What Happened to You?

The #1 New York Times bestseller, over one million copies sold.

An updated and revised edition of the bestselling book, from Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert Dr Bruce Perry, featuring new material.

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 and 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 behaviours we often struggle to understand. Now, in the updated edition of this landmark book, Oprah and Dr. Perry share new research, new stories from readers, 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. Thought-provoking, intimate and educational, What Happened to You? will show you how to open the door to resilience and healing.