Patrick Crusius’ dad, John Bryan Crusius, is a licensed professional counselor who once advocated for a gun violence victim.
Crusius, who goes by Bryan, treats people who are struggling with PTSD, substance abuse, alcohol addiction and co-dependence. He wrote a book about his own dependence on prescription drugs after he was diagnosed with adult ADHD and prescribed benzodiazepines and antidepressants.
Patrick Wood Crusius, 21, is the suspect in the El Paso mass shooting August 3 which left 22 people dead and 24 injured. He is being held without bail in El Paso County Jail facing capital murder charges. The FBI is conducting a domestic terrorism investigation which could result in hate crime charges. A manifesto speaking about a “Hispanic invasion” was published on 8chan shortly before the shooting.
John Crusius and Lori Lynn Crusius, Patrick Crusius’ mom, divorced in 2001. She works as a nurse.
They issued a statement Tuesday condemning their son’s actions and saying he must have been influenced by people they do not know. The statement was read by their lawyer.
“Patrick’s actions were apparently influenced and informed by people we do not know, and from ideas and beliefs we do not accept or condone. He was raised in a family that taught love, kindness, respect, and tolerance—rejecting all forms of racism, prejudice, hatred, and violence.”
He did not return a call and email seeking comment.
Crusius deleted some of his social media accounts. A Twitter page contains only two tweets – one sharing his LinkedIn page and the second replying to a tweet from Marianne Williamson, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for President, and to a fan page for Alanis Morrisette. The reply was sent in 2014.
Read more about Crusius’ family here. Read more about Patrick Crusius and the case here.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. John Bryan Crusius Set Up Fundraiser For Gun Violence Victim
John Bryan Crusius set up a fundraiser for a victim of gun violence, who was shot outside his Texas home. The man, Eric Keyes, told The Daily Beast he met Crusius after he was referred to the mental health clinic for PTSD treatment by the Veterans Administration.
Crusius set up a GoFundMe for Keyes after a series of tragic events. Keyes was a musician who was shot by “a mentally ill person,” Crusius wrote on the page. The person showed up at Keyes’ house and said he was a fan, then shot him at close range, the page said. Keyes’ injuries left him unable to sing and play guitar. He cared for his ailing parents, both who were diagnosed with dementia. His mother died, and he eventually pawned his guitars and other equipment to pay for medical bills.
“We have all had difficult trials in life; it is part of being human. Yet sometimes an overwhelming series of traumatic events befalls a person in a short period of time and when this someone is Eric, you just do what you can to help. Eric is a big-hearted and compassionate person who could use a break from the heavy burden he is presently under. His actions profoundly reveal the depth and character that is Eric,” Crusius wrote on the page.
2. John Bryan Crusius Is a Mental Health Counselor
I’ve just updated my professional profile on LinkedIn. Connect with me and view my profile. http://t.co/M735uzrgSr #in
John Bryan Crusius is a mental health counselor in specializing in addiction. His clinic, Dallas Addiction Recovery Therapy or Infused Being Therapy and Counseling is in Richardson, Texas. His website said he treats people struggling with alcohol, co-dependence, substance abuse and PTSD.
“I am a licensed therapist (LPC) that integrates traditional talk therapy with Energy and Sound Healing. I teach meditation and my own brand of energy healing,” he wrote on his Twitter page.
He holds a bachelor of science in management from the University of Texas and a masters degree in professional counseling, his website said. His counseling experience began as an on-call crisis team member for Timberlawn Mental Health System or UHS Inc., where he would conduct patient assessments on crisis calls.
3. Bryan Crusius Wrote a Book About Addiction
29. Book is now out of stock but available on Kindle. I’m wondering if this is the first time someone who has committed mass violence has had a parent who had written a memoir prior to the mass tragedy. I’m not aware of any other cases w/ such a book.
Bryan Crusius wrote a book about addiction called “Life Enthusiasm: A Path to Purpose Beyond Recovery.
The book discusses his own dependence on drugs after he was diagnosed with adult ADHD in 2001 and prescribed benzodiazepines and antidepressants. At the time, he was working as a counselor on a mobile crisis team.
The introduction says:
Discover Life Force Energy as a catalyst for transformation and a path to personal freedom! Life Enthusiasm: A Path to Purpose Beyond Recovery details how life force energy can propel the most desperate addict down a path to freedom and meaning. Through the application of Universal Energy the author discovers his intuitive voice and transcends a four decade entrenchment in addictive behavior in just eighteen months. The element that gives the story its unique voice while imbuing it with a mystical and adventurous tone is the employment of energetic treatments or transfers to treat addiction and anxiety. The undeniable power of Universal Energy to amplify and enhance one’s spiritual progression to a state of freedom is the step that many people who have been frozen by anxiety or dependent behaviors have been looking for. The story includes the author’s experience of other dimensions of existence, sound healing, distance healing and various energy modalities. This is a true story of the author’s rise from apathy, self-pity, and victimization to an addiction-free state of life purpose and sovereignty. A vision ignites and illuminates a buried passion that must find expression ultimately through an enthusiastic and abstinent voice. The tension builds until the author must face the greatest obstacle on his path; full acknowledgement and ownership of the core deceit that blocks the completion of his purpose. It is in the sacred space of common experience where author and reader meet that solutions to any problem may be discovered. The book’s final chapter summarizes the main elements necessary for others to find the freedom they seek. Although not meant to substitute a protocol to replace 12-step programs, it can be the “13th step” many are looking for.
4. John Bryan Crusius Divorced in 2001
Patrick Crusius’ parents divorced when he was young. His mother, Lori Lynn Crusius, filed for divorce in 2001, according to public records. She works as a nurse.
Bryan Crusius wrote about the divorce in his book, “Life Enthusiasm: A Path to Purpose Beyond Recovery.” He had recently been diagnosed with adult ADHD and prescribed benzodiazepines and antidepressants. He was on a call working as a counselor with a mobile crisis team when his daughter called, asking if he could give her a ride to a friend’s house. He said he told her he could drop her off after his patient assessment.
“Then I said, ‘Where’s Mom? Can she take you?'” he wrote. “An uncomfortable silence filled the air and she finally replied, ‘She left this morning for Oklahoma.'”
5. Byran Crusius’ Counseling Services Include Energy Therapy
John Bryan Crusius’ counseling services include “infused-being therapy” or “spirit-infused therapy.” His website indicates he uses a combination of traditional cognitive or “talk” therapy and energy therapies including the “emotional freedom technique” and “quantum touch.” Each treatment plan and types of therapy are based on a particular patient’s needs, he wrote.
“I call my practice Infused Being Therapy,” he wrote on his website. “I strongly believe that recovery from addiction and trauma is a process. For successful recovery and healing – clients have to be willing to ‘let go and let their Higher Power’ guide and heal them. This is the basic process; there are many details, much understanding and deeper self-knowledge to be attained along the way. This is the process of Infused Being Therapy.”
His LinkedIn page indicates he holds licenses for his therapy techniques.
“I believe in treating the ‘whole’ person: Body, Mind and Spirit. My practice is ecumenical with regard to ‘Spirit’. I agree with AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): Recovery from addiction is difficult to impossible without reliance on a Higher Power,” his website said.
Crusius received referrals to his practice, including from the Veterans Administration.
“He does a lot of good work,” Eric Keyes told The Daily Beast. Keyes saw Crusius for PTSD treatment after he was shot.