He also is instructing in trauma desensitization, demonstrating techniques on disaster victims. Professor McKenzie's traumatic-origin theory is confirmed on 9,000 patients with schizophrenia. He identifies infant separation trauma as a primary cause, stating that it is more terrifying than war trauma to a soldier. The return to infancy means a return to brain structures active at the earlier time. These produce more of the neurotransmitters involved in the disease process, resulting in more Dopamine.
Higher structures become less active and therefore atrophy.
Thus Prof. McKenzie views biological change largely as the result of the disease process and not the cause.