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Transformation Soup: Healing for the Splendidly Imperfect
By SARK. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000, 197 pp., $16.00.
Transformation Soup: Healing for the Splendidly Imperfect by SARK (an acronym for the author’s full name: Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) creatively discusses many issues regarding healing and change. The author is an incest survivor, has recovered from an eating disorder, and has written several books about healing. In addition, she is also an artist, which is evident in how imaginatively this book was put together. In this book SARK shares her healing process (which she has been working on in psychotherapy) with the reader, although she does not go into detail about any of her diagnoses.
Transformation Soup would be beneficial to individuals with a wide range of issues and difficulties. SARK discusses abuse, dysfunctional family relationships, self-esteem and assertiveness issues, body image issues, and the challenges and struggles of changing. Additionally, the book would be beneficial for those who have relationship issues, have had a broken heart, or those who just need to get to know themselves. This book could also be a valuable tool for individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder due to the fact that SARK discusses getting to know and reparenting child parts of ourselves. Although it may be said that we all have an “inner child”, these sections of the book may be particularly relevant to those who have actual “child parts”.
The book is divided into sections that each deal with a different topic, such as “Relationships”, “In Process of Healing”, and “Bodies”. SARK mentions that although the book is organized into sections and then chapters, it may be read in any order. Each chapter of the book ends with lists of resources, such as books, poems, websites, games, and retreats that may help people who are in the process of healing. SARK also suggests some healing exercises for the reader to complete. These exercises are intended to help readers get to know themselves and what makes them happy. One such exercise instructs readers in how to make a healing book, as SARK did with Transformation Soup. Another exercise, “Healing Circles”, advocates getting together with at least one other person and sharing stories of things that each person has healed or is healing. This could be used by the psychotherapist as an introduction to group psychotherapy.
In Transformation Soup, the author discusses reasons why some individuals choose not to heal or change, such as the feeling that pain is more familiar than joy. SARK acknowledges that healing is frequently a difficult and painful process. She instructs readers to move forward slowly and try to surround themselves with nurturing people while going through the healing process. She relates that in order to change and heal, one has to explore the dark parts of oneself, however frightening this may be. She reports that she believes that many people choose not to heal because it is so painful to “peel back the layers and feel what’s under there” (p. 12). SARK encourages readers that the healing that can come from this is worth the pain and she offers methods of getting started.
The author explores the desire that many people who have been abused have to try to control everything and the fact that this is an impossible goal which leads to disappointment and frustration. On the flip side of this, other individuals who have been abused have trouble being assertive and let others control their lives. SARK discusses blame and says that people need to get beyond blaming their parents and other people for all of their problems and instead just look at themselves. She states that we only have control over ourselves, and relationships with others cannot be healed until we heal the relationship with our self.
SARK wrote this book as a part of her own healing process and also so that people could see that they are not alone in their pain and that other people have experienced these feelings too. SARK also discusses the fact that many people feel isolated and believe that no one else has gone through the experiences that they have. She points out that everyone has been hurt in some way and that we are all connected. SARK celebrates what makes each of us unique as well as the similarities between us.
SARK points out many common cognitive distortions, such as believing that you are the only one who feels certain emotions. Another common cognitive distortion that impedes healing is the idea that we cannot do something unless we can be the best at it. This prevents many people from exploring their creativity. SARK writes that creativity can be very helpful in the healing process. She states that many people have inner critics that prevent them from being comfortable expressing themselves creatively and talks about ways to be creative in many different areas of life.
The book discusses spirituality and at times even sounds mystical, talking about things such as energy systems, magnet therapy, and telepathy. SARK does mention God a few times as well. This is not necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage, but the psychotherapist may want to be cognizant of the client’s views on spirituality and religion before assigning this book, as some clients may be put off by these aspects of it. The book is written from a woman’s point of view and several of the issues that the author discusses affect women more than men, such as eating disorders and assertiveness issues. Consequently, many men may not find it enjoyable, although it could probably be helpful to people of either gender.
Transformation Soup would be an effective bibliotherapy tool for working with clients who need to heal for any reason. It would be especially helpful for individuals who need help getting in touch with themselves and their emotions. The book does not go in depth in any of the topics that it discusses, but just touches the surface of them. Therefore it may be most suitable for individuals who are in the beginning stages of psychotherapy or who seem afraid of change. This book is suitable for adults of any age and is an easy read. It may be appropriate to assign to clients who do not normally read for enjoyment. Because the book is relatively short, illustrated vibrantly, easy to read, and full of interesting stories and metaphors, there is not much chance that the reader will get bored. SARK makes healing and change sound like fun adventures rather than scary undertakings.
When using this book as a supplement to psychotherapy, the clinician could assign readings and exercises which are most pertinent to a particular client. The client can then do the assignments and the readings can be discussed during treatment sessions. The psychotherapist can examine the exercises with the client, exploring the process that the client went through during an exercise, as well as the results of the completed exercise. SARK includes a list of “Healing Things to Try” which consists of exercises that can help an individual to make connections with others, with nature, with oneself, or to raise self-esteem. The psychotherapist could choose one or two “Healing Things” which are relevant for a client, or let the client choose them. Completion of these exercises may give clients a sense of achievement and help them to feel that they are involved in healing themselves even when they are not in a psychotherapy session.
Transformation Soup is spontaneous and inspirational. It contains valuable tools to help individuals with several different types of issues and difficulties. It would be a constructive adjunct to psychotherapy for clients who are in need of healing and especially those who are wary about getting started.