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

Description:

ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An updated and revised edition of the bestselling book with more than 1 million copies sold, from Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert, Dr. Bruce Perry

What happened to you? This powerful, fundamental question is an invitation to share one's most difficult experiences, to unpack and process them, and reflect on the ways they have shaped us. When Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry first began to investigate this question in 2021, it was with the shared desire to destigmatize trauma, to normalize conversations about adversity that has a lasting impact on our wellbeing.

Today, the dialogue around trauma and adverse experiences has advanced considerably. We know that "what happened to us" in childhood is a powerful predictor of our risk for health problems down the road, and the patterns of behaviors we often struggle to understand. Now, in the paperback edition of this landmark book, Oprah and Dr. Perry share new research, new stories from readers of the book, and new insights and experiences from Oprah.

Once again, one of the world's greatest truth-tellers pairs forces with one of the world's leading experts on trauma to marry storytelling with science, allowing us all to open the door to resilience and healing.

Brief description: Through the power of media, Oprah Winfrey has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world. As host and supervising producer of the top-rated, award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show, she entertained, enlightened, and uplifted millions of viewers for twenty-five years. Her accomplishments as a global media leader and philanthropist have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today.

Review Quotes:

"Where Hope Lives:

What we experience in childhood shapes us forever--and that is especially true for young victims of trauma. It's a lesson Oprah learned as a child being raised by an abusive grandmother. She developed 'a keen sense of when trouble was brewing'--when she would be subjected to 'whuppings' at times so brutal, the welts left behind would bleed through her clothing.

As a result of this and other abuse she suffered, Oprah has had a lifelong interest in understanding and overcoming the profound effects of early trauma--and helping others do the same. Now, she's teamed up with neuroscientist and child trauma expert Bruce Perry, MD, PhD, on this essential book. Revealing, intimate, and educational, it's a testament to the authors' wish for readers to come to grips with, and let go of, the past--and to move forward into 'post-traumatic wisdom.'"

--Leigh Haber, O Magazine