In the aftermath of the Florida shooting, as with every shooting, journalists scramble for explanations. They wonder what went wrong, or were there signs. They parse the shooter’s social media accounts, school and work histories, and recent breakups, searching for motives.
As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, my perspective is somewhat different. I work with foster youth. My job as a CASA is get to know and empathically understand a traumatized child, in order to effectively advocate for his needs and best interests in court. I already know that a mentally ill child is virtually always a terribly traumatized child. So as I sift through news reports, I look for the early-life traumas that actually explain Nikolas Cruz’s violence, mental illness, impulsivity, and rage.
America is woefully ignorant about the origins of mental illness. People seem to imagine an inborn biological or structural quirk, that strikes at random. In fact, many mental illnesses arise from early (developmental) traumas, particularly interpersonal traumas like abandonment, neglect, terror, or abuse. Early trauma causes the brain to develop in a skewed, dysregulated way, that can lead to mental illnesses.
It turns out that babyhood— ironically, a time lost to conscious memory— has a long lasting influence on mental health. The connection between early trauma and mental illness, scientifically validated by Kaiser’s ACE’s Study twenty years ago, is obvious to anyone who works with abused kids. Trauma is especially devastating from birth to age three, when brain growth is the most rapid, and when many tent-pole elements of mental health— like self-concept, trust in others, and self-regulation of emotions— are still being formed.
Nikolas Cruz had serious early-life traumas. First, he was surrendered for adoption. Even infants adopted at birth experience the loss of their birth mothers— and Nikolas was apparently an older baby, hence more aware. Second, his adoptive father died when he was six. That is two parental abandonments (from the point of view of a small child) by Kindergarten. Last, we know he was friendless and bullied.
If I were Nikolas Cruz’ CASA, here is what I would want to find out next: Nikolas was adopted along with his younger brother— but were there any other siblings? How old was Nikolas, at the time of surrender? Why was he surrendered— was it voluntary, or involuntary? Did his birth mother die, or go to jail? Was Nikolas neglected or abused in his birth family? Was his mother abused, while pregnant? Did Nikolas spend time in a foster home, group home or institution? Did he witness any domestic abuse? Was there failure to thrive, low birth weight, prematurity, or other health issue? Was his birth mother mentally ill, or a drug/alcohol abuser? Was Nikolas exposed to substances (or prescriptions) in utero? Was he assessed for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or Reactive Attachment Disorder?
These are logical questions, based on known facts, that point to an array of other plausible traumas. Surely some apply to Nikolas Cruz as well. A very heavy load of pain indeed, for a baby who still can’t speak.
When a baby is traumatized, it alters him on a biophysical, systemic level. Cognitive approaches to healing can be virtually useless, when the injuries are preverbal and system-wide. Nikolas needed (and still needs) trauma-specific therapies that engage the right brain, the central nervous system, and the body— such Neurofeedback, EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Somatic Experiencing. He probably needed residential treatment, or intensive attachment disorder therapy. He certainly needed a great deal of help that he did not get.
In Nikolas Cruz, I see a very traumatized baby, placed in a less-than-aware adoptive family, who was swiftly re-traumatized by the loss of his adoptive dad. I see an overwhelmed mother who tried to help her child but was never offered effective diagnosis or treatment, nor apparently any framework of trauma by which to at least understand him. I see a system that offers one-size-fits-all cognitive behavioral therapy which does not reach kids with early/chronic injuries. I see a child who never learned to self-regulate intense feelings of fear, rage, loss, and horror. Who probably came to feel, very early in life, “I am a bad person, full of bad feelings. People leave me because I’m bad. People hate me because I am bad. Bad things happen to me. I always cause very bad things to happen.”
And then, his one remaining parent died. Is it that difficult to see why he would snap?
Of course Nikolas Cruz should never have been able to purchase any gun, let alone an automatic weapon designed for mass casualties— we must stop the NRA/GOP lunacy that allows this. But let’s learn a second lesson, while we’re here. Mental illnesses arise from very early traumas and emotional injuries. We must remember that small babies, though pre-verbal, are exquisitely sentient and aware, and that how we treat them matters for a lifetime.
Comments (3)