A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste - by Kelly Sullivan Walden (Paperback)

About the Book

"Recoveries from heartbreaks and misfortune can be debilitating. In A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Kelly Sullivan Walden (aka the Dream Doctor) shares her own history of healing with therapy, shamans, gurus, 12-step programs, and her twenty-five years of working with clients as a dream therapist and encourages us to alchemize these challenges into a philosophy of strength, forgiveness, and personal transformation. From a hot-air balloon crash in a wildlife refuge to a near-death experience on her fortieth birthday, Walden divulges both her own larger-than-life misadventures and debilitating losses alongside eye-opening stories from her clients and friends. Complete with healthy helpings of wisdom and humor, she flips the script with her four-step OGLE method and transforms the tragic into magic, a method designed to cut years off the recovery process and help turn suffering into optimism. With this book in hand, you'll find your way back to your inner heaven, even when all hell is breaking loose. Guided by Kelly's wisdom and wit, you, too, can transform your life's unexpected tragedies and mishaps into magical journeys of self-exploration, love, and badassery"--

Book Synopsis

WINNER OF THE 2024 SILVER READERS' FAVORITE AWARD IN NONFICTION: RELIGION/PHILOSOPHY

Bestselling author, hypnotherapist, and dream expert Kelly Sullivan Walden shares her four-step OGLE process in a humorous self-help memoir. Kelly teaches us how to shift our perspectives on tragedy and helps us look for the magic that can shine within some of our darkness moments.

Recoveries from heartbreaks and misfortune can be debilitating. In A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Kelly Sullivan Walden (aka the Dream Doctor) shares her own history of healing with therapy, shamans, gurus, 12-step programs, and her twenty-five years of working with clients as a dream therapist and encourages us to alchemize these challenges into a philosophy of strength, forgiveness, and personal transformation.

From a hot-air balloon crash in a wildlife refuge to a near-death experience on her fortieth birthday, Walden divulges both her own larger-than-life misadventures and debilitating losses alongside eye-opening stories from her clients and friends. Complete with healthy helpings of wisdom and humor, she flips the script with her four-step OGLE method and transforms the tragic into magic, a method designed to cut years off the recovery process and help turn suffering into optimism. With this book in hand, you'll find your way back to your inner heaven, even when all hell is breaking loose.

Guided by Kelly's wisdom and wit, you, too, can transform your life's unexpected tragedies and mishaps into magical journeys of self-exploration, love, and badassery.

Review Quotes

"A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste inspires us to become more open-minded, compassionate, and braver versions of ourselves. I highly recommend this book to fans of inspirational and humorous non-fiction books, memoirs, and self-help literature."--Nino Lobiladze "Readers' Favorite, (April 2024)"

{STARRED REVIEW} Written in a highly engaging style, Walden's book makes a good case that finding the lessons in even tragic events can lead to a happier and more fulfilled life. Best for general readership.-- Jacqueline Parascandola "Library Journal, Jan 01, 2023"

"A Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste is a heartfelt self-help book that puts an honest, humorous spin on looking at the bright side."--Aimee Jodoin "Foreword Reviews (January / February 2023)"

"A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste reveals how the darkest traumas and misfortunes of our private histories can be transformed into treasure in the form of deeper purpose. In this brave and innovative book, Kelly Sullivan Walden takes the mystery out of such alchemy by systematically revealing, through personal stories and her breakthrough 4-step method, how to face and embrace our nightmares (both waking and sleeping) in order to transmute them into fuel for creating the life of our dreams. This empowering book provides the gift of clarity--the means through which to excavate the mud of our pasts and uncover glimmers of our unique purpose for being alive."--Aspen Matis, bestselling author of Girl in the Woods and Your Blue Is Not My Blue

"As Carl Jung once said, 'One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.' In Kelly Sullivan Walden's latest book, A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste, she does just that. She not only reveals her own shadowy stories and shares how she mined the gold from them, but she leaves a trail of breadcrumbs behind, along with a system to help us take our disempowered stories and transform them into the launching pad for our greatest compassion and contribution to humanity. And she does all this with the ability to belly-laugh at the dark, making sure it has no choice but to turn into light."--Cyndi Dale, bestselling and award-winning author of The Subtle Body

"Death never happens no matter what anyone tells you! There is only life... in all its iterations. I was lucky to share that with Kelly Sullivan Walden after her near-death experience, of which she writes about in this book. Once we know that life doesn't end when the body does, we can get on with the business of living with more freedom and joy. That's what Kelly talks about in this book--she gives us the steps and tools to transform our tragic into magic...one metaphorical or literal lightning strike at a time!"--Dannion Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Saved by the Light


"For many of us, one of the muddiest areas of our lives is in the realm of our intimate relationships. If we want to attract and sustain the soulmate relationship of our dreams, we need to stop glossing over our heartbreaks. Instead, we need to read Kelly Sullivan Walden's latest book, A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste, to help us shine a bright light on our crippling love-life woes to transform them into WOWs--and thus, become magnetic to the love we desire and deserve."--Arielle Ford, bestselling author of The Soulmate Secret

"From one who is no stranger to the mud, phenomenal Kelly and her amazing book is the perfect inspiration to remind us to STOP wasting our funky moments--they are so deliciously (albeit intensely) rife with learning, growing...and let's face it, Sacred Exfoliation! I highly recommend it as a way to ensure the transformation of your tragic into your magic.--Allana Pratt, author of From Heartbreak to HeartMates

"Having our dream life--a life where our greatest desires come to pass--is our birthright. But it doesn't materialize without us learning some hard lessons along the way. I prefer the easy way--don't get me wrong--but I'm grateful for my missteps and challenges because they've deepened me and given me access to valuable aspects of my inner wisdom that I never would've discovered otherwise. To help us flip the tragic into magic, I recommend the radically simple but profound 4-step process Kelly Sullivan Walden writes about in her book, A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste."--Christy Whitman, New York Times bestselling author

"We all face adversities, challenges, and many face crisis that leave them paralyzed. But what if in these times the gold is hidden under the mud? Kelly ignites us with practical tools and soulful wisdom to find our inner magician to free us from our personal cage and give us wings to believe that indeed we are the alchemist of our own life! And how grand is that?! Read the treasures of this book and find your magic tools."--Agapi Stassinopoulos, bestselling author of Speaking with Spirit