1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 13

But by what standards should we predict alien agendas? The “anthropomorphic fallacy” (the assumption that we can attribute the behavior of other animals to human motives and feelings) is well known among behavioral psychologists as an error in reasoning. Certainly, the same caution should apply to speculation about alien behaviors. That notwithstanding, there are reasons consistent with human behavior as to why an alien civilization might not want overt contact. (To name just two: We may be subjects of a research protocol that overt contact would violate; they may be up to no good and don’t want us to know about it.) The argument that abduction reports must be dismissed because the reputed behavior is not overt is based on fallacious reasoning or, at […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 12

THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (ET) HYPOTHESIS Perhaps the most provocative explanation for abduction experiences is that they are essentially veridical reports of actual abductions by apparently extraterrestrial (ET) entities.9 Because more attention has been directed toward this hypothesis than any other, the perspectives of both advocates and detractors will be examined-tined in detail. (a) Arguments Against the ET Hypothesis Many critics of the ET hypothesis argue that in the absence of tangible proof, parsimony requires that the ET hypothesis be dismissed. The relationship between parsimony and evidence has been discussed already and will not be reiterated here. Other a priori arguments for dismissal are discussed below. UFO sightings are not caused by spacecraft, so abduction experiences are not caused by aliens. It would be difficult to […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 10

Ring (1992) finds Grosso’s ideas highly relevant to his own study of close-encounter experiences. Like Grosso, Ring regards such experiences as evidence for the evolution of consciousness. More specifically, he sees them as “helping to develop our latent capacities for imaginal perception” (p. 240). Ring’s use of the term imaginal should not be confused with imaginary. The distinction between the terms stems from the work of Corbin (1972) who hypothesized the existence of an alternate reality accessed by visionaries and mystics during altered states of consciousness. Corbin describes this world as ontologically real, that is, as real or more real than that experienced during everyday consciousness. Ring argues that abduction experiences come from contact with this imaginal realm, and that “it can be expected […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 11

The experimental procedure that evokes experiences most similar to the more extreme UFO encounters is the electrical stimulation associated with neurosurgery. It involves very focal current induction (about 1 cc) within the brain. These similarities suggest that the magnetic fields associated with ALP involve highly localized, fluxline-like distributions of energy. [Persinger, 1990, p. 131] Persinger’s guess about ALP notwithstanding, until the energy characteristics of ALP have actually been determined, their potential for inducing abduction experiences cannot be ascertained. Finally, the hypothesized correlation between abduction experiencers and temporal-lobe lability has not been confirmed. Spanos et al. (1993) assessed temporal lobe lability with the 52-item temporal-lobe subscale of the Personal Philosophy Inventory, an assessment instrument designed by Persinger and Makarec (1987) specifically to measure traits associated […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 9

(b) Birth Memories Lawson (1984, 1985) argues that the abduction experience is the unconscious’ representation of the birth experience. His theory stems from the psychodynamic speculations of Grof (1976), who noted perinatal imagery in subjects experiencing LSD hallucinations. Lawson sees perinatal imagery in abduction experiencers’ descriptions of aliens (they are fetal in appearance), hallways and columns of light (which are considered symbolic of transport down the birth canal), the shape of the UFO or its rooms (these are womb-like), doors and other openings (cervix-like), and any alien equipment that is elongated, tubular, or flat-ended (which Lawson characterizes as umbilical or placental). Lawson (1985) even suggests that the reported experiences of missing time are memories of the effects of oxytocin, a hormone that initiates contractions […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 8

PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES It has been suggested (Sagan, 1996; Vallee, 1969) that similar themes appearing in both historical folklore (e.g., encounters with fairies, elves, angels) and contemporary abduction accounts indicate a common origin in the human psyche. (For a discussion of the folkloric dimensions of the abduction experience, see Bullard, 1991.) A number of psychodynamic theories8 have been proposed to explain the manifestation of these processes as the abduction experience. Common to these theories is the notion that abduction experiences are a product of the unconscious mind. The theories differ, however, in regard to their description of these unconscious processes or in regard to the situations deemed responsible for their activation. (a) Screen Memories for Childhood Abuse A correlation between reported abduction experiences and reported […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 6

(b) Escape-From-Self and Masochistic Fantasies Newman and Baumeister (1994; 1996) hypothesize that the abduction experience is a manifestation of fantasies designed to “escape the self.” They argue that for some people, events that leave the individual feeling “stupid, clumsy, or unlovable,” or just the burdens of having to maintain independence, responsibility, and a positive image, may lead to pressure to avoid meaningful thought. In this regard, they consider masochism6 as one of the most effective ways to escape the self (it contains the features of pain, loss of control, and humiliation, each of which Newman and Baumeister argue are excellent strategies for escaping the self). Newman and Baumeister suggest that the parallels between masochistic fantasy and abduction-experience narratives (especially those aspects of the abduction […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 7

(1) awakening (or an experience immediately preceding sleep); (2) hearing and/or seeing something [e.g., the Old Hag or some other apparition] come into the room and approach the bed; (3) being pressed on the chest or strangled; (4) inability to move or cry out until either being brought out of the state by someone else or breaking through the feeling of paralysis on one’s own. [Hufford, 1982, pp. 10-11] Hufford questions whether this specificity of content across cultures can be understood simply in terms of sleep physiology. In this context, he cites an observation of Dement (a major figure in sleep research): Our understanding of hallucinations and dreams will be complete only when we can account for specific details, that is, when we know […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 3

Studies that are used to generalize to the abduction experience should involve source (retrieval) materials that are like the abduction experience in quality. Abduction memories are characterized by dynamic, emotionally charged events that instill trauma, fear, anxiety, confusion, and anger. Moreover, they are characterized by events so unusual as to be outside the range of normal human experience. In contrast, the bulk of laboratory research has used static and neutral source material such as memorized lists of words. Some studies have used more relevant materials for retrievals such as stress-inducing stimuli (DePiano & Salzberg, 1981; Zelig & Beidleman, 1981), or simulations of emotionally charged events like accidents or crimes (Brigham, Maass, Snyder, & Spaulding, 1982; Malpass & Devine, 1980; Sanders & Wamick, 1981). The […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 5

(c) False-Memory Syndrome The argument that therapy for real or imagined trauma may lead to “recollections” of events that never happened has been termed the “false-memory syndrome” (Goldstein, 1992). Originally, the false-memory syndrome was developed to suggest an iatrogenic origin for accounts of childhood sexual abuse and satanic ritual abuse. However, the false-memory syndrome has also been offered (for a list of representative articles see Gotlib, 1993) as an explanation for abduction experiences. (It is not uncommon for abduction experiencers to see mental health professionals for symptoms associated with a believed or suspected abduction experience.) Although the spontaneous emergence during therapy of a completely unsuspected abduction experience is apparently quite rare (based on the general lack of references to such cases in the clinical […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 4

On the other hand, Randles (1994a) noted a number of inconsistencies between the prototypical abduction experience and the stories of twenty British subjects asked to imagine a close encounter. These inconsistencies included more humanlike entities, almost no reports of “doorway amnesia” (failure to recall events associated with entry into the abductors’ craft), not a single medical examination, and little resemblance of apparent alien motives to those indicated in the reports by actual abduction experiencers. Although these results seem contradictory to those of Lawson and Lynn and Pezzo, it is interesting to note that compared to the stereotypical American abduction scenario, British abduction experiencers report humanlike entities about four times more often, and medical examinations about 1/3 as often (Randles, 1994b). Therefore, the results with […] Read More

1996: THE ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE: 2

The Rule of Parsimony and Theories of the Abduction Experience The issue of evidence is particularly important in regard to the rule of parsimony (often referred to as Occam’s razor). This maxim states that when interpreting a phenomenon, unnecessary assumptions should not be introduced. It is important to emphasize that parsimony is defined in terms of unnecessary assumptions, not in terms of unpopular assumptions, disturbing assumptions, or unconventional assumptions. As such, it can be assessed only in regard to empirical evidence, as the empirical evidence defines which assumptions are or are not necessary. A theory cannot continue to be defended on the grounds of parsimony if it has been disconfirmed through experiment, and in the absence of proper testing, parsimony by itself is of […] Read More

ADVANCED AERIAL DEVICES – Appendices – Electromagnetic Effect Cases

5. Electromagnetic Effect Cases __________________________________________________________ Sept 1950 When a Navy airplane was approached by two large discs its radar was jammed and the radio transmitter was blocked by a buzzing noise each time a new frequency was tried. Fall 1951 Over 14 (ground, airborne) radar sets tracked a UFO circling over the U.S. naval fleet at speeds of from “slow” to over 1,000 mph. May 26, 1952 Ground radar contacted a UFO and vectored a jet interceptor towards it. The radar operator onboard visually sighted the object which was subsequently locked on his airborne set. May 31, 1952 The F-94’s radar obtained a positive lock on the object while ground radar did not. It was first sighted from the ground. July 10, 1952 Canadian […] Read More

ADVANCED AERIAL DEVICES – Appendices – Summary of Unusual or Provocative

Summary of Unusual or Provocative UFO Flight Maneuvers Of major interest here are the flight dynamics of the UFO which appear to be directly related to the presence and/or behavior of the eye witness’ airplane or the witness himself. For an aerial vehicle to be able to control its position relative to another vehicle rapidly it must possess (1) a large acceleration capability (which requires a large amount of energy, (2) a propulsion capability to direct the energy in a given direction efficiently, (3) a means of sensing the change in position of the other vehicle, and (4) a highly precise guidance and local “navigation” system. The airplanes and other aerial weapons which were used during the Korean War were mostly of World War […] Read More