Mental health experts on comfort reading as a grounding tool Looking to connect with mental health experts, including therapists, psychologists and counselors, who can speak to how reading feel-good fiction can function as a grounding tool. Please reach out with your credentials and initial thoughts, and I’ll follow up with more specific questions.

Patricia Blum, MSW, LCSW, QS, ASDCS Therapist and Neurodivergence Specialist Reading emotionally safe stories are more than mere distraction. It allow attention to shift away from every day stress and anxiety and allows our brains to rest without constant monitoring for threat. Neuroimagining research emphasizes that reading fiction can activates network involved in imagination, emotional stimulation and meaning making include the part of our default mode network that supports the ability to reflect freely and socially connect. (Mar, 2011; Hsu et al., 2014). Reading is concretely able to allow our nervous systems to rest. It can be especially supportive for neurodivergent individuals and those who experiences high stress states.

As a Nurse Practitioner specializing in mental health for over 15 years, I have seen firsthand how simple interventions often yield the most profound results for nervous system regulation. When we talk about grounding, we usually refer to techniques that pull a person out of a panic spiral or a state of high anxiety and back into the present moment. While "feel-good" fiction is often categorized as escapism, clinically, it functions as a highly effective cognitive anchor. When you read a comforting story, you are engaging the prefrontal cortex—the logical part of your brain—which helps dampen the overactive response of the amygdala, the brain's fear center. This process shifts the body from a sympathetic state, known as "fight or flight," into a parasympathetic state, or "rest and digest." I recall a specific patient, let's call her Elena, who suffered from severe generalized anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Traditional meditation often made her more anxious because the silence created space for her worries to amplify. We introduced "low-stakes" fiction into her routine—specifically cozy mystery novels. Elena found that the predictable structure of these stories provided a safe container for her emotions. Unlike the uncertainty of her real life, the book offered a guaranteed resolution. When she felt a panic attack coming on, picking up her book gave her brain a linear, concrete task to focus on. The physical act of tracking words on a page and turning the paper grounded her tactile senses, while the narrative provided a gentle emotional regulation tool. The effectiveness of this approach is backed by research. A study conducted by the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress levels by as much as 68 percent, which is more effective than listening to music, having a cup of tea, or taking a walk. The researchers noted that it only took six minutes of silent reading for the participants' heart rates to slow down and for muscle tension to ease. This proves that getting lost in a story isn't just a mental distraction; it is a physiological intervention that physically calms the body. My top advice for using fiction as a grounding tool is to embrace the power of "re-reading." Many of my patients feel guilty for reading the same favorite book over and over, but I encourage it. When you are in a state of high anxiety, your brain craves certainty. Here are my credentials: Shebna N Osanmoh I PMHNP-BC, SavantCare

Hi there, Camille here, a Licensed Psychotherapist and practice owner in Los Angeles. I appreciate your question and happy to share some initial thoughts: Feel-good fiction, or art of any form, allows the brain room for imagination and is an entryway to access pleasant or touching emotions. It can be used as a grounding tool because it allows the reader to be fully engaged in the story, and the brain and body are anchored through the book. It temporarily helps readers to forgo anxious spiraling of thoughts, and replaces it with the story/characters. Let me know if you have additional questions, happy to help!

Comfort reading is a fantastic tool for grounding and naturally embodies multiple coping strategies. The nature of reading sets us up to practice mindfulness, in that we are fully thrown into the activity. Our thoughts, emotions, mental imagery, and even body language are centered around what we are reading. Unlike many other activities, like watching TV, we are unable to multi task which also very much speaks to mindfulness. Reading can be a great distraction tool as well, setting us up to distract by briefly pushing away what may be making us uncomfortable, and distracting with other emotions and thoughts.

Hello, It would be my pleasure to contribute should you feel like my background and approach is aligned. My name is Mary Perleoni, PhD, LMHC, NCC, and I'm a licensed therapist and the owner of It Begins Within, a private group practice with three locations throughout Florida. My background includes working with anxiety, trauma, and stress-related concerns, and I earned my doctorate in counselor education from the University of Central Florida. From what I see in my work, comfort reading can absolutely be grounding, especially for people dealing with anxiety or everyday stress. When someone gets absorbed in a story that feels familiar or uplifting, it naturally pulls attention away from what's bothering them and helps the body settle. For most of my clients, I tend to recommend fiction (especially familiar authors) because it offers a sense of predictability. I've had many clients tell me they actually prefer reading over meditation and other mindfulness/somatic practices.

Initial Thoughts: In my psychiatry practice, I often explain that comfort reading acts as a grounding tool because it offers the one thing anxiety hates: uncertainty. The anxious brain is hyper-vigilant, constantly scanning the real world for threats. "Feel-good" fiction—specifically genres with guaranteed happy endings—acts as a neurological safety signal. It creates a contained environment where the brain knows no unexpected trauma is coming. This allows the amygdala to stop scanning for danger, moving the body from a sympathetic "fight-or-flight" state into a parasympathetic "rest" state. Why this matters for kids & teens: As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I see this drive even more clearly in young people. Kids often lack autonomy in their daily lives (school, rules, schedules). Reading a favorite book where they know the outcome gives them a rare sense of control and safety. It is why children often want to read the same book 100 times—the repetition is a form of emotional regulation. Credentials: Name: Ishdeep Narang, MD Title: Dual Board-Certified Psychiatrist & Founder Company: ACES Psychiatry Location: Orlando, FL Website: www.acespsychiatry.com

I am a psychologist, entrepreneur, and mom. Reading feel-good fiction each night serves as a therapeutic creative outlet for me, helping me process emotions, step away from daily stress, and stay grounded by exploring character stories and themes that are universal in all of our lives. I can share insights on how this simple routine can support grounding practices for clients and busy professionals.

I'm Ali Yilmaz, Co founder and CEO of Aitherapy, an AI powered CBT mental wellness platform built with therapist informed cognitive behavioral techniques. Comfort reading works as a grounding tool because it gently absorbs attention without demanding performance or decision making. Familiar or feel good stories help regulate the nervous system by creating predictability and emotional safety, which can lower rumination and reduce stress. From a CBT perspective, it offers a healthy attentional shift away from threat focused thinking and back into a calmer mental state.

Stress shows up on skin. Acne flares. Eczema itches. Post procedure swelling lingers. Many patients tell me comfort fiction is their safest reset. I hear it daily in consults. The brain grabs a simple plot. Breathing slows. Your hands stop picking. For grounding, pick a familiar author and reread. Ten minutes is enough. Read one chapter, then name five things you see. Keep the phone in another room. If you want citable data, a 2025 pilot with first year medical students used the PSS-10 and compared scores before and after a bibliotherapy program, 17.85 vs 17.21, p=.547, 95% CI from -1.46 to 2.75. The focus groups still called it useful for wellness habits: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12058346/

Hello, I'd like to connect you with my colleague Kay Saffe, LPCC. She is the clinical director of Coastal Detox of Southern California and works one-on-one with patients to establish healthy coping mechanisms for the mental health triggers that led to their substance use disorder. She could help provide a unique angle on how grounding tools such as comfort reading can help calm anxiety spirals that may have previously led to drug or alcohol abuse. Please let me know if you are interested in connecting with her, I'm happy to make the introduction. Her bio is here: https://coastaldetoxsc.com/our-team/kay-saffe-lpcc/

Hi there, I'm Lachlan Brown, a mindfulness-focused psychologist and co-founder of The Considered Man, a platform on men's mental resilience and mindful living. Grounding practices are central to my work with clients dealing with anxiety, burnout, and emotional overload, and comfort reading is one of the most underrated tools I recommend. Here are my thoughts for your upcoming piece in Real Simple: From a psychological standpoint, feel-good fiction grounds us because it gently anchors attention without demanding performance. Unlike scrolling or problem-solving, reading a familiar, emotionally safe story slows breathing, steadies heart rate, and gives the nervous system a predictable arc. The brain knows the rules of the world it's entering, which lowers threat detection and reduces rumination. That's why people often return to the same books during stress - the familiarity itself is regulating. This works especially well for people who struggle with traditional mindfulness. Reading provides an external focus that still achieves the same outcome: present-moment attention, emotional containment, and a temporary pause from self-monitoring. A short chapter before bed or during a midday reset can function like a guided grounding exercise, helping people transition out of fight-or-flight and back into their bodies. Personally, I keep a small rotation of novels I associate with safety and steadiness. When my mind is noisy, ten pages is often enough to soften the edges and restore perspective. And I don't treat it as escapism, let's say it's just nervous system hygiene. Thanks for considering my insights! Cheers, Lachlan Brown Mindfulness Expert | Co-founder, The Considered Man https://theconsideredman.org/ My book 'Hidden Secrets of Buddhism': https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BD15Q9WF/