b'WILLIAM JAMES COLLEGE 13n January 6, 2021, insurrectionistsExtremist. The Big Lie He Believed Hurt Us All, O stormed the U.S. Capitol building. As Dr.explored the same themes.Sara Orozco, a graduate of the WilliamIn the weeks and months that followed the James Colleges clinical respecializationJanuary 6 attack, conversations about mental health program and a former faculty member, watched thefocused mainly on the actions and motivations of events unfold through news footage, her thoughtsthe attackers, and on the impacts and needs of law turned to the family members of those who stagedenforcement officers involved in the events of the day. that attack who, undoubtedly, will have to live withWithout question these are important conversations, the consequences of that day.but they neglect the significant impact that the As the daughter of an extremist, I should know,actions of extremists have on their communities wrote Orozco in an essay published last spring byand family members and ignore opportunities for WBURs Cognoscenti. At 58, my life continues to intervention that may exist before attacks occur. be shaped by my fathers actions, taken decades Speaking with the Boston Globe last February, ago in the name of patriotism and freedom, and Myrieme Churchill, executive director and board by the direction of powerful and seeminglymember of Parents for Peace, a group Orozco unbeatable ideologues.recommends for resources and support, noted Orozco, now working as a clinical psychologista commonality present in extremism cases the in private practice in Greater Boston and as a race,organization works with. Despite different languages, equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant, is writingregions of origin, and different religions, Churchill a memoir about her Cuban exile experience and thesaid, in every case, there is a mental health element. intergenerational toxicity of political obsessions. SheAccording to an April 2021 RAND Corporation is not a trauma-informed mental health specialiststudy, people who radicalize to extremist ideologies nor, she said, is she deeply familiar with theoriesoften are triggered by negative life events or exposure of extremism and radicalization, but spoke aboutto propaganda and those who escape from extreme extremism based on her personal experiences in angroups frequently are aided by the intervention of interview for this story.an individual or group that helps them to reject the When my father died in 2012, I inherited a boxphilosophy. Although calls to organizations like of his possessions. It took me five years to find theParents for Peace have reportedly been on the rise in courage to open it, she said, adding that goingrecent years, more needs to be done to identify and through the box took a huge emotional toll on her.treat individuals embracing extreme views. In notebooks and artifacts, I learned that my fatherMany of the people involved on January 6 were had been trained by the CIA to kill in the name ofknown in their communities because of media bringing down Castro and communism, a job he tookcoverage and arrests, Orozco said. Schools, religious to his death.institutions, and health care providers in that The memoir began as a process of self-reflection,community may be engaged to watch for signs of something, she said, people kept asking her to do.distress and offer support to family members. Growing up with trauma most likely influenced myThe RAND study, which was one of the first public career, but I am not sure I understood how much myreports to incorporate the experiences of both fathers extremist views had impacted my adult lifeextremists and their family members to understand and relationships until I began writing.common factors and signs along the pathway to THE LANGUAGE OF BULLETS: A Father-Daughterradicalization, noted that expanding access to mental Memoir, tells the story of how Orozco came tohealth care, creating opportunities for exposure to terms with her fathers secrets and extremist views.diverse cultural groups, and media literacy education Her Cognoscenti essay, My Dad Was A Politicalare all important strategies.'