Jessica Gaffney, LCSW is the Trauma Expert, restoring lives through several mediums, including books, seminars, retreats, coaching and private sessions.
Author of seven books, domestic violence prevention advocate.
11/05/2025
Want to be free and feel the wind of independence at your back, give me a call.
People who suffer from Complex PTSD often experience a series of events in which the power structure dehumanizes and abuses them. Most often, the system offers no recourse, correction, or apology. Such unresolved trespasses can accumulate and compound over time.
When we become angry instead of numb, it's actually a sign of progress! Numbing/not reacting/shut-down is the "freeze" response. Our limbic system freezes when there is no other viable option. Our early environments taught us there was no way out; shut-down was the safest survival adaptation.
But once we are resourced enough we can leave the freeze response and move into "fight," which is active and powerful. Our anger is likely to increase, which can be disconcerting, especially when we are taught it's bad/wrong or even dangerous to express anger. (This is mainstream culture!)
But anger is our body's natural and normal response to violations or perceived violations. This can seem dangerous, but with a little knowledge and focused attention, we can direct our anger in healthful ways that improve our quality of life.
For instance, whenever I feel rage over the medical abuse I endured, I take one small step toward creating justice. I write a paragraph, look up a potential ally, or add some data to the file.
One small decisive act can bring us out of impotent rage or despair and help us move toward a better future.
11/02/2025
Brain scans reveal depression isn’t just a chemical imbalance
For years the world was told depression comes from “low serotonin.” A simple chemical switch in the brain. But new brain imaging research is rewriting the story. Scientists are now seeing depression not as one broken molecule but as a complex shift in brain circuits emotions stress response systems and even inflammation. The brain is not just missing a chemical. It is struggling to process the world.
Modern scans show changes in how brain regions talk to each other. Circuits tied to emotion memory and motivation can go quiet or misfire. Chronic stress can physically reshape neural pathways. Trauma can leave fingerprints deep in the mind. Depression is not a flaw in your personality and it is not a single chemical error. It is the brain adapting to pain overload stress and life experiences in ways we are only beginning to understand.
This changes something important. If depression is complex healing can be too. Medication may still help but it is not the only answer. Therapy lifestyle shifts purpose social support and trauma work all matter. You are not broken and you are not simple. Your brain is powerful and layered and every pathway that changed can be rebuilt in time.
Science is catching up to something people with depression always knew. It is real it is deep and it deserves understanding not blame.
11/02/2025
11/02/2025
She’s a wonderful author
10/16/2025
"Family courts’ failure to tackle domestic abuse laid out in damning new report"
Dismissiveness towards victims, ignorance around abuse and pervasive pro-contact culture found to be putting children at risk
Take time to establish solitude. This piece is nearly finished and it’s a representation of coming back to life after a long journey.
10/02/2025
31 Shades of Control – Day 1
Controlling behavior doesn’t always look like what you think. Sometimes it’s subtle, confusing, or even disguised as love or concern.
🖼️ Today’s post shows one of 31 examples of coercive control — a pattern of behavior designed to dominate, isolate, and break someone down.
📢 Share this post to raise awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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08/22/2025
When I stay silent it’s not because I don’t have an opinion.
The founder of the evangelical group Focus on the Family, he spent decades denouncing what he saw as the unraveling of the social order.
07/17/2025
Drop your thoughts on this. Depression often follows an event, a longing for something other than what is.
A landmark review finds no scientific evidence that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance.
A major umbrella review led by researchers at University College London has found no convincing evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin levels or reduced serotonin activity. Published in Molecular Psychiatry, the study analyzed decades of research across several major fields and concluded that the long-standing “chemical imbalance” theory lacks scientific support. This challenges the core rationale behind the widespread use of antidepressants like SSRIs, which are believed to work by correcting low serotonin. The review suggests that the popularity of this theory may have contributed to the massive increase in antidepressant prescriptions despite the absence of biological proof.
The findings also raise concerns about how this serotonin theory may shape public perception and treatment decisions.
With up to 90% of people believing depression stems from a chemical imbalance, researchers warn that this misconception can discourage recovery optimism and reliance on non-drug treatments.
Moreover, some evidence points to antidepressants possibly lowering serotonin levels over time, highlighting a need for transparency and new approaches to mental health care.
The authors advocate for a shift in focus toward addressing life stressors, trauma, and social factors through therapy and lifestyle interventions rather than pharmacological solutions alone.
Source: Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R. E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Horowitz, M. A. (2022). The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular Psychiatry
Post credit: Hashem Al-Ghaili
02/25/2025
Ladies, if we can secure relationships... read this guide.
Is the man in your life immature? Is he responsible and accountable? Take the assessment of 14 traits of immature men
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Broken hearts and lives can be healed! I can personally attest to that. “People trust me because I am honest, sincere and transparent. That’s a rarity in this profession.” I have no tricks or methods other than to create a place to connect, share, question and grow. I don’t use “boxed” therapy, everyone gets a customized session because every life is different. What works for one person, won’t with another.
For instance, my husband loves to be out on the water. That’s how he connects and decompresses from work and worries. I however, need the mountain air or a majestic landscape or enjoy creative projects where I make something.
“I want to help people find harmony in their lives, clarity and confidence in their thoughts, forgiveness for emotional wounds that bring shame and guilty, and so many other properties that healing brings.”
The Author
Audiences began reading Jessica’s books in 2008 with the release of her first novel Drawing Marissa. In 2009 she wrote book two Forgiving Sean, and followed it up in 2010 with Hawke’s Tale. The 3 novels were recently adapted into a trilogy entitled The Trouble We Remember. As a book industry coach she wrote the One Way Writer and released it in 2013, and dove back into fiction in 2014 with the publication of her PTSD memoir Every Last Breath.
In 2015 Jessica began talking with audiences on the need for teen dating violence prevention using an acronym for LOVE. The LOVE Principle grew into it’s own method for relationship renewal and led Jessica to write a booklet for parents. A kids version was published in the fall of 2017 and is called What Love is All About (a kids book on friendship and personal boundaries).
Education
Jessica holds a master's degree in Clinical Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, where she graduated Magne Cum Laude. Her bachelor’s degree was obtained at Southern CT State University in 1994, affording her over 20 years of experience. She has presented to Universities, non-profits, and faith based audiences, among radio, and TV appearances.
Love Principle Creator
Family restoration is Jessica's top passion. In a day and age where the media, trauma, addiction and culture wars pull at the fabric of our lives, Jessica believes that the Home is what matters most. She created the LOVE Principle in 2015 as a means to reduce the risks of troubled youth. Her communication tool resonated with educators and social service providers. Today the Love Principle helps repair broken relationships and prevent violence in our schools.
The Principles are to Listen, Observe, Validate and Encourages. The Principles are used in Drug in Alcohol Intervention, as a School safety measure and creed, and have made it into two books, Love Principles Workbook for parents of teens, and What Love Is All About, a children's bedtime story.
Jessica has lived in five states, allowing her to experience a range of clients and cultures. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, EMDR trained and speaks about various mental health issues that impact the roles of parenting and women.
