In this episode of The Choice Space, Dr Lee David speaks with Dr Charley Baker, associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, about the emotional power of literature and stories – how reading shapes understanding, supports wellbeing and offers language for experiences that can be hard to express.
Their conversation offers a reflective exploration of reading not as a luxury or escape, but as an active process that can restore energy, deepen empathy and create space for connection. Rather than focusing on productivity or self-improvement, the discussion centres on how stories help people make sense of their inner worlds and the experiences of others.
Reading as nourishment, not escape
A central idea in the conversation is that reading can be nourishing. Immersing in a book is not simply a passive way to relax, but an active process that can restore energy and create a sense of space. Spending time with stories can feel like a gift to oneself – a way of stepping out of constant demands and returning with a renewed sense of perspective.
This reframing moves reading away from being seen as indulgent or optional. Instead, it becomes a form of care that supports emotional balance and mental clarity.
Understanding experiences from the inside
Literature offers a unique way of encountering other people’s experiences. Through characters and narratives, readers are invited into perspectives that may be unfamiliar, complex or stigmatised. This can deepen empathy and broaden understanding without the pressure or defensiveness that can arise in direct conversations.
Reading creates a private, reflective space where beliefs and assumptions can be reconsidered. Difficult topics can be approached at a pace that feels manageable, allowing people to sit with new ideas rather than turning away from them.
Finding language for difficult experiences
The conversation highlights how stories can provide language for emotions and experiences that feel confusing or overwhelming. When people struggle to articulate what is happening internally, encountering similar experiences in literature can offer words, metaphors and frameworks that make expression possible.
This can be especially important in the context of trauma, grief or intense emotional distress, where experiences may feel too complex or too large to describe. Stories can help people recognise their own feelings and communicate them to others.
Literature and clinical understanding
Dr Baker reflects on the value of fiction in clinical education and care. Narratives can reveal the complexity beneath visible behaviours, offering insight into what may lie below the surface of distress. This deeper understanding can support more compassionate responses and create space to listen rather than react.
Reading about difficult experiences in a fictional context can feel less confronting than encountering them directly, allowing professionals and carers to reflect on their assumptions and develop greater confidence in sitting with distress.
Connection through stories
Although reading is often seen as solitary, the episode explores how stories can strengthen connection. Sharing books, recommending titles or discussing characters can become acts of care that signal thoughtfulness and understanding. These exchanges can help people feel seen and supported.
Stories also foster connection by deepening empathy. Understanding another person’s experience through narrative can make it easier to be present with someone in distress, without needing to fix or solve.
Poetry and accessible routes into reading
The conversation recognises that reading is not always easy, particularly during periods of grief, stress or low concentration. Poetry and shorter texts can offer a gentle way back into reading, conveying depth and meaning in a few lines while leaving space for personal interpretation.
Accessible formats, including audiobooks and shared reading, can also make stories available in ways that fit different needs and circumstances. The emphasis is on finding a relationship with reading that feels supportive rather than demanding.
Permission to follow what connects
Rather than prescribing what people should read, the episode encourages a flexible approach. Needs change over time, and different stories meet different moments. Allowing oneself to stop reading a book that does not connect is framed not as failure, but as a recognition of personal needs and preferences.
This perspective supports a more compassionate relationship with reading, one guided by curiosity, thoughtfulness and a genuine understanding of our own needs and values.
Choice Space takeaways – small, workable steps
- Notice what draws you in. Curiosity can guide choices more helpfully than pressure.
- Allow reading to be nourishing. Time with stories can restore energy and perspective.
- Use stories to find language. Literature can help make sense of complex feelings.
- Share what matters. Recommending a book can be an act of care and connection.
- Choose accessible forms. Poetry, audiobooks or short texts can offer a gentle entry point.
- Stop when something does not connect. Needs change, and that is part of the process.
This conversation offers a grounded reminder that stories are more than entertainment. They can create space to understand ourselves and others, support connection and offer language for experiences that might otherwise remain unspoken.
About the host
Dr Lee David is a GP, CBT therapist and author specialising in mental health and wellbeing. Lee has written many books on CBT, mindfulness and teen wellbeing, and speaks regularly at conferences and in the media. Away from work she enjoys running, hiking, singing in a choir and spending time outdoors with her family. You can find Lee through her website and on Instagram, TikTok (@dr.lee.david), Facebook and LinkedIn. You can find more about her books, wellbeing courses and therapy here: https://linktr.ee/dr.lee.david
About the guest
Dr Charley Baker is an associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham. Her work explores literature, mental health and the health humanities, focusing on how stories support understanding of distress and lived experience. Her clinical interests include domestic abuse, violence against women and girls, self-harm, suicide and OCD, and how narrative approaches can support people experiencing distress.
Instagram: @CharleyBakerTheBookPusher
