Things you can learn from books: Exploring the therapeutic potential of eating disorder memoirs

Abstract

This paper explores the potential benefits that books, and specifically memoirs, might offer mental health students, positing that first-person testimonials might make the complex experiences of a mental health challenge, in this case, eating disorders, accessible to learners. The paper presents a pedagogical approach, based on transformative learning, to assist in encouraging the development of a recovery approach in students. Transformative learning is a pedagogy that is interested in problematic practices that keep afflicting an area, such as the imbalanced focus on learning illness, rather than well-being, and in pondering and revising the educational solutions. The paper proposes that forward movement in this area will be based on considering and developing such innovative curricula, and researching its impact. By virtue of their accessibility, memoirs could offer to a large audience the benefits of universality, empathy, hope, and guidance. Teachers and learners could be making use of these books in face-to-face or online activities. This paper explores the groundwork that is needed before eating disorder memoirs can be confidently recommended as a therapeutic tool.

Comparing carer wellbeing: implications for eating disorders

“…As statistics of recovery do drop after seven years (Bulik et al, 2007), such stories could empower and revitalise carers. McAllister et al (2014) have shown that providing ED memoirs can potentially be therapeutic to professionals and those suffering from ED. Anecdotally, carers benefit from this as well.…”

Exploring the diary as a recovery‐oriented therapeutic tool

“…Nurses have an opportunity to lead in the development of recovery‐based therapeutic interventions (McAllister et al . ), but development of these nurse–consumer strategies rarely feature in the published literature (Bennetts & Cross ; Meehan et al . ).…”

“…In previous work, we have explained how mobilizing aspects of the creative arts in conjunction with mental health science has the potential to enrich and extend innovative therapeutic interventions (McAllister et al . ). We suggested, for example, that guided engagement with published memoirs detailing mental health issues might enhance self‐awareness, positive stress management, and resilience in both care workers and consumers (McAllister et al .…”

“…We suggested, for example, that guided engagement with published memoirs detailing mental health issues might enhance self‐awareness, positive stress management, and resilience in both care workers and consumers (McAllister et al . ). Greater understanding could facilitate the identification of vulnerabilities, as well as strengths, provide catharsis, and clarify moments in life that rekindle hope and possibilities for new life paths, facilitating renewed motivation to set and achieve goals (Byrne et al .…”

How we missed the boat: reading scholarship and the field of LIS

“…The reading paradox in LIS Today, we have a paradoxical situation with regard to the status of reading research in LIS. On the one hand, the popularity and relevance of reading are growing not only with all types of libraries, including public, academic and special, but also with governmental agencies, such as correctional services, in light of the realization that reading is significant in the rehabilitation of incarcerated persons (Prison Reading Groups, 2015); health care, with the advance of bibliotherapy, which presents a huge potential field of contribution for LIS researchers and practitioners (Brewster et al, 2012;McAllister et al, 2014;Riahi Nia, 2011;Walwyn and Rowley, 2011); educational settings, including special education (with examples too numerous to mention); and not-for-profit organizations, such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (www.cnib.ca/en) or its counterparts in other countries (e.g. the National Federation of the Blind (www.nfb.…”