It’s Not Stockholm Syndrome: The Strange Abduction of Natascha Kampusch

Natascha Kampusch was abducted at ten years old and held captive for eight years in a dungeon where her kidnapper homeschooled her. Forgiveness is not Stockholm Syndrome.

Andrea Duran
6 min readAug 3, 2022
Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures at Pixabay.com

In 1998, in Vienna, Austria Natascha Kampusch is abducted on her way to school by Wolfgang Přiklopil. She is held captive for eight years until her brave escape at 18.

What many people do not know is that for the first several years of Kampusch’s captivity, Přiklopil did not assault her.

Instead, the kidnapper homeschooled his captive.

The public, however, does not care. They decide how a kidnapping victim should act, how a victim should heal, and how a victim should live, despite never having been an abduction victim themselves.

Because Natascha Kampusch has chosen to maintain understanding and gratitude towards her abductor, the public has justified its merciless bullying.

In fact, she even purchased the home he kept her captive in and chose to live in it, resulting in vicious cyberbullying from the enraged public who insist she must be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

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Andrea Duran
Andrea Duran

Written by Andrea Duran

Writer | Self-Development | Mental Health | Addiction | Fiction | B.A. Eng/Pysch | Addiction Counselor | Certified Hot Mess | https://linktr.ee/dreabookjunkie

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