Bibliotherapy

What is "bibliotherapy?" 

Bibliotherapy is simply "the use of literature to help heal the emotional wounds of illness" (Cohen, 1992, p. 56). Because individual preferences, age and reading abilities vary immensely, the nurse providing spiritual care must assess the client carefully.

Patients with religious preferences will usually choose materials that stem from their chosen tradition. Others may prefer non-religious materials, such as books written about another person's experience with a similar cancer. This enables the patient to discover how others found meaning in their illness as well as feeling less isolated. The following list is an incomplete listing--but a place to begin exploring with your patients.

Non-religious reading materials (Cohen, 1992; 1993; Halstead, 2005).

Agee, J. (1986). A death in the family. NY: Bantam Books. Note: A child's view of the death of a parent.

Delinsky, B. (2001). Uplift: Secrets from the sisterhood of breast cancer survivors. NY: Pocket Books.

Harper, W. (1997). When a parent has cancer. NY: Harper Collins.

Harper, W. (1997). Becky and the worry cup. NY: Harper Collins. Note: A children's book telling of a 7-year-old girl's experiences with her mother's cancer.

Levine, S. (1984). Healing into life and death. NY: Anchor Press.

Lund, D. (1989). Eric. NY: Harper Collins. Note: A mother describes her teenage son's losing battle with leukemia.

Moore, T. (1992). Care of the soul: A guide for cultivating depth and sacredness in everyday life. NY: Harper Collins. 

Radner, G. (1989). It's always something. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Waddler, J. (1992). My breast: One woman's cancer story. NY: Addison-Wesley.

Religious reading materials

Sacred texts include the Bible, the Upanishads, Tao Te Ching, the Koran, and the Dhammapada.

Carter, J. (1997). Sources of strength: Meditations on scripture for a living faith. NY: Times Books.

For those with Judeo-Christian traditions:

Psalms to remember:

• Psalm 22:  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

• Psalm 23:  The Lord is my shepherd

• Psalm 27:  The Lord is my light and my salvation

• Psalm 42:  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God

• Psalm 46:  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble

• Psalm 51:  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble

• Psalm 77:  I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me

• Psalm 90:  Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

• Psalm 100: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

• Psalm 121: I lift up mine eyes to the hills

• Psalm 130: Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord

• Psalm 139: O Lord, you have searched me and known me

References

Cohen, L. (1993). Med-surg nursing. American Journal of Nursing, October, p. 70-81.

Cohen, L. (1992). "Here's something I want you to read." RN, October, p. 56-59.