What Happened to You? Audiobook By Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry cover art

What Happened to You?

Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What Happened to You?

By: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.99

Buy for $14.99

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

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.
Child Abuse Child Psychology Dysfunctional Families Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Well-being Essentials Mental Health Inspiring Thought-Provoking Resilience Suspenseful Adult Children Childhood Trauma Trauma Informed
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Well-Being Listens of All Time


We assembled our editors, scoured listener reviews, polled our most-trusted colleagues, and listened our ears off to bring you this list of 100 must-listen well-being titles on Audible. Whether you’re looking to get organized, stay motivated, find creative inspiration, or relieve stress, these audiobooks and podcasts are packed with insights from self-development and wellness experts to help you take the next step—or the first—in your personal journey.

What listeners say about What Happened to You?

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20,170
  • 4 Stars
    1,228
  • 3 Stars
    251
  • 2 Stars
    82
  • 1 Stars
    81
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17,826
  • 4 Stars
    881
  • 3 Stars
    173
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    48
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17,366
  • 4 Stars
    1,093
  • 3 Stars
    215
  • 2 Stars
    56
  • 1 Stars
    66

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This should be read by everyone.

Everyone who teaches. Everyone who helps. Everyone who enforces, governs, dictates. Everyone who hurts, who longs, who suffers. Everyone who heals. Everyone who has a heart that has been broken or bruised by trauma in any form or knows someone who’s has. Instrumental. Thank you.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for anyone with trauma

This is a must for anyone with trauma or who works with children or adults with trauma, which is almost everyone. I’ve learned a great deal about trauma over the years in an attempt to understand my own traumatic history, and I have taught many workshops on trauma trying to help others do the same. This provided great insight into the many ways that trauma manifests in our lives. I didn’t expect to find anything new in this, but ended up learning through every stage of the discussion. I highly recommend this to anyone seeking greater understanding about the many ways that trauma impacts individual lives and our society as a whole.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An encyclopedia for childhood trauma

Just an astonishing book for people who want to understand the deeper meaning of childhood trauma and how it affects us in the future life. A must read for everyone.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read!

Incredible stories. Even the explanation of how the brain”works” was engaging. I tend to zone out when it goes to deep into theories.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So helpful

I love this book for so many reasons I love the honesty in the Ronis that Oprah shared but I also love the science that backs up some of the things that I’ve always felt in my heart. I love the fact that I can trust the things that I feel in my heart to be true and to be right and that healing comes when we learn to listen to that deep inner voice and obedient to excuse and it’s calls. Thank you Dr. Perry for going deep into the science of why we do what we do and thank you Oprah for your story your transparency and how you’ve used your pain to change the world.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

So full of insight about how to heal. Love that it is read by both authors.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An eye-opener!

Explains so much why we are as we are. Corporally punished excessively as a child by a mother who knew no better because she experienced the same, I was traumatized. The result was that I was an anxious, fearful child who carried her trauma into adult life, effectively hindering any chance I might have had to achieve to my full potential. Yet, despite years of graduate studies in psychology, I had never considered myself to be suffering from PTSD before reading this book. Oprah and Dr. Perry have presented this important information in an easily comprehensible way that should be eye-opening and helpful to every reader.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alternate, reshape your thinking and perspective

This should be read (listened to) by all parents, foster parents, social workers, teachers, administrators, employees, employers... everyone working with people and especially children.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So powerful and so needed

Highly recommend for anyone to help understand themselves and others and start the healing. This is a keeper I will likely listen to many times and gift to friends and family.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing

Amazing audio that includes clips from the Oprah Winfrey show which adds to each person’s stories greatly

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!