ATLANTA -- The raid that seized Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives was lightning quick and successful, but the boy may relive it in nightmares, panic attacks and tearful flashbacks, experts said Saturday.
"Basically he's being kidnapped," said child psychologist Allan Blum, looking at the now-famous photo in which Elian is seen cowering in a closet before a gun-wielding federal agent. "The boy looks absolutely terrified."This needed to be done differently," said Blum, a psychologist who has treated children for over 25 years and taught at City University of New York.
Though whisked away in an instant, the 6-year-old boy will probably be reliving the horrific raid for months if not years, stressed experts. He may face anxiety, depression and not feel safe in any place, afraid this could happen again.
The raid shortly after 5 a.m. was the latest in a series of unrelenting traumatic events crowded into Elian's short life over the past five months -- leaving his homeland, being on a boat where others, including his mother, died, spending days alone adrift, and then being dragged into a high-profile custody battle.
"This child's sense of safety and security is going to be shattered," said Bruce Blythe, head of the Atlanta-based Crisis Management Inc., which helps schoolchildren overcome traumatic events such as shootings and bus accidents. "It could have lifelong effects."
Blythe said the image flashed across television screen just hours after the boy's seizure -- that of Elian smiling with his father -- is probably genuine.
"Any 6-year-old who is reunited with his father is going to be happy. A 6-year-old can't fake a smile like that," he said. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't have traumatic stress reactions. To a degree, he's numb."
Opinions differ as to how large the morning raid will loom in Elian's mind and for how long.
Charles Figley, director of the Traumatology Institute at Florida State University, said children do not typically see the world realistically, and thus the federal agent with the automatic rifle was like a character in a story, not a true figure of menace.
Authorities said much was done to soothe the child during the frenzy of the early morning raid. The boy was told: "This may seem very scary. It will soon be better." He was being taken to "Papa."
The plane that brought him to his father also carried the Spanish-speaking female agent who carried Elian from the house, a psychiatrist, a flight surgeon and the immigration agent who commanded the operation. He was given toys, Play-Doh, a toy airplane, a map, a watch.
He may be reuniting with his father, but he is being ripped from a doting home where he felt safe, which several experts felt could also traumatize him.
He needs a stable, nurturing environment, and those caring for Elian need to watch for symptoms such as nightmares, panic attacks and flashbacks, said Cooksey.
Several of those interviewed held out hope that the relatives who had fought so hard to keep Elian would now help to smooth the transition to his father's care.
"This will be another loss for him," emphasized Blum. "But the loss, without further contact with his Miami relatives, could be even worse."