‘History. Culture. Trauma.’ podcast: Encore interview with Dr. Bruce Perry on historical trauma and 'What Happened to You?' Thurs. 1 p.m. PT; 4 p.m. ET

As a reflection on the past weekend's celebration of Juneteenth, and the historical trauma of chattel slavery influencing our lives today, this week's episode of the History. Culture. Trauma podcast is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Dr. Bruce Perry conducted by hosts Ingrid Cockhren, PACEs Connection CEO,  and Mathew Portell, director of education and outreach, in June, 2022.

In this interview Perry discusses, within the context of historical trauma, his #1 New York Times Bestseller “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing" (2021), which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.

“If you don't understand history, you're never going to understand trauma. And if you don’t understand trauma, you're never going to understand history. And this is part of our problem as a field,” said Perry in the wide-ranging interview discussing  the intersecting fields of trauma and historical trauma.

“There are some really exciting and important things that are happening in the area of historical trauma,” said Perry. He addressed the history of colonialism, treatment of indigenous people, kidnapping and enslavement that are such a part of the history and historical trauma of the United States.

“You know, we are living in systems that are fundamentally colonial in construction,” he said. “And colonialism basically means I'm going to come into your space, your place, and I'm going to take your things and I'm going to make you feel privileged, if I give you a little bit of it back.”

Historical perspectives about trauma deserve “as much attention and funding and support” as is given to people studying the effects of a drug on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or the effects of other treatments, he said.

Perry is the principal of the Neurosequential Network, senior fellow of The Child Trauma Academy and adjunct professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia.

According to his website, “Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of “The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog”, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children, and “Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered".

Perry, a native of Bismarck, North Dakota, earned his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and Amherst College. He attended medical and graduate school at Northwestern University, receiving both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, and completed a residency in general psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at The University of Chicago.

To listen to Thursday’s podcast at 1 p.m. PT, 4 p.m. ET, click here.