Former hostages reflect on return to normalcy

(CNN) -- Gracia Burnham recalls a time when July Fourth fireworks sent her running for cover.

After spending 372 days as a hostage in the Philippines, Burnham made a point of getting as far away as possible from fireworks after returning to the United States.

For her first July Fourth back, Burnham and her family found a cabin in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, and turned up the music so they couldn't hear the fireworks in the distance.

"I wanted to dive on the floor and cover my head," said Burnham. "Even if they were far away, it was very unsettling."

The Burnhams had been Christian missionaries for 17 years in the Philippines before their capture. They were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a resort there when they were kidnapped on May 27, 2001.

Six years after her rescue, Burnham says she has reached a point where firecrackers don't bother her any more. But not a day passes when she doesn't think of the time she spent in captivity with her husband, Martin, who died during an exchange of gunfire between her captors, the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, and the Philippine troops who freed her.

Psychologists say Burnham's struggles after her release are common among people who spend time as hostages or prisoners.

Fifteen hostages rescued Wednesday from Colombian rebels could face similar challenges.

U.S. government contractors Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were among the group of hostages, which included former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who were kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Watch a report on how the Americans are doing »

U.S. military officials say the three men will undergo several rounds of physical and mental assessments before they return home. The examinations are intended to help them prepare for challenges they may encounter as they return to lives that were once familiar to them.

After the initial euphoria of freedom wears off, former hostages can face a variety of difficulties in adjusting to normal life, depending on the nature of the captive environment and the amount of time they spent there.

"Just because they're home and out of danger and back in their own beds doesn't mean they've fully realized the fact that they're safe," said Dr. Jim Campbell, University of Rhode Island adjunct professor and the author of "Hostages: Terror and Triumph."

Kathryn Koob, who spent 444 days trapped in a U.S. Embassy in Iran, says the reminders can be subtle, but strong.

Koob, who was held hostage by Iranian students between 1979 and 1981, remembers the shock she experienced when she saw a bottle of dishwashing soap in a supermarket that she hadn't seen since her time in captivity.

"For a moment it was out of context and it threw me back for a moment," said Koob, a visiting instructor in communication arts and religion at Wartburg College in Waverley, Iowa.

Koob struggled to catch up on all the marriages, deaths and celebrity gossip that she had missed during while she was held hostage. But thanks to a strong support group, she was able to fill in the gaps.

"It's always a bit of a shock when you realize things aren't as you left them," Koob said. "Sometimes you stub your toes, so to speak, but with help of good friends and family you cover most things."

Every person is different, but Campbell says one common factor that shapes the experience returning home is how former hostages are able to make sense of their time in captivity.

"The extent to which the experience traumatizes them depends on how they find ways to give purpose or meaning to what they've been through," Campbell said.

"You simply can't go back to the way things were. You have to somehow incorporate this experience and go forward," said Campbell, whose immersion in hostage situations began with studies of survivors of the 1970 prison riots in New York.

For many, the process begins when they're still in captivity.

Keith Stansell, one of three U.S. government contractors rescued by the Colombian military on Wednesday, taught a fellow hostage how to swim. Stansell's colleague, Thomas Howes, passed his time by adopting a stray dog, according to Time magazine.

For others, the search for meaning starts after homecoming.

For Burnham, whose missionary work brought her to the Philippines, the experience reinforced her faith.

When she moved home with her three children, the community of Rose Hill, Kansas, built her family a home that she regards as a reminder that God did not forget about her while she was in captivity.

She tours the country speaking about her experience and has written two books about her time in captivity.

Burnham says that at several points, she came to experience sympathy for her captors, a phenomenon known as the Stockholm syndrome.

"My hatred, God just turned into a concern for them," Burnham said.

She says a lot of them weren't bent on jihad. Most of them were counting on the ransom money so they could use it to return home and buy a bride.

"I knew that for the rest of their lives, they were going to be on the run or dead or in jail," she remembers thinking. "Life is never going to be good for them because they made poor choices."

Life can get better for former hostages, according to Campbell, if they approach life one day at a time.

"Recovery is more about tasks than phases," he said. "They just need to take it slow and don't be afraid to ask for help. It takes time to get used to things again."

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