The Trauma Beat - #2 - Rachel Maurice

Rachel Maurice was 16 years old when she survived a mass shooting at her high school in Santee, California.

In this episode, Rachel speaks with host Tamara Cherry about her experience with the news media in the hours, days, and years after the shooting that took the lives of two friends and injured several others. As with survivors of many incidents of mass violence, Rachel was confronted by reporters and photographers immediately after fleeing the place of her traumatic event. Media were camped outside her school — located across the street from her home — for several weeks after the shooting, and returned many times after they left. The media also had an impact on Rachel’s mother, who was approached by media while she anxiously waited to reunite with her daughter.

Rachel provides valuable insights for both journalists who cover traumatic events and victim service providers who are supporting survivors in the aftermath of trauma. She also speaks about how trauma can present itself in different ways with different survivors.

Following the recorded conversation, Rachel passed along a note for added context regarding her comments near the beginning of the conversation about the moments she was escorted away from her school. Before leaving the school, Rachel explained, she had a gun pointed at her. As she was being escorted off campus, she saw a news camera with a long lens pointed at her. That long lens, Rachel explained, resembled the barrel of a shotgun. Years later, seeing the photo of her exiting the school with her arms up activated her trauma responses.

Further, around the time of this recording, Rachel heard news of another incident of mass violence. She wrote: “Just hearing about it has made me relive mine again and again. Fortunately I have a therapist that helps me when these incidents occur, but there are many survivors who do not have that kind of access to behavioral health assistance.”

As per trauma-informed practice, each guest in The Trauma Beat podcast is afforded the opportunity to review and veto a list of anticipated questions before the recorded conversation. Ongoing, informed consent is sought throughout the production process.

This conversation was recorded in April 2022.