Wikipedia defines it as, "a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. The syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23 to Aug. 28, 1973. In this case, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, and even defended them after they were freed from their six-day ordeal."

After 18 years of captivity, Jaycee defended her captor, Phillip Garrido. She claimed she loved him and that he was good to her. According to The Telegraph, she even told investigators that the convicted sex offender was a "changed man."

Why would this child who has experienced such horrible and tragic events, such as continued rape, limited doctor's visits, and living in a shack in the backyard care for her captor?

I think it's a matter of survival. Imagine being snagged at 11-years-old. You're raped multiple times--consistently. You're kept a secret and given a false identity. You bear two children as a result of the rape. Who knows what you've been told and made to feel. In order to keep yourself alive and well in the eyes of the "bad guy," you make him happy. You smile, you learn about life and you exist. You grow an affinity towards the person who hurts you. You make excuses and try to understand why he would do those things to you. You notice all the positive things and rely on him as proof that everything is OK. He is, after all, raising you...and you're alive.

Dugard still cares for Garrido, and she feels guilt for this. Clint Van Zandt, former FBI criminal profiler, hostage negotiator, and current TV and news media crime analyst, says, "The challenge for victims such as Jaycee Lee Dugard is to understand they did what they had to do to survive and that they have nothing to be ashamed of. This will take time and care and while some wounds never heal, time can help. In the case of Jaycee and her two daughters, none of whom attended school or saw a doctor or dentist or had any friends during their captivity, life and their position in the world outside of the backyard tents and sheds they lived in for most or all of their lives, this behind an eight foot wooded privacy fence, will be a lengthy learning experience that will take years for them to process."

A support system is needed. Dugard is unlike the typical 29-year-old. I'm 29-years-old! Trying to wrap my mind around what has happened to this girl is unbelievable. How can she? It's as if she woke up from a nightmare and is trying to live back in happily ever after. But, what is happily ever after? Whom does she connect to now?

Treatment for Stockholm syndrome is similar to treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: medication along with therapy.

I can only hope and pray that Dugard is receiving what she needs. Medication, therapy, acceptance and love. As for me--in the public eye looking in--I will continue to wish her the best and send my love.

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