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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2026
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19373250 |
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Table of Contents:
- <p><strong>Abstract:</strong> Historically, Western healthcare has operated on a Cartesian dualism, prioritising biological treatment while frequently neglecting the phenomenological experience of the psyche. This reductionist approach creates a critical gap in medical practice: while disease pathology is treated, the patient’s subjective “narrative wreckage” often remains unaddressed. This chapter posits that creative literature, specifically complex narrative fiction and memoir, serves as a critical clinical intervention rather than mere leisure. Synthesising theoretical frameworks from neuroaesthetics, bibliotherapy, and Narrative Medicine, this study examines how literary texts function as “cognitive containers” that structure the chaotic experience of trauma. Through a comparative textual analysis of Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, and Jean-Dominique Bauby, the paper investigates the specific linguistic mechanisms that facilitate “narrative reconstruction.” The findings demonstrate that engaging with these texts allows patients to reclaim agency over their suffering. The study concludes that the integration of literary arts into clinical protocols is not merely adjuvant but essential for achieving truly holistic healing.</p> <p><span><strong>Keywords:</strong> </span>Narrative medicine, bibliotherapy, medical humanities, illness narratives, narrative reconstruction</p>