just self-help—it’s using stories and language to name what you feel and move through it, say psychotherapists.

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Updated April 17, 2026
Updated April 17, 2026
photo collage of woman reading surrounded by books, open journal and flowers
AARP (Getty Images, 4; Shutterstock)

As I prepared for my mother’s funeral in 2019, I came across a poem she’d written years earlier, when her own mother passed. It was a beautiful tribute honoring my grandmother and her strength — a legacy my mother was determined to continue, as my name means “tower of strength.” It felt more than fitting to use the poem. I replaced my grandmother’s name with my mother’s throughout and included it in my eulogy.

Encountering my mother’s words in those early days of grief — and then using them — was deeply comforting. It felt like hearing from her directly. What I didn’t realize then was that this experience — finding connection, consolation, and healing through language — is a form of therapy. It’s called bibliotherapy, and many of us practice it without even realizing it.

What is bibliotherapy?

Also known as book therapy, bibliotherapy is the practice of using books and other literary works to support emotional well-being. It can be formal — guided by a therapist or trained bibliotherapist — or informal, like reading a story that speaks to you, receiving a recommendation from a pastor, or connecting with song lyrics that move you.

“Bibliotherapy with a mental health professional is the intentional use of literature as a therapeutic tool to support emotional growth and self-discovery,” says Emely Rumble, licensed psychotherapist and author of Bibliotherapy in the Bronx. “It works by engaging readers with stories, poems, and narratives that resonate with their personal experiences.”

While using books for wellness has ancient roots, modern bibliotherapy is a reemerging practice with a rich cultural legacy. Rumble, who is also a bibliotherapy educator, often highlights the work of Sadie Peterson Delaney — a pioneering Black librarian and social worker who used reading to help veterans and underserved communities in the early 1900s. Delaney is considered the “godmother of bibliotherapy.”

The power of bibliotherapy

Reading provides so much more than education, entertainment, and escape. Studies have shown that reading for just six minutes can lower stress by up to 68 percent; it may even be an effective treatment for mild depression. But the benefits of books go even beyond science.

“When we emotionally connect to stories, it helps us process our emotions, grief, trauma, and life transitions — and it holds up a mirror to our needs, wants, fears, and deepest desires,” says Rumble.

If you’ve ever said, “That character is me,” or bonded with a loved one over a book, you’ve felt the power of words to comfort, connect, and change.

It’s not just about books — or being a bibliophile.

You might assume that using books to support growth means browsing self-help titles — but healing and insight can be found in many forms, including fiction, memoir, and biography. “Those of us who are trained in bibliotherapy use a lot of fiction,” says Rumble, who tailors “book prescriptions” based on a client’s needs and reading preferences.

But bibliotherapy isn’t just about reading books, either. It’s about connecting with language and words — whether read, written, spoken, sung, heard, or remembered. “I’ve had clients bring in their mother’s diaries, prayer books, and their grandmother’s Bible as a way to connect to a loved one who has passed away — sometimes simply as a way to bring stories from their families or their cultural upbringings into the therapy room.”

And bibliotherapy isn’t just for book lovers. “You don’t have to be somebody who’s going to pick up a 300- or 400-page novel every week,” Rumble says. “Start small. Maybe we start with a haiku. Maybe we start with the last song that hooked you — the one you couldn’t stop listening to.”

Reading as self-care

For Black women, bibliotherapy can be especially impactful. “Black women are often overburdened and under-resourced,” Rumble says. “We’re the caregivers of our communities, and still have expectations to show up in multiple roles.” Yet Black women are only half as likely to seek mental health care as White women, according to research from Johns Hopkins.

“It’s an accessible tool for us to nourish ourselves,” Rumble says. “Bibliotherapy (and especially connecting to the wisdom of other Black women writers) is so deeply healing for us.”

“I think about many of the texts that the Black women in my therapy practice feel soothed and nourished by: Pearl Cleage, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, and Audre Lorde. Most recently, many of my clients have been reading Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown. It creates a mindful space for us that promotes the important idea that we matter, and we have to care for ‘self’ before we can care for others.”

Real-life impact: Breakthroughs with bibliotherapy

In Bibliotherapy in the Bronx, Rumble shares stories of clients who experienced insight, joy, and healing through bibliotherapy. “One of my favorites is a mother who was struggling to accept her daughter’s diagnosis of hearing loss,” Rumble says.

Together, she and her client read True Biz by Sara Nović, which tells the story of a mother whose daughter is partially deaf. “It was a beautiful process because, in connecting with this parent’s emotional journey through the fictional story, she was able to tune into her own grief.”

Other sisters shared their breakthroughs with books:

●      “All About Love: New Visions” by bell hooks has managed to put something into words that I’ve always felt but didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate: the importance — and healing effect — of true community and non-romantic love. This book has been a real inspiration to continue building my own community.” — Sagid, 31

●      “I reread Toni Morrison’s ‘Sula’ every five years or so because there is so much we get from it as Black women. The book kind of grows with you, and every time you return to it, you learn something new!” — Andrea, 39

●      “I connected emotionally with ‘Monday’s Not Coming’ by Tiffany D. Jackson. It highlights the importance of Black girls’ friendship and solidarity with each other.” — Anonymous

Tips for embracing bibliotherapy

Rumble believes everyone can benefit from the transformative power of bibliotherapy — whether with a professional or independently. Here, she shares a few simple ways to weave this practice into your self-care routine:

●      Bring books into therapy. If you already read as a self-care practice and see a mental health professional, Rumble suggests bringing some of your books into the therapy room. “Start engaging your therapist around what you’re reading. Anytime there’s an emotion that arises while reading, there’s a reason why. There’s something underneath that.”

●      Read with intention. Become more mindful about how you read. “It’s such a beautiful way to engage with literature…when you get really intentional about your reading practice — how you read and how you reflect while you read,” Rumble says.

●      Keep a reading journal. “A reading journal is uniquely structured for you to write down your favorite quotes from a book. It’s also a great way to catalog what you’ve read throughout the year — what resonated with you, and what didn’t.”

●      Join a book club. “I always recommend that folks be a part of a book club, even if it’s an online book club…reading is always best done in community,” Rumble says.

●      Find a bibliotherapist. If you want more guidance on using books to support your emotional well-being, consider working with a trained bibliotherapist. Search the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy for providers who can craft personalized “reading prescriptions.”

Whether you’ve been a book lover all your life or you’re just discovering the joy of language, remember: your next moment of clarity or courage could be waiting on the page. Happy reading. May you find words that hold you and heal you.

Alaya Linton is a personal financial coach on a mission to help women break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and create a better financial future. As a former clothing designer, she writes about both money and fashion and has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, thebalance.com, GOBankingRates, and other publications.