Hardly a day goes by that we do not read or hear about an act of domestic violence or tragedy involving children in our community or across the country. Children are constantly exposed to domestic violence and the aftermath can be devastating to the child’s emotional growth and future behaviors. For example, children and domestic violence studies show the following: 3 to 4 million children between the ages of 3 to 17 are at risk of exposure to domestic violence each year.Childhood abuse and trauma has a high correlation to emotional and physical problems in adulthood.Childhood domestic violence experiences can negatively affect a developing brain, creating a series of negative beliefs lasting into adulthood.Childhood exposure to domestic violence is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.Up to 90% of children living in homes with domestic violence, know what is happening. Don’t ever think “they...

You’re crazy – that never happened.” “Are you sure? You tend to have a bad memory.” “It’s all in your head.” The term “gaslighting” has gotten thrown around a lot recently, mostly in reference to people in power claiming something had (or hadn’t) happened, and refused, when confronted with contradictory evidence, to acknowledge otherwise. It is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders to make a victim question their reality. The term Gaslighting comes from the 1938 stage play Gas Light, in which a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy by dimming the lights (which were powered by gas) in their home, and then he denies that the light changed when his wife points it out. In 1944, the play was made into a movie of the same name. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay; winning two for...