Nose-in-a-Book Therapy? Does it work for more than just children?

Woman reading a book, illustrative photo Source: Pexels / cottonbro

We live in a world that has accelerated, dominated by technology, screens, notifications, and short forms. We're not criticizing this—technology itself is neither good nor bad. It can support development and be a source of inspiration. But at the same time, it's increasingly difficult to find a space where children (and adults) have the opportunity to pause, experience something deeper, and engage in real connection—with themselves and with others. Soft skills—such as empathy, communication, the ability to cooperate, or understanding emotions—don't develop "by accident." They need relationships, time, conversation, and experience. An algorithm, no matter how personalized, can't replace these. That's why it's so important to leave room in the digital world for analog encounters—and for stories that connect," says Katarzyna Nawrocka, a fairy tale therapy expert associated with the Zaczytani.org Foundation.

Paulina Socha-Jakubowska, "Wprost": What is bibliotherapy and fairy tale therapy?

Katarzyna Nawrocka: Bibliotherapy is a method of supporting development and mental health based on literature. It utilizes carefully selected texts—stories, novels, poems, and reportages—as tools for initiating reflection, processing emotions, and building self-awareness and empathy. It is successfully used in teamwork, education, prevention, and personal development. Storytelling, the art of telling a story, is of paramount importance in bibliotherapy—not only as a form of communication, but as a way to build a bridge between the reader and the character, between experience and emotion.

Even in ancient times, reading was believed to have healing powers. The most famous example is the inscription above the entrance to the Library of Alexandria: "Health of the Soul." This is a symbolic affirmation of the belief in the healing power of the written word.

Speaking of Antiquity, I wonder when therapy itself was “named” or “recognized”?

The term "bibliotherapy" was introduced into scientific language in the early 20th century, and the first documented definition appeared in 1916 in The Atlantic Monthly, where Samuel McChord Crothers used the term in an essay titled "A Literary Clinic."

In the following decades, bibliotherapy was developed and used, among others, in psychiatric hospitals and in work with war veterans in the USA, especially after World Wars I and II – as a form of emotional support and mental rehabilitation.

Fairy tale therapy, on the other hand, is a special, specialized form of bibliotherapy, aimed primarily at children.

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Wprost

Nose-in-a-Book Therapy? Does it work for more than just children?

Woman reading a book, illustrative photo Source: Pexels / cottonbro

Paulina Socha-Jakubowska, "Wprost": What is bibliotherapy and fairy tale therapy?

Even in ancient times, reading was believed to have healing powers. The most famous example is the inscription above the entrance to the Library of Alexandria: "Health of the Soul." This is a symbolic affirmation of the belief in the healing power of the written word.

Speaking of Antiquity, I wonder when therapy itself was “named” or “recognized”?