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| Newtown survivors need routine and order, advises Dunblane psychologist | Newtown survivors need routine and order, advises Dunblane psychologist |
| (17 days later) | |
| A psychologist who treated several families in the aftermath of the Dunblane massacre in Scotland, in which 16 children were killed by a single gunman in 1996, said the children who survived the school shooting in Newtown on Friday would need routine, order and certainty back in their lives if they were to cope with the impact of the tragedy. | A psychologist who treated several families in the aftermath of the Dunblane massacre in Scotland, in which 16 children were killed by a single gunman in 1996, said the children who survived the school shooting in Newtown on Friday would need routine, order and certainty back in their lives if they were to cope with the impact of the tragedy. |
| Philip Dutton, who worked as a National Health Service clinical psychologist at the time of the school shooting in Dunblane, and who is now a specialist in counselling disaster and trauma victims, said that for some it might take a month for the healing to even start, and that for others it would take many years, but that all the children would need "predictability". | Philip Dutton, who worked as a National Health Service clinical psychologist at the time of the school shooting in Dunblane, and who is now a specialist in counselling disaster and trauma victims, said that for some it might take a month for the healing to even start, and that for others it would take many years, but that all the children would need "predictability". |
| It means holding to the mundane rhythms of life: regular mealtimes, bedtimes and, equally, emotionally strong parents, he said. "The parents have to be as stable as they can be: they have to act normally so the children know there's some normality left." | It means holding to the mundane rhythms of life: regular mealtimes, bedtimes and, equally, emotionally strong parents, he said. "The parents have to be as stable as they can be: they have to act normally so the children know there's some normality left." |
| "The biggest fear provoker is uncertainty in children, so you can't have a greater shock than you see your friends shot or die in any circumstances. So if your parents relax all controls, nothing is the same, there's no stability left. And without stability, your whole neurological system cannot feel safe. You need reliability and consistency, just to feel safe." | "The biggest fear provoker is uncertainty in children, so you can't have a greater shock than you see your friends shot or die in any circumstances. So if your parents relax all controls, nothing is the same, there's no stability left. And without stability, your whole neurological system cannot feel safe. You need reliability and consistency, just to feel safe." |
| Some children will feel guilt: they will blame themselves for failing to save their friends, he said. Some parents may feel guilt or embarrassment that their child survived, crossing the road to avoid the parents of those that died. | Some children will feel guilt: they will blame themselves for failing to save their friends, he said. Some parents may feel guilt or embarrassment that their child survived, crossing the road to avoid the parents of those that died. |
| "We think everything which happens is our fault," Dutton explained. "Even those at Dunblane: they will have felt responsible, because they saw their friends die. They were lying on the floor as the gunman went about shooting, and they didn't rescue their friends. [They] have to realise it's impossible to rescue everyone; no-one can do it." | "We think everything which happens is our fault," Dutton explained. "Even those at Dunblane: they will have felt responsible, because they saw their friends die. They were lying on the floor as the gunman went about shooting, and they didn't rescue their friends. [They] have to realise it's impossible to rescue everyone; no-one can do it." |
| Nearly two decades on, the people of Dunblane know all too well what the families in Newtown are going through. | Nearly two decades on, the people of Dunblane know all too well what the families in Newtown are going through. |
| Last Friday, a collective shudder seemed to ripple through the local sports centre in Dunblane as an audience that gathered for a choir concert heard the shattering news from Connecticut. | Last Friday, a collective shudder seemed to ripple through the local sports centre in Dunblane as an audience that gathered for a choir concert heard the shattering news from Connecticut. |
| For a community still scarred by the horrific shootings at their local school 16 years ago, the parallels with Newtown, 5,000km to the west, were acute. | For a community still scarred by the horrific shootings at their local school 16 years ago, the parallels with Newtown, 5,000km to the west, were acute. |
| It was the amateur choir's first public concert, a casual mixture of show tunes and Christmas carols, staged in the centre that was built to honour the memories of the 16 children and their teacher who died in 1996 at Dunblane primary school. | It was the amateur choir's first public concert, a casual mixture of show tunes and Christmas carols, staged in the centre that was built to honour the memories of the 16 children and their teacher who died in 1996 at Dunblane primary school. |
| They were five and six years old, killed by a bitterly obsessive former scout master, Thomas Hamilton, brandishing four handguns. | They were five and six years old, killed by a bitterly obsessive former scout master, Thomas Hamilton, brandishing four handguns. |
| "I guess it was about eight o'clock, and you could feel the news passing around the room," said Stewart Prodger, one of the centre's volunteer directors. "There was a real feeling of, 'Good God, it's happened again. It's happened to someone else.'" | "I guess it was about eight o'clock, and you could feel the news passing around the room," said Stewart Prodger, one of the centre's volunteer directors. "There was a real feeling of, 'Good God, it's happened again. It's happened to someone else.'" |
| Delicately engraved on the windows of the sports centre, which sits on the outskirts of the quiet, prosperous and gentle-mannered Perthshire town, are 16 illustrations best seen from inside the building, against the pale winter sunlight which slants through the clouds and cool mist. | Delicately engraved on the windows of the sports centre, which sits on the outskirts of the quiet, prosperous and gentle-mannered Perthshire town, are 16 illustrations best seen from inside the building, against the pale winter sunlight which slants through the clouds and cool mist. |
| The 16 motifs were chosen to commemorate each of the 11 girls and five boys who died at Hamilton's hands: an angel with roller skates, a tractor, a squirrel eating a nut, a Power Ranger, his arms and fists aloft in fighting pose, a ladybird and a dove carrying ballet shoes, daffodils and other flowers. | The 16 motifs were chosen to commemorate each of the 11 girls and five boys who died at Hamilton's hands: an angel with roller skates, a tractor, a squirrel eating a nut, a Power Ranger, his arms and fists aloft in fighting pose, a ladybird and a dove carrying ballet shoes, daffodils and other flowers. |
| The choir's concert continued: they sang to dispel and defeat the shock, Prodger said. "There was a wonderful feeling of togetherness and warmth through music," he said. | The choir's concert continued: they sang to dispel and defeat the shock, Prodger said. "There was a wonderful feeling of togetherness and warmth through music," he said. |
| On Saturday afternoon, lanterns that are normally lit in the centre's windows just once a year, on the anniversary of the shootings, 13 March, were allowed to glow. It was Dunblane's first mark of solidarity with Newtown. The lanterns will be lit again at 5pm every day this week. | On Saturday afternoon, lanterns that are normally lit in the centre's windows just once a year, on the anniversary of the shootings, 13 March, were allowed to glow. It was Dunblane's first mark of solidarity with Newtown. The lanterns will be lit again at 5pm every day this week. |
| On Monday, the centre opened a book of condolences and placed a donations box nearby. The centre's trustees are mulling over what gift to send. It may be a stained glass window, or a sapling. "We would like to send something meaningful, which would embody the support and strength we've gained over the years," Prodger explained. | On Monday, the centre opened a book of condolences and placed a donations box nearby. The centre's trustees are mulling over what gift to send. It may be a stained glass window, or a sapling. "We would like to send something meaningful, which would embody the support and strength we've gained over the years," Prodger explained. |
| The centre's Facebook page, which has just 400 followers and normally sees routine posts about sports events and keep-fit classes, has had 20,000 views. More than 3,500 people have shared the centre's short, two-paragraph message of solidarity with Newtown. | The centre's Facebook page, which has just 400 followers and normally sees routine posts about sports events and keep-fit classes, has had 20,000 views. More than 3,500 people have shared the centre's short, two-paragraph message of solidarity with Newtown. |
| If the sports centre is the greatest physical reminder for the town, Dunblane left an even greater but less visible legacy, which Sandy Hook can also draw on: the primary school shooting lead to private handgun ownership effectively being banned in the UK. It was one of the worst criminal acts in British history: supported by newspapers and political leaders, townspeople launched the Snowdrop campaign, gaining over 750,000 signatures in six weeks, leading to a change in legislation. | If the sports centre is the greatest physical reminder for the town, Dunblane left an even greater but less visible legacy, which Sandy Hook can also draw on: the primary school shooting lead to private handgun ownership effectively being banned in the UK. It was one of the worst criminal acts in British history: supported by newspapers and political leaders, townspeople launched the Snowdrop campaign, gaining over 750,000 signatures in six weeks, leading to a change in legislation. |
| In Dunblane, they empathise. This summer, Dunblane enjoyed several moments of euphoria when the British tennis star and son of the town, Andy Murray, first won Olympic gold at Wimbledon and then the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York. Murray was 10 years old and present at Dunblane primary when the 1996 shooting took place. This summer, he had an ecstatic homecoming parade through the town. Now Sandy Hook has reminded Dunblane of their horror. | In Dunblane, they empathise. This summer, Dunblane enjoyed several moments of euphoria when the British tennis star and son of the town, Andy Murray, first won Olympic gold at Wimbledon and then the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York. Murray was 10 years old and present at Dunblane primary when the 1996 shooting took place. This summer, he had an ecstatic homecoming parade through the town. Now Sandy Hook has reminded Dunblane of their horror. |
| Their memories are still raw enough that they find it difficult to speak to the media. Dunblane was submerged by the world's media on that March day in 1996; their privacy disturbed, suddenly, as hundreds of journalists, photographers and film crews set up camp on pavements, street corners and roadside verges. | Their memories are still raw enough that they find it difficult to speak to the media. Dunblane was submerged by the world's media on that March day in 1996; their privacy disturbed, suddenly, as hundreds of journalists, photographers and film crews set up camp on pavements, street corners and roadside verges. |
| Shopkeepers will politely shake their heads when the subject is raised; their faces will close up as they shield themselves from questions. "Don't want to bring that up again," one said. Another adds: "It's all a wee bit too close for comfort." Others can be more blunt. | Shopkeepers will politely shake their heads when the subject is raised; their faces will close up as they shield themselves from questions. "Don't want to bring that up again," one said. Another adds: "It's all a wee bit too close for comfort." Others can be more blunt. |
| Over the past 24 hours, the minister at the town's medieval cathedral, the Reverend Colin McIntosh, has made contact with his counterparts at churches in Newtown, offering support, help and friendship. McIntosh lived through the shootings in 1996; he remembers the chaos which gripped his parish. | Over the past 24 hours, the minister at the town's medieval cathedral, the Reverend Colin McIntosh, has made contact with his counterparts at churches in Newtown, offering support, help and friendship. McIntosh lived through the shootings in 1996; he remembers the chaos which gripped his parish. |
| In his message to the Sandy Hook community, which is copied on the cathedral's website, McIntosh wrote: "We can begin to imagine something of what your people are going through, especially the families of those shot but also the sheer numb incomprehension the whole community must feel." | In his message to the Sandy Hook community, which is copied on the cathedral's website, McIntosh wrote: "We can begin to imagine something of what your people are going through, especially the families of those shot but also the sheer numb incomprehension the whole community must feel." |
| In the graveyard, where the graves of many of the dead children are gathered in a commemorative garden, some have fresh flowers among the old toys and mementoes – a plastic Batman, a bumblebee windmill, china nymphs and angels, cats and an owl. One gravestone notes that one five-year-old boy was "our wee man"; a girl was "our wee lass". | In the graveyard, where the graves of many of the dead children are gathered in a commemorative garden, some have fresh flowers among the old toys and mementoes – a plastic Batman, a bumblebee windmill, china nymphs and angels, cats and an owl. One gravestone notes that one five-year-old boy was "our wee man"; a girl was "our wee lass". |
| Stewart Prodger, speaking in a personal capacity, said one of the most important lessons from Dunblane's experiences after the shootings was to foster and protect community cohesion. Some leadership is needed, "but also, you've got to get a willingness of people to forget their personal interests and agendas. People have to talk and listen to each other." | Stewart Prodger, speaking in a personal capacity, said one of the most important lessons from Dunblane's experiences after the shootings was to foster and protect community cohesion. Some leadership is needed, "but also, you've got to get a willingness of people to forget their personal interests and agendas. People have to talk and listen to each other." |
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