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Jan 01

PeoplePsych Recommends: What Happened To You?

What Happened To You?

Bruce D. Perry MD, PHD and Oprah Winfrey

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PeoplePsych says:

This is a great book for anyone who feels they had a challenging start in life or knows someone who has. It explores how our childhood experiences, and the specific timing of those experiences impact us on a day to day level as adults. It brings a lot of compassion to understanding how experiences which may be far in the past can still cause behaviors and reactions which may in the moment seem outsized or confusing to others. This book offers a gentle path for someone with childhood trauma to better understand themselves in a holistic and kind way.

Looking at trauma, particularly childhood trauma can feel daunting and this book is written as a conversation between two curious people. The audio book actually reads like a podcast, and both versions feel accessible. Its a great place to start for someone who is interested in better understanding childhood trauma or for someone who wants to learn more.

This book is also available at The Book Cellar and Women & Children First

From the Publisher

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 book 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 book, 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.

The Author

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.

Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., a child psychiatrist and neuroscientist, is the principal of the Neurosequential Network, senior fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago. He is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children, and Born for Love, about the essential nature of empathy.

Life can be complicated, messy, and rarely progresses in a straight line. At PeoplePsych, a Chicago-based psychotherapy group, we specialize in helping adults who seek profound change in their lives. We offer services that affirm the dignity, worth, and value of each individual, and we are committed to providing a safe, non-judgmental space where clients can explore the challenges they face, whether related to mental health, emotional struggles, or life transitions.

To start your journey toward change, please contact our Clinical Coordinator at (312) 252-5252 or intake@peoplepsych.com.