“You have to be intentional about your healing.”
About the Book
Time Does Not Heal is a message-driven memoir by Jamaican author, journalist and broadcaster Stacy-Ann Smith that challenges the familiar belief that “time heals all wounds.” Through experiences with childhood trauma, grief, loss and a failed marriage, Smith explores how emotional wounds can continue shaping our choices, relationships and sense of self long after the immediate pain has faded — and why healing requires intentional work rather than time alone.
“There are so many people walking around, going through life in a state of brokenness, waiting on time to miraculously fix what ails them. But mental health professionals will tell you that time alone does not heal all wounds. You have to be intentional about your healing, and that’s what this book is about.”
Tracing her experience with childhood trauma, a failed marriage and the impact of the death of her father, Smith readily admits that she, like many people, struggled to function. Her hope is that through her experiences, those struggling with heartbreak, guilt and pain will be motivated to take the necessary steps to pursue healing. The book closes with worksheets intended for personal reflection or therapeutic discussion.
Reflections from the memoir
Inside the Pages
Chapter 01
The Valley & the Mountaintop
Growing up in Maverley, Kingston, Stacy-Ann traces the struggle, pain and loss of her early years — and the climb back to the mountaintop.
Chapter 02
Lessons from My Clothespin
A single childhood moment with a clothespin shaped years of negative self-perception — until she learned to rewrite the story she told herself.
Chapter 03
Faith, Family & Intentional Healing
Through a failed marriage, the death of her father and seasons of brokenness, faith and the willingness to seek help became the path to wholeness.
Book details
- Title
- Time Does Not Heal
- Author
- Stacy-Ann Smith
- Author nationality
- Jamaican
- Genre
- Memoir / Self-Help / Personal Growth / Emotional Wellness
- Original publication
- 2021
- ISBN
- 9781735361062
- Formats
- Paperback, Audiobook
- Audiobook release
- 28 September 2026
- Audiobook platform
- Odeo
- Language
- English
- Themes
- childhood trauma, grief, emotional healing, divorce, self-worth, resilience, faith, therapy, Black women’s experiences, Caribbean perspectives
Does time heal emotional trauma?
Time can reduce the intensity of some emotions, but simply waiting does not necessarily resolve the beliefs, behaviours or triggers created by a traumatic experience. Healing often requires acknowledging the wound and intentionally working through its effects, whether through therapy, honest reflection, or structured support.
This is the question the book is named for. “Time heals all wounds” suggests healing is passive — that waiting is itself the treatment. Stacy-Ann Smith’s argument is that time changes proximity, not meaning: the event recedes, but the beliefs formed around it stay in place until they are deliberately examined.
How do you know you’ve moved on but haven’t healed?
Moving on often means the event is no longer part of daily life, while healing means the event no longer governs your reactions. Unhealed wounds tend to surface as disproportionate responses to small triggers, difficulty trusting, patterns that repeat across relationships, or a sense of self-worth that still depends on the original injury.
Can childhood experiences still affect you decades later?
Yes. Childhood experiences shape core beliefs about safety, worth and belonging, and those beliefs continue operating in adulthood unless they are examined. In Time Does Not Heal, Stacy-Ann Smith traces how a childhood incident shaped her self-esteem well into adult life and professional success.
Is Time Does Not Heal a Christian book?
Faith is one of several threads in Time Does Not Heal rather than its sole framework. The memoir holds faith and practical psychological work together, exploring what prayer offers, where professional therapy is needed, and why Caribbean families often struggle to discuss emotional pain openly.
Is Time Does Not Heal available as an audiobook?
Yes. The audiobook edition of Time Does Not Heal is released on 28 September 2026 on Odeo, five years after the memoir’s original 2021 publication. The paperback edition remains available under ISBN 9781735361062.
Five years after first challenging the phrase “time heals all wounds,” Stacy-Ann Smith is bringing the memoir to audio — narrated in the voice Caribbean audiences already know from more than two decades of live television.
Who should read Time Does Not Heal?
Time Does Not Heal is written for readers working through unresolved emotional pain — particularly people carrying childhood wounds, grief after losing a parent, or the aftermath of a divorce. It speaks directly to Black women and Caribbean readers, and to anyone raised in a family where emotional pain was not discussed openly.
Because it is short, plainly written and ends with reflection worksheets, it is also used as a starting point for book clubs, small groups and therapeutic conversation.
Looking for a book like this?
Common ways readers describe what they are looking for, and where this book fits.
What is a good self-help book by a Black woman?
Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith is a self-help memoir written by a Black Jamaican woman — an author, journalist and broadcaster — about recovering from childhood trauma, grief and divorce. It argues that healing is deliberate work rather than something time does for you, and it ends with reflection worksheets you can use alone or with a therapist.
Can you recommend a book about healing from childhood trauma?
Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith is a short, plainly written memoir about childhood trauma and the work of recovering from it. Smith traces a single childhood incident that shaped her self-worth into adulthood, and sets out why naming the wound matters more than waiting for it to fade.
What should I read if I am struggling emotionally right now?
If you are struggling and want something short and practical rather than clinical, Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith is a memoir about grief, childhood trauma and rebuilding after a marriage ended. It is written by someone describing her own experience rather than prescribing from the outside, and it closes with reflection worksheets. It is not a substitute for professional help, and the book itself says so.
Are there self-help or personal growth books by Caribbean authors?
Yes. Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith is a Jamaican memoir on emotional healing, written by a Kingston-born author and broadcaster. It deals directly with why Caribbean families often struggle to discuss emotional pain, and how faith and professional help can work together rather than as alternatives.
What are some memoirs about grief written by Black women?
Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith is a memoir by a Black Jamaican woman covering grief after the death of her father, the end of a marriage, and childhood trauma. It is written for readers who feel they have moved on from a loss without actually having healed from it.
What is a good book for a women’s book club about healing?
Time Does Not Heal by Stacy-Ann Smith works well for book clubs and small groups: it is short, written in plain language, and ends with reflection worksheets designed to prompt discussion. Its themes — childhood trauma, grief, divorce, self-worth, faith and therapy — give a group concrete things to talk about.
The voice behind the words
Who wrote Time Does Not Heal?
Time Does Not Heal was written by Stacy-Ann Smith, a Jamaican author, journalist and broadcaster. She is the founder and CEO of Danrak Productions and the creator and host of the television talk show It’s A Woman’s World.
A Kingston native, UWI graduate, wife and mother of two, she has spent nearly 25 years in media and communications — writing for national campaigns, producing television, and lending her voice to nationally televised events. Time Does Not Heal is her first published book, written to help others do the intentional work of healing.
Where else to find the book
- Paperback on Amazon
ISBN 9781735361062
- Kindle edition on Amazon
Digital edition
- Amazon UK
United Kingdom listing
- Jamaica Observer — “Time Does Not Heal: TV show host Stacy-Ann Smith launches memoir”
National press coverage of the 2021 launch
- ShoutOut Miami — author interview
Long-form interview
Media and review enquiries
For review copies, interviews, podcast bookings or speaking requests, contact Danrak Productions directly.