Reading oneself to health?: current practices and prospects for bibliotherapy as a didactic-therapeutic tool

Biblio-therapy, an age-old technique, has recently regained some momentum in diverse settings around the world. This therapeutic-didactic approach posits that one can regain or improve health by reading on a regular basis. Taking this as a point of departure, the idea that significant acts of reading elicit changes in the reader, theorists and active practitioners of bibliotherapy argue that books can improve the well-being of individuals, particularly when it is guided in some way. This paper offers an assessment of concepts and current trends in biblio-therapy as an interdisciplinary practice, along with an exploration of potential paths for further development.