Zainab Abdulbari

“Now, as I’ve suggested before, what is adaptive for children living in chaotic, violent, trauma-permeated environments becomes maladaptive in other environments-especially school. The hypervigilance of the Alert state is mistaken for ADHD; the resistance and defiance of Alarm and Fear get labeled as oppositional defiant disorder; flight behavior gets them suspended from school; fight behavior gets them charged with assault. The pervasive misunderstanding of trauma-related behavior has a profound effect on our educational, mental health, and juvenile justice systems.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“you can’t give what you don’t get. If no one ever spoke to you, you can’t speak; if you have never been loved, you can’t be loving.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“So I’m not crazy?” “No. Your brain is doing exactly what you would expect it to do considering what you lived through.”
― Oprah Winfrey, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“The experiences in the first years of life are disproportionately powerful in shaping how your brain organizes.”
― Oprah Winfrey, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing