A review by rebeccaloosli
What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I listened to this on audio which I liked as a format for this type of book. It felt like a podcast of Oprah interviewing Dr. Perry. This is a very accessible mental health book centered on trauma. The main goal is to change the phrasing society typically uses, “What’s wrong with you?” To “what happened to you?” This compassion based trauma treatment movement is backed by research and discussed in the book through actual case studies and patients Dr. Perry has worked with. I was skeptical that this book would just be Oprah fangirling a celebrity doctor however, I found Dr. Perry to be very legitimate. Both Dr. Perry and Oprah shared stories related to the points made in the book of people they have interviewed that have a history of intense and severe trauma. Not everyone who reads this book will relate to some of the specific experiences used as examples but most everyone has experienced some form of trauma or they have a loved one that has. Listening to this made me reflect on myself and my partner’s past experience. It’s given me more insight into my partner’s family dynamic. In addition to personal trauma, the book touches on societal trauma and how we can’t completely move forward as a country if we haven’t healed from our trauma wounds. Dr. Perry also made valid points about systems in our society lacking the support for those recovering from trauma. Between the case studies and some of Oprah’s personal experiences this was a very moving book. All together an accessible overview of trauma, it’s affects on all of us, and a compassionate way forward.
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