Andrew Bustamante states that intelligence services like the CIA, MI6, and Mossad have learned that people with the right amount of childhood trauma can be trained to become extremely loyal, highly productive field operators.

“Former CIA officer Andrew Bustamante has repeatedly made this claim across various media appearances and on his own platforms. In a clip from the "Truth Hurts" podcast, he is quoted saying the "secret sauce" for high performance that the CIA looks for is childhood trauma. His own YouTube channel features multiple videos with titles like "Why Childhood Trauma Creates Better Spies" and "How Trauma Makes You PERFECT to Become a Spy at CIA." While he speaks extensively about the CIA, specific mentions of MI6 and Mossad in this context are less prominent in search results, but the core assertion is well-documented. Context: Bustamante's theory is that childhood trauma can create a psychological need for validation and an ability to operate under stress, which he claims the CIA identifies as a trainable trait for high-performing operatives. This is presented as his personal and professional assessment based on his experience, not necessarily as official, publicly acknowledged CIA doctrine.”