LIMITED TIME OFFER. Get 3 months for $0.99 a month. Get this deal.
What Happened to You? cover art

What Happened to You?

Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.
Amazon Prime member exclusive: get any 2 titles with your free trial. Terms apply.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What Happened to You?

Written by: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offers ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

"[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.
Abuse Dysfunctional Relationships Mental Health Mental Health Awareness Parenting & Families Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Health Emotions Resilience Inspiring Thought-Provoking Adult Children Childhood Trauma Trauma Informed
All stars
Most relevant
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.

This

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved Dr. Perry’s book “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog” so when I saw this title with Oprah as co-author I jumped on it. As someone who is fairly trauma informed and already looks at people and their actions (including myself) through a “why do you do things that way” lens, this book provided no new information for me personally. It was great affirmation of what I already know. The stories Dr. Perry and Oprah told were relevant and help to explain the philosophy of trauma informed views of people and their actions. As explained in the book, trauma is subjective to each person and HOW they experience any particular event, and therefore how someone treats their trauma will differ person to person. With that being said, I was missing that piece. How should one deal with the trauma they’ve experienced in their life? What’s next after trauma? Even just some starter points, options, suggestions would have been appreciated. It’s a great beginner book for those who are starting their self-regulation and trauma informed journey. It’s well read and the casual conversations between the authors is lovely. It leaves more to be desired for those already on their self discovery journey.

Great Beginner Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It's hard to articulate the words for what I am feeling about this book. I've read many many self help books. Every book that Brene Brown recommends, I buy and absorb as much as I can. THIS book tops them all for me because it resonated so deeply within my soul. I better understand so many behaviors and situations that not only I have been caught up in but everyone I have ever met. The way they explain how events affect your brain is really eye opening. I feel like with this book as a healing tool, I can finally start to work through my messy childhood. I know that it's going to help me become the mom that I have always wanted to be. I will have more patience and understanding in situations where I would normally disregulate and lose my cool. I listened to the audio version because I knew that I needed to dive in immediately and wouldn't have time for a bit to properly digest the hard copy I own.

I know that Oprah and Dr Perry will likely never see this review. In case they ever do, a million thank yous! I can't express enough gratitude for you putting in to words everything between these pages and in this audio book. Beyond grateful. Thank you immensely for this piece of brilliant work. I hope that everyone reads it. I'm ordering a copy for the principal at my sons school and whoever his teacher will be this year. it should be a mandatory read for everyone working with children.

if you've never been able to understand why you react to things the way you do and you have long wanted to make a change, this book is for you. Blown away.

A book that can save and rebuild your life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved it and gained valuable insights. Thank you so much I will definitely be recommending this book.

so good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I have read a fair amount of trauma work. This is one of the clearest ones, put in layman’s terms. Thank you Oprah and Dr. Perry

Best book on Trauma

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews