Bibliotherapy (book therapy)
A big reason counseling works better than psychopharmacology is because you and your therapist share a healthy human relationship, i.e. a trusting, communicative relationship just between the two of you.
Homo sapiens evolved as relational beings like chimpanzees, meerkats or elephants (unlike more individualistic creatures like possums, panthers, or turtles who do not live in social groups). The human brain builds its cellular networks primarily in response to relational activities. Even as an adult, you can literally grow a fresh brain with new neural pathways.
Through healthy relationships and Bodymind Counseling you can create a nervous system that works better than the one you have, which may have been damaged in relationship with members of your family of origin through unconscious careless behaviors by them or other people important in your life.
A limitation of psychotherapy can be that you only see your counselor once a week, so it may take awhile to see the results of true healing. While psychotherapy takes longer, it is very different than the quick masking of symptoms from pharmaceuticals which cannot cure you and have deleterious side effects.
So two important questions are: how can you amplify the value of the processing, information and insight your counselor provides? How do you invoke her presence at home to strengthen the relationship and facilitate neuronal growth resulting in more permanent positive feelings and functional behaviors?
Seven ways to enhance counseling are:
1. by setting the intention to heal in a therapeutic relationship and demonstrating your commitment to yourself by consistently showing up for weekly sessions.
2. through following through on the simple individualized homework that may be recommended between sessions, and practicing suggested changes to your behavior.
3. through reading occasional informational emails from your counselor.
4. by calling or texting your counselor if you find yourself in an emotional emergency.
5. by attending workshops or other educational events.
6. by reading weekly posts on the Bodymind Counseling blog.
7. or reading books she may recommend or are calling to you from the internet, library or bookstore shelf.
Reading a good book eases existential loneliness, stimulates curiosity and provides novelty helpful to growing a healthier bodymind. It facilitates deeper understanding of things you’ve learned about yourself in therapy.
The Bodymind Counseling Reading List contains descriptions of the books that may be recommended to clients during sessions. Feel free to explore this list and ask your librarian or local bookstore staffer to find books of interest for you.
