Have you ever finished a book and felt something inside you shift? As if someone had seen into your soul and handed you a mirror, gently saying, You’re not alone. That’s bibliotherapy in action—using reading (and writing) to help us make sense of our lives.
The term bibliotherapy was first coined in 1916 by a Unitarian minister named Samuel Crothers, but the practice itself goes back centuries. Ancient Egyptians called their libraries “houses of healing for the soul”. During WWI, soldiers recovering from shellshock were given curated reading lists to ease their mental distress. And in the 1980s, psychologist James Pennebaker discovered that simply writing about trauma could improve both emotional and physical health. Turns out, our stories are powerful medicine.
At The Book Whisperers, we see the impact every day. When clients come to us, they’re often carrying stories they’ve never shared—not fully, not without judgement. Writing those stories, slowly and safely, allows them to unpack the layers. They start to see how experiences are connected, how beliefs were formed, and how they’ve carried old wounds for too long.
That moment when a client begins to understand the shape of their life—where it’s been, where it’s going—that’s where the healing begins.
It’s not always an easy journey. Writing about trauma can be emotional. But it’s also profoundly freeing. Because once the story is out of your head and on the page, it stops spinning in circles. It becomes something you can hold. Literally.
One of our favourite moments is seeing a client with their finished book in hand. The look of pride, of peace, of This is mine—that’s what we do it for. The story is now contained, crafted, complete. They never have to explain it again unless they want to—and even then, they’re doing so from a place of understanding and control.
We don’t believe in overpriced packages or rigid timelines. We work session by session, at a reasonable hourly rate, and walk alongside you every step of the way.
So if you’ve got a story waiting to be told—one that might help you breathe a little easier—we’re here. You’re not alone. And the page is ready when you are.
Mary Turner Thomson is an international best-selling author, writing coach and publishing consultant. She specialises in helping people tell their stories, and is passionate about not victim shaming – including not victim shaming ourselves. She’s also the author of two true crime memoirs and a novel about resilience.