Description
A lot of us have asked or been asked, “What’s wrong with you?” and then felt confused or ashamed. Dr. Bruce D. Perry, a psychiatrist, and Oprah Winfrey, a media star, suggest a groundbreaking new way to ask “What happened to you?” in What Happened to You? This honors each person’s history and opens the door to understanding, empathy, and sustainable rehabilitation.
Perry uses the most recent research in neuroscience, developmental psychology, and trauma to show how long-term stress and hardship, especially during important times for brain development, can create neural pathways that make people more likely to develop anxiety, addiction, depression, and health problems later in life. He talks about the brain’s hierarchical structure, starting with the brainstem (the part that keeps us alive), then the midbrain (the part that processes emotions), and finally the cortex (the part that thinks and reflects on itself). He also talks about how trauma changes this wiring, which can keep people in survival mode.
The authors mix these scientific facts with personal conversations between Oprah and Dr. Perry, as well as case studies of kids in foster care, soldiers with PTSD, and families dealing with trauma that has lasted for generations. Their experiences show us what the “window of tolerance” is: a place where we may learn, connect, and grow. When trauma pushes us out of that window and into hyperarousal (fight-or-flight) or shutdown, we lose some of our ability to control ourselves, feel empathy, and grow.
Oprah shares her own stories, such how her mother was hurt and how she struggled with her self-worth, and she asks the questions we all want to know the answers to: How do we stop doing things that don’t help us anymore? How can partnerships help people heal? Readers learn from Dr. Perry that safe, attuned connections with caring adults release oxytocin and other “safety signals” in the brain, which literally helps to fix broken neural networks.
What Happened to You? goes beyond just raising awareness. gives people, caregivers, teachers, and doctors useful, trauma-informed advice:
First, regulation: Simple movement, deep breathing, or sensory soothing must bring the nervous system back into its window of tolerance before any learning or change can happen.
Interventions should follow the brain’s natural hierarchy, starting with survival processes, then emotional processing, and lastly cognitive skills. This makes sure that each person gets the proper help at the right time.
Attachment and Repair: A single, caring relationship can be enough to help someone change for good by giving them a sense of safety.
Narrative Integration: Sharing and reinterpreting one’s life story in a supportive setting can help integrate traumatic experiences and replace shame with self-compassion.
As they talk about these things, Oprah and Dr. Perry stress that recovery is not only possible but also expected because the brain may change throughout a person’s life. They fight the idea that people who have been through trauma have to be “broken,” and instead celebrate the strength that comes from facing grief with curiosity, empathy, and science-based care.
What Happened to You? gives you a new way to think about things if you’re a parent trying to figure out why your child is acting out, a teacher trying to make classrooms more sensitive to trauma, a clinician looking for a plan for treatment, or anyone who has ever wondered why we act the way we do. This book shows us how to make the world more compassionate by putting compassion above judgment and connection above punishment. In this world, we can all heal, grow, and reach our full potential.
About the Authors
Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, past President of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and a leading expert in child neurodevelopment and trauma. He has advised global humanitarian initiatives and authored numerous scientific publications. Oprah Winfrey is a media pioneer, philanthropist, and mental‑health advocate whose own journey through adversity has inspired millions. Through her leadership at OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and her public platform, she has championed conversations around mental health, healing, and human potential.
Product Details
- Title: What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- Authors: Dr. Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
- ISBN-13: 9781250223180
- Publisher: Flatiron Books
- Published: May 12, 2020
- Pages: 240
- Binding: Paperpack
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