Libraccio brings bibliotherapy to bookstores An opportunity to discover the healing power of books

There are days when a story can do more than a thousand words of comfort. A page read at the right moment becomes a refuge, a compass, sometimes even a cure. It’s from this awareness that bibliotherapy is born: the practice of turning reading into an act of mental well-being. And now Libraccio has decided to bring this experience to its shelves, in collaboration with the InTerapia Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy Center in Milan. It’s a new way of inhabiting the bookshop, no longer just a place of culture, but a space where words become instruments of listening, emotion, and rebirth.

Reading to find yourself again: what is bibliotherapy and what is it for?

Bibliotherapy starts from a simple idea: every book can help us understand something about ourselves. It doesn’t have to be a self-help manual or a psychology essay, just a story that speaks to the heart at the right time. All around the world, from the United States to Great Britain, more and more people are discovering how therapeutic reading can lighten the mind and open new perspectives. In Italy, this energy is being embraced by Libraccio, the historic bookshop chain that for over forty years has been promoting an accessible, shared, and living culture. With the project Punto e a capo: reading group and bibliotherapy, between emotions and stories, Libraccio launches a series of meetings that combine the pleasure of reading with the care of the self. No longer just traditional book clubs, but sessions led by professionals, where the novel becomes an inner and collective journey.

The book as a place for the soul

“For us, the bookshop is more than a store,” explains Carlotta Sanzogni, Head of Social & PR at Libraccio. “It’s a place where we build authentic relationships with those who love to read. Bibliotherapy is the natural evolution of that bond: a way to listen to people who seek in books a form of support and personal discovery.” Because, she adds, “regular readers already know it, books can save us, each in their own way. We want to offer a space for those who wish to be guided by an expert, but also for those who wouldn’t call themselves readers and still long to find comfort within the pages.” After all, stepping into a bookstore is a bit like stepping inside yourself. Every shelf is a possibility, every book a small act of healing.

The Milan schedule

The first Libraccio bibliotherapy meeting will take place at the Via Bernardino Lanino 8 bookstore in Milan, on November 19 at 6 p.m., featuring Gli antropologi (The Anthropologists) by Ayşegül Savaş (Feltrinelli Gramma). The session will be led by Dr. Gianluca Frazzoni, head of the InTerapia Center. Those who wish to participate can register directly with the booksellers at the Via Lanino location, the starting point of the initiative. The project will continue in 2026, expanding to Monza and Saronno.

Here’s the Milan calendar:

• November 19 – Gli antropologi, by Ayşegül Savaş (Feltrinelli Gramma) – with Dr. Gianluca Frazzoni
• January 14 – Vengo io da te, by Rebecca Kaufman (Sur) – with Dr. Jessica Capellini
• February 21 – La figlia di lui, by Chiara Marchelli (Feltrinelli) – with Dr. Giulia Campanale
• March 21 – Sorgenti, by Marie-Hélène Lafon (Fazi) – with Dr. Frazzoni

The therapist’s role in the project

“Reading can deeply nourish the mind and intellect,” explains Dr. Frazzoni. “It stimulates curiosity, imagination, and offers each person a safe inner space. As Proust said, ‘Every reader, when he reads, reads himself’, and that’s precisely the principle at the heart of bibliotherapy.” The doctor emphasizes how essential the presence of a psychotherapist is to the project Punto e a capo: “The therapist helps participants identify the psychological aspects of the works, transforming storytelling into a safe space where emotions can be recognized and reworked.” During each session, participants are invited to share thoughts and sensations inspired by the readings. It’s not just about discussing a book, it’s about being moved by what it awakens, about learning something more about oneself and one’s way of feeling. In this way, bibliotherapy becomes a bridge between the word and the psyche. The story we read is no longer only someone else’s, it becomes a fragment of our own. Each meeting turns into a small emotional workshop, an opportunity to explore the transformative power of books together with other readers on the same path.