'Silent Therapists' and 'the Community of Suffering': Some Reflections on Bibliotherapy from an Existential-Phenomenological Perspective

Abstract

Currently, there is a growing interest in the UK in using literature in the therapeutic domaine. It is important, when considering how such a 'Bibliotherapy' might be developed, to consider antecedents. Engagement with literature probably constitutes the primary 'therapeutic contact' for most clients, and the importance of literature has been recognized by many existential-phenomenological writers.