After time in captivity, reintegration key

When U.S. Navy SEALs staged a daring raid to free American hostage Jessica Buchanan from Somali pirates this week, that was just the first part of Buchanan's rescue. The final step will be reintegrating her back into her normal life after spending months in captivity.

"60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon, who spent 40 days in the hands of Iraqi captors during 1991's Persian Gulf War, described some of the sensations that Buchanan has likely been feeling since being freed Tuesday.

"The first few days you're ecstatic. You're free, you didn't think you were going to survive. It's pure ecstasy," he said on "CBS This Morning." "And then, reality sinks in. You don't really feel so good anymore. You're more fragile than you think you are at first."

Somalia rescue raid prompts fears of reprisal
Obama sympathizes with dad of rescued American
How do Navy SEALs plan a daring rescue?

John Miller said that the military, FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies now employ a three-phase process for reintegrating hostages into normal life - borrowed from protocols for prisoners of war that are now being used for civilians as well.

Phase one is the initial medical and psychological evaluation. Phase two is allowing for time to decompress where former captives can spend time with family and tell their story. Phase three is formulating an action plan to get back to normal life.

Simon said his process wasn't that organized.

"I didn't have a process. I did everything wrong," he said.

"I went back to work immediately, which was a dumb thing to do. ... You shouldn't get back to real life right away."

Bob Simon is an award-winning journalist known for his international reporting. John Miller previously worked across the intelligence community with the CIA, NSA, FBI and other agencies.

Watch their full discussion about hostage reintegration in the video player above.