I wanted to like this book a lot, but it just didn’t hit for me. The idea is important - ask about what happened to you rather than what is “wrong” with you. However, the vast majority of the book focuses on infant and early childhood experiences and barely touches on trauma that happens in young adult or adulthood. I came away feeling like this book was more about parenting than about healing from trauma. The best parts were about Oprah’s own life and childhood; those sections were emotionally

This was one of the best non-clinical books about trauma that I have ever experienced. I listened to the audio and would strongly recommend this format.

I didn't find the ideas presented in this book very novel. This could partially be due to my bias, or the fact that the knowledge presented in this book is easily found elsewhere. I think the subtitle of the book can be changed to 'Conversations on Childhood Trauma, Resilience and Healing'.The majority of the content is linked to early childhood and is suited towards understanding the reasons behind trauma as opposed to practical solutions (which I thought I would discover).All in all, Dr. Bruce...

This should absolutely be required reading for everyone. Why? Because it explains how we don't really know anyone until we know what happened to them. And from that perspective, it gives educators, parents, and really everybody who interacts with humans a new perspective on why we as humans act the way we do.It's easily the best non-clinical book on trauma I've ever read. Definite must read.

This was a very meaningful and thought-provoking book. I listened to this on audio, which was an enjoyable conversation between the great Oprah Winfrey and her longtime collaborator Dr. Perry, a neuroscientist and child psychologist who specializes in trauma and how it affects the brain. The discussions of the brain were well-done and made it easier for a layperson like me to understand. And I appreciated the wide variety of stories Oprah and Perry shared that illustrated the impact trauma can h...

A healing journey like no other...For some strange reason I felt peace while going through the pages of this book. As though I was revisiting past traumatic experiences not as a victim but as a student. I felt like I was standing outside myself and studying how past traumas have shaped my thinking and behavior. Understanding that the brain makes memories and associations based on past experiences is so enlightening and liberating at the same time. Even more liberating is the understanding that w...

Audiobook… read by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey …..8 hours and 27 minutes“Biologically speaking….continuous trauma can weaken remaining neutral pathways to the thinking part of the brain and strengthen neutral pathways to the survival part, thus bypassing the thinking part, which makes some children less capable of coping with adversity as they grow up”. The terrific duo conversational styling, was enhanced in the audiobook format.“What Happened To You?”rather than “what’s wrong with you?” u...

This should be a required book for everyone.

One of the best books I have read about trauma. Just exceptional. I replayed so many parts of this audiobook to listen to again, to reflect, and to take notes. I ordered the book so that I can have my own copy. Teachers, parents, anyone who works with children - this is a must read. Here are just a few quotes that made the most impact on me....1) "The past is not an excuse but an explanation.....this is where healing begins". 2) "It takes a long time to change people and an even longer time to c...

As you move through the experiences of your past, know that no matter what happened, your being here, vibrant and alive, makes you worthy.You alone are enough. Sometimes a book will come into your life at exactly the right time. Traumas, both from childhood and more recent times, have been making themselves known to me with an urgency I haven’t experienced before, at a time that seems more inconvenient than pretty much any other time in my life. Although I’d love to push it all to the side

Not all that impressed with this one, Oprah. Unless you are very interested in child development/psychology, not sure this is worth the time. Additionally, I don't agree that trauma can only encompass severe situations (e.g., sexual abuse, child abuse). I personally have a broader definition, and this book didn't include relevant information from that perspective. There also wasn't much about how to heal the trauma, especially as an adult. I do, however, like the idea of reframing the question t...

Man, I really loved this book. It was an incredibly fascinating tour through the way the MIND processes trauma. There was a quote, "we prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty", that stuck with me when he said it. He also points out that in trauma, we are not "resilient". We don't bounce back unchanged. We are forever changed. And we have to work hard to readjust and change the lens which has been altered during the traumatic event. We're malleable. Not resilient. I appreciate...

This is the kind of stuff I read on my day off from doing trauma work. I thought this was an excellent book on trauma and trauma informed care that is accessible to anyone wanting to learn more about trauma work. This was also great to read as someone feeling some intense compassion fatigue these days. It is always a great to have a refresher to help me reframe and refocus my work so that compassion fatigue doesn’t just completely wipe me out. I would recommend this to lay people and even other

This was such a much needed read. I’ve always been of the opinion that your beginnings, your childhood, your what-happened-to-you moments shape your being. Your past shapes your present, your wounds can translate into something you don’t even recognise started with some form of trauma.The audiobook was great. It felt like I was listening to a podcast. There are case studies presented alongside the science of the mind and how the two intertwine. The science never felt too much. It was easy enough...

What if we asked “what happened to you?” Instead of “what’s wrong with you?”? What if we heal the generational trauma instead of passing it on to the next generation? This book fabulous! It gave me lots to think about and reminded me to have more grace for myself and others, we are all fighting deep wounds.

I appreciated the amalgamation of many theories on behaviour, trauma, PTSD coordinated with the latest neuroscience. Much to consider- I did some personal reflection. Oprah’s voice is strongly represented with her personal story and experience; whether that is a negative or positive will depend on the reader. For the average person, certainly worth reading and considering “what happened to you?” versus “what’s wrong with you?”, or assigning blame to anyone - thinking about empathy. The phrase “p...

Possibly one of the best DIY self help, brain fix, auto mind penetration for better, more massive mental reconstruction, books ever written Combining the scientific with the personal emotional to better understand the reasonsOther authors might have just focused on the theoretical, neurochemical, brain architecture, epigenetic traits, etc. way, the just psychiatric psychological foundations, or on personal, emotional examples, but by combining the science and knowledge offered by Perry with the

This book has something for everyone and I highly recommend it! First of all let me say - you absolutely should go with the audiobook for this one. Oprah narrates it along with Dr. Perry and it's almost like listening to a really interesting podcast. There is science and information provided, but it's always tied to real life examples and experiences that keeps you interested while also helping you better understand the concepts being discussed. I personally don't have any specific trauma (that

I wanted to like this book and I did like the theme that pulsed throughout. However, I had some issues with the mixed messages such as "if you didn't know love as a child, you can never love", then later on saying everyone can heal. Also, many times throughout the book there was some negative generalizations and pre-judging of single parents, which I found highly inappropriate. (There are some single parents who are rocking it and some two-parent homes that are not.). Finally, confirmation bias

Yowza. This was just too boring and scattered I’ve read several books on trauma, PTSD, how the body keeps score, and so very little was new to me and how it was presented was inferior to previous explanations. I also found it lacking in enough varied examples or actionable suggestions. Switching between the doctor “explaining” and Oprah coming in (it came across as interruptive) with her experience made me think it would have been better to turn this into a memoir with professional analysis ...