What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing-Soft Back

Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Perry discuss, through a wide-ranging and frequently highly personal talk, how our early experiences, both positive and negative, shape who we become as adults. They push us to inquire, “What happened to you?” rather than “What’s wrong with you?” or “Why are you acting this way?” This simple shift in perspective can provide millions of people with a new and hopeful understanding of why we do the things we do and why we are the way we are, thereby providing a road map for repairing relationships, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and ultimately living better and more fulfilling lives.

Childhood adversity and trauma have enduring effects on the physical and emotional health of many of us. We are more susceptible to developmental trauma as children than as adults, as we are coming to realize. What happened to us as children is a major predictor of our future risk for physical and mental health problems and provides scientific insights into the patterns of behavior that so many find difficult to comprehend.

Oprah Winfrey reveals aspects of her own traumatic childhood experiences because she understands the vulnerability associated with childhood trauma. Throughout her career, Oprah has collaborated with one of the world’s foremost specialists on childhood trauma, Dr. Bruce Perry. Thousands of children, adolescents, and adults have been treated by him, and he has been called upon for decades to assist individuals and communities following high-profile traumatic incidents. Now, Oprah has teamed up with Dr. Perry to combine the power of storytelling with science and clinical experience in order to better understand and overcome the impacts of trauma.

This book illuminates a much-needed way to recovery, demonstrating our extraordinary power to alter in the face of hardship, on the basis of the latest research in brain science and fascinating narratives.