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What Happened to You? cover art

What Happened to You?

Written by: Oprah Winfrey,Bruce D. Perry
Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry,Oprah Winfrey
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Publisher's Summary

"[Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry] are both capable, likable narrators who are sincerely engaged with their subject matter...The performances of these two humanitarians make this a must-hear for anyone recovering from their traumatic past." (AudioFile Magazine)

This program is read by the authors.

Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.

“Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives." (Oprah Winfrey)

This audiobook is going to change the way you see your life.

Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question.

Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the audiobook, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future - opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

©2021 Bruce Perry, Oprah Winfrey (P)2021 Harpo, Inc.

What listeners say about What Happened to You?

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Let me save you the time

This book can aptly be summarized simply by the title itself. It's all about changing our frame for mental health from asking "what is wrong with you" to "what happened to you". It's all about treating mental illness and general suffering by looking at an individual's early life and asking "how were their needs not met, how did they learn to adapt and self regulate, how is this manifesting in present day as pain and suffering". If you're new to this line of thought, this book is for you. If you're looking for however many hours of anecdotes and neuroscience to affirm and validate your own world view that "I knew I'm not broken, it's just about how I was raised and the power is mine to heal myself", this book is also for you. If you are neither of those, then save yourself the time and take my word for it - this book offers the seasoned self development junky nothing more than entertainment and confirmation. I do agree with the psychology, and live by the same ideas, but will be returning this book because it offered me nothing new. Peace and Love

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86 people found this helpful

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Promises more than it delivers

At the beginning of the book, Oprah starts by saying how this book is going to make you feel and understand many things about yourself and how what happened to you has affected you, but the whole thing is about the effect of childhood trauma in the human brain "okay but how do we deal with the trauma" also this book is not narrated like a book, it's like a very long 8 hour interview between Oprah and Dr. Perry. I didn't enjoy this book at it. I was expecting so much more as I was promised at the beginning but was very bored of hearing about the effect of childhood trauma without any resolutions. Would not recommend this book.

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19 people found this helpful

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Outstanding book that teachers important life lessons.

I would highly recommend this book to all parents, educators, school counsellors, counsellors and therapists. Actually I think every person could benefit from the gems in this book. Essential reading to gain an understanding of trauma and the brain. I hope many of the readers will create therapeutic moments and treat others in a more humane way using a different lens because of listening to Dr. Perry and Oprah. This was my first Audible book and I could not have chosen a better one.❤️

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14 people found this helpful

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Very helpful book.

Those who experienced childhood trauma will feel and understand the meaning of this book, it will help you to remove the wrong labels that society gives you for the atrocities of other people against you and to reclaim your life to start fresh.

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9 people found this helpful

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Worth the listen

As a foster parent I am using what I have learned in this book to aid in the healing of my teens. I so appreciate the openness of Oprah and the knowledge of Dr. Perry.

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I matter.

My experiences matter.
My feelings matter.
My story matters.

Oprah's role in my life has been pivotal to say the least.

Watching her show growing up gave me the audacity to believe that wanting more and having it was my divine right.

It gave me the language I needed to begin my own journey to understand why I thought and felt the way I did, without disdain and judgement.

As I listened to the book, not only did I learn a lot, but I felt fully seen and fully understood in a way I never had before.

I couldn't help but think about something the great Maya Angelo said along the lines of children longing for their parents eyes to light up when they enter a room. That's exactly how I felt listening to this book.

It deepened my empathy with my current self, my younger self, and my parents in a way that I never expected. And I know that'll continue to unfold and expand for many years to come.

Thank you for this gift Oprah and Dr Perry.

You're out here doing angel work.

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Brain development as it relates to trauma! Perfect

I am currently a student of Dr. Perry's Neurosequential module for sport and this book was such a nice follow up to his older book The boy who was raised as a dog. Loved that it was a conversation piece between him and Oprah so easy to listen. Truly captivating.

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3 people found this helpful

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This

I love Bruce Perry's work and I hope this book helps it to reach the main stream including policy makers--poverty can be a TRAUMA, racism is a trauma. Let's get collectively smarter than this harmful pathology based, individualized medical model we are so entrenched in.

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Very insightful and full of inform. LOVE THIS BOOK

Very insightful and so full of informative information
I learned about some of what I'm going through myself and have understand of why someone in my life act the way they do and was reassured that some of what I was doing to help my ex bf children was the right thing and I was going about it correctly. I would highly recommend this book

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The most recommended audio book!

The teachings in this come up
Often in day to day life. I have recommended this book to
So many folks that have also loved it!

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  • Gary S.
  • 2021-04-28

I waited more than 30 years for this book.

What is fascinating about this collaboration with Dr. Perry and Ms. Oprah Winfrey is the clarity it brings to so many personal questions. The title speaks volumes about the authors’ intentions and the book’s purpose. When we walk through fires of trauma, neglect, abandonment , and discontent, we are more empathetic. We judge less and love more. We work diligently to protect those we love.

The format was a combination of science, art, and reality. Personally, I find the book quite stimulating. I will listen to it again on audible and review the file with the description of the brain.

Dr. Perry’s explanations about the brain’s response to trauma is extremely insightful. Oprah’s questions and explanations will help readers truly understand what happened to them.

Having followed Oprah’s career since 1987, I am so happy she reconciled her relationship with her mother. It’s amazing how connected we all are by our life experiences. Keep Rising Stronger!

Dr. Pauline E. Wallner, author of the Rising Stronger Series

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189 people found this helpful

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  • Myrrh28
  • 2021-04-28

This will be part of my Healing

I thank you both Oprah and Dr. Bruce for making me cry today kidding aside, I’m going through a lot right now and really there’s tons of things going on inside of me that I couldn’t comprehend and with all the stories and studies shared in this book is truly awakening for me. This is exactly what my mind body and heart to learn about and to really asking now the right question of What happened to me? What happened to him? This is a whole new perspective to me since I agree what we are so used to are curing the symptoms but were forgetting the other side of spectrum Of what really happened to you? To me? I love the conversational style of the book like im watching the Oprah show. Hoping there would be more of this kind of books. Again I’m thankful I got a hold of this book. Thank you so much Oprah Thank you so much Dr. Bruce more blessings in helping more people with your expertise and influence 😊

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137 people found this helpful

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  • Avalon Iyem
  • 2021-04-28

This book has the potential to change EVERYTHING!

Required reading/listening! I imagine how different early life would have been had my caretakers had this knowledge. I imagine and hope for what our world can become should we take this wisdom and apply it personally and professionally. Anyone in the field of healing, social work, caregiving, "corrections" and so forth would be undoubtedly more effective, compassionate and fundamentally changed by listening. This is no ordinary book. Be changed by it. Much hope and many blessings to our continued work and humanity.

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  • Junkie Doll
  • 2021-05-17

Research findings, not much in terms of healing.

While I appreciate the excitement over the scientific world's interest in trauma related brain development or lack thereof, I expected a blend of recovery stories or tactics in addition to the study findings. A brief summary would sound like: "Once we realized there was childhood trauma...we changed our approach to the child and everything was better..." This book is a scientist's perspective of the value of understanding trauma and brain function...I was hoping for something more personal.
The narration was very good. Oprah's contribution humanizes the information and her warm voice radiates with experience.
I listened to the entire book with ease and interest, yet feel like chapters are missing. I came away thinking, "well, yeah...but now what?"

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-04-27

Amazing!!!

Brilliant, rewarding, and soothing!! Great book to help folks who have difficulty interrupting patterns! I highly recommend this book to most everyone who longs for a deeper understanding of “self.”

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84 people found this helpful

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  • Leslie
  • 2021-04-29

Life Changing

This book is a little more technical than I expected but I must say, it caught my attention quickly and I couldn’t put it down. At times Oprah speaks slowly and I needed to speed it up to 1.5 but the information is mind blowing. I understand so much about my own life now. It is well put together and easy to understand as the pages unfold. Read this! Even if it isn’t your life it will help you understand others around you.

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66 people found this helpful

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  • Elvera
  • 2021-04-28

Wow, what a great book!!

Loved this book! Reviews sparked my interest, so decided to get the book. I am glad I did.
Never thought that I would need the information written here, however I was totally wrong.
Thank you for giving me a path to heal and reminding me how important other peoples stories are. Will return to this book, cause I'm sure there will be many, many more pearls to find.

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64 people found this helpful

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  • Heather J. Cooper
  • 2021-04-28

A book for everyone

Thank you for this book. It has helped me to understand what happened to me. It has also helped me forgive my past and the ones I love.

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54 people found this helpful

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  • Ronica T.
  • 2021-04-29

Life Changing

This is a beautiful book. I’m so glad I happened upon it. I had an idea of what I needed to hear but wasn’t certain I’d hear it. This book, this conversation, this intimate retelling of the truth of trauma and how it affects you in ways you seldom realize was an awakening and could be a real catalyst for change. I encourage everyone to give it an opportunity to speak to you and open yourself to the possibilities of healing, of acknowledging your own hurt and endeavoring to be kind to yourself and others while recapturing your power and reconciling your spirit with the knowledge of What Happened to You!

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51 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-05-01

Amazing Book

This is truly a must read for everyone on the planet. This book can put us all on a journey to healing. Healing is something we all need, even if you don’t know that you need it. We are living traumatized lives in a trauma filled world. This book brings understanding and the hope of healing. I found it enlightening.

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  • MarieAnna reck
  • 2021-11-03

excellent

I loved the directness and openness the shared experiences and knowledge that Dr Perry shearer with a compassionate and caring heart for all.

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  • Jolanta Kozlowska
  • 2021-07-28

very important book

Great book, so interesting, tuching and true. I highly recommend to listen to it !!!

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1 person found this helpful