TAKING IN THE GOOD BASED BIBLIOTHERAPY

Depression is a heterogeneous disorder that has a major impact on society. By 2020 depression will be the second most general cause of dysfunction in the world and the prime contributor to the disease burden by 2030. Depression more commonly affects women. Deep depression in women could also influence the upbringing of their children. Adolescent depression is a severe mental health crisis and about 15% of adolescents are susceptible to developing a major depressive disorder. Being related to remarkable hindrances in a person’s overall functioning, depression enhances an increased risk of future serious depressive episodes and other related mental health confusion. The adverse outcomes are startling because of a direct pathway linking depression in adolescence to increased risk of later depression and anxiety. Psychotherapy is a mainstay intervention for depression and bibliotherapy, therapeutic reading, where clients are assisted to read a specific section of a book or topic which would help them to relieve their mental burden, has been found to be comprehensively effective in alleviating the intensity of depression among adolescents by increasing awareness, reinforcing specific strategies and enhancing lifestyle changes. Through the consecutive phases of bibliotherapy, adolescents are assisted in 1. Identification: they are able to bridge their internal emotions with their actions; reconnection of feelings and experiences; 2. Catharsis: they realize they are not alone in facing their problems; 3. Insight: they are looking at their life’s circumstances from a distance and effectively construct conclusions about life’s issues; 4. Universalization: there are others who experience similar emotions and this gives them a sense of normality; and 5. Projection: they consider what this could mean for their future. Therapy process is the foremost agent of therapeutic change. The story, in the present study it is the inspirational life story, is a tool and the involvement of the therapist is important for this change. Monitoring by a therapist is a requirement when it is administered to adolescents to gain the most out of their reading and follow-up discussion and activities. Every individual is in need of strengths to deal with his/her challenges and vulnerabilities, and internal strengths are essential for a happy, productive and loving life. Inner strengths are stable traits and an enduring source of well being. About a third of a person’s strengths are innate and the other two-thirds are developed over time. He gets them by growing them. Each individual can develop the inner strengths that foster fulfillment, love, confidence, effectiveness, inner peace and wisdom. He can manage his thinking in three primary ways namely: let it be, let go and let in. “Let in” is principally the cultivation of inner strengths. When something hard happens, there are three ways to engage one’s mind which give him a very functional, step-by-step order. Firstly, one must “be” with one’s experience. Observe it and accept it for what it is, even if it is painful. Secondly, if it feels right, begin letting go of whatever may be negative. Finally, replace that with something positive. When we take in positive experiences, we are growing a new neural circuit in our brain. Taking in the good is defined as the deliberate internalization of positive experiences in the implicit memory. This involves four elegant steps: 1) Have a positive experience; 2) Enrich it; 3) Absorb it; 4) Link positive and negative material (HEAL). As the first step activates a positive mental state, the second, third and fourth steps install it in one’s brain. In the present study, depressed female adolescents gradually could build up their inner strengths by the regular practice of enriching and absorbing experiences from daily life. By deliberate and steady practice, the female participants could turn passing experiences into lasting inner resources. In short, the hidden power of daily experience was used to build neural structure. Experience is vital to the growth of people since it gives color and texture to their life. Female adolescents, who are insecure, dissatisfied and disconnected because of their vulnerabilities, attain an advanced sense of integration and of inner wholeness when they become aware of all aspects of an experience. By the internalization of an experience, they allow that experience as inner strength and as protection in the critical times. This is achieved by helping them to create a positive experience by discovering good facts either from their immediate situation or from their own qualities or sensing good in the lives of others. By the regular practice of finding and taking in the good experience, they intensify the neural firing in the neural pathways. The neural firing strengthens their neural traces. The more they take in the good experience, the greater will be the positive neural traces. By the intensity of positive energy, they do overcome the intensity of negative energy. In turn, this positive energy helps them to become more positive, appreciative and stronger in facing the challenges of life. They dwell on good events and conditions as well as on optimistic outlook and sense of worth. As they become rooted in the positive experience, with more resilience and courage, the participants listen to their positive inner voice. By listening to their positive inner voice regularly, they let go of the intensity of rumination and co-brooding, the two critical components in depression. Through an improved influence of positive experience, they give medicine to their distress and dysfunctional attitude. As they continually progress in internalization of the rich positive experience, and with the result of the changes in the brain, they recognize a deeper sense of worth. An enhanced inner worth helps them to be responsive and to be creative to their giftedness. The frequent internalization of positive experience ultimately leads them to build up inner strength. As bibliotherapy aims at creating positive insights, the HEAL process focuses on taking in positive experiences and installing them in the brain. Eventually, female adolescents come to realize that the intensity of depression has been reduced and the level of cognitive appraisal augmented. They become aware that they are, regardless of the losses and major adverse events, secure, satisfied and connected in their life. They will discover the remarkable power of inspirational stories to create new insight into the crises and depressing condition.