I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right now.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Bruce Perry has been a world-renowned professor, clinical researcher, practicing psychiatrist, and pioneer in the study of childhood trauma.

The brands have really severely neglected children tend to be smaller than the brands of children who have not been neglected.

As a leader in his field, Dr. Perry has worked with victims of America's highest profile traumatic events, including the branch-dividend siege in Waco, the September 11 terrorist attacks,

and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

I first met Dr. Bruce Perry in 1989. He appeared many times on the Oprah Show to talk about his research on trauma, healing, and how we overcome the wounds of our past.

Now Bruce and I have co-authored a book. I'm so excited right now because have you seen the book that we did together?

What happened to you? Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing.

The experiences you have when you're growing up, both good and bad, shape the biology of your brain.

Where we discuss why asking this one fundamental question, what happened to you is a revolutionary new way to understand our relationships and behavior.

So, hey, welcome to Super Soul, Dr. Bruce Perry. I'm here in my garden. You're joining me from Nashville, Tennessee. My old stumping ground. Hi.

Hi. How are you?

I'm so good. You know, the truth is that you and I have been thinking about, talking about for a long time, working together on issues surrounding what makes people behave the way they do.

Specifically, childhood trauma. And I'm so excited right now because have you seen the book that we did together?

What happened to you? This is such a critical question. And the reason why I wanted you to do a book about it is because several years ago, I was doing a story for 60 minutes on childhood trauma based on this place in Milwaukee called St. A's.

And I interviewed you for that. And although I've been talking to you for over 30 years about the effect of trauma on children's brains, it was in that moment that I had the biggest aha ever.

It actually changed the way I see people. It changed the way I see myself. It changed the way I operate in business and it changed the way I operated my school because the question of not what's wrong with you, but what happened to you allows us to look at a person from not a place of judgment, but a place of trying to understand what went on before that is what I was doing.

And then you've seen a person before that is causing that behavior. So that's a long intro into why does that shift matter?

Well, it's one of the most important things about that shift and frame of reference is that we know that the experiences you have when you're growing up both good and bad, shaped the biology of your brain.

experiences literally have a major impact on your physical health, your mental health,

your social health, and really every aspect of our society is impacted by developmental

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