Oprah Winfrey says learning about the way her brain works has been “invaluable” in helping to tackle her mental health issues.
The 67-year-old media mogul recently sat down with Doctor Bruce Perry to discuss mental health while promoting the book they have written together titled “What Happened to You?”.
And during their talk – which was part of the Mental Health Coalition’s “1-2-1” series – Oprah said dissecting why she has “the fears and apprehensions” she has “carried for a long time” has helped her learn to deal with them.
She said: "I started thinking about what happened to me in my life to make me who I am. Why do I have the fears [and] the apprehensions that I carried for a long time? That question is invaluable for anybody who is interested in self-evolvement [and] self-awareness."
Oprah also said many of her own issues stem back to her childhood, as she insisted individuals who were unable to have their "needs met at an early age" ultimately formed "differently" than those who did.
She added: "What I had learned is if you didn't get what you need at that age, you spend your life searching for that thing based upon what happened [to you]. Or, as Bruce says in our book, ‘What Happened to You?’, it's what happened to you and [it's] equally as important as what didn't happen to you."
The “A Wrinkle in Time” star said the new book isn’t about placing blame, but is instead designed to help readers gain “a better understanding” of their own behaviours.
She said: "In my case, why [do] you have this disease to please? Why [do[ you have a problem in confrontation? Or why [are you] so confrontational?"
Oprah and Bruce’s book, “What Happened To You?”, is out now.
