Scientific article on Alien Abduction

[uair01]

When I'm in a library with a powerful lierature search database I always look for the keyword "UFO". At the Dutch Royal Library in The Hague I found this article. I won't include it all, but will give you some fragments:

Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2000
“The General’s Abduction by Aliens from a UFO:
Levels of Meaning of Alien Abduction Reports”
Carl Goldberg, Ph.D.

A case study is presented of a patient who claims to have been abducted by aliens from a distant planet. Four related levels of meaning for the patient’s belief that he—and other “contactees”—were deducted is provided. These explanations can be categorized as: historical, moral, metaphorical, and psychological. A rationale is offered for the treatment of patients with alien abduction beliefs.

In the mid-to-late 1960’s, I was the psychology consultant to the so-called “White House” unit at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (SEH), a large federal sychiatric hospital in southeastWashington, DC. The unit held patients who were stopped in what police and security officials regarded as bizarre attempts to reach the President or some other important official of the federal or the district governments. In order to advise on the treatment of these patients, I supervised their psychological evaluations administrated by the clinical psychology interns assigned to the unit. On occasion I conducted an evaluation myself.

William Crawford, III (name has been changed) had been stopped at the gate of the White House by the Executive Branch Security guards, Politely, but firmly and expertly, two officers questioned him in the small sentry house three steps beyond the gate. He insisted that he had to see President Johnson immediately—the Nation was at peril if there was a delay.

“What is the problem?” he was asked.
“I have vital intelligence about national security.”
“How did you come by this information?”
“The message—which can only be delivered to President Johnson—was given to me by people from a distant planet, who have chosen me to represent them on their crucial mission to save the Earth.”
“How did you get together with people from another planet?”
“I was abducted and brought into their space craft above Washington.”

The guards glanced at each other with a weary look that acknowledged that they heard this story before.With a straight face, one of them reassured Crawford that they understood the importance of his mission. But they were not authorized to listen to more of his story. Since President Johnson was currently outof-town, he had left in charge a special agent to evaluate matters of national security for him. They would promptly bring Crawford to speak with the agent.

Crawford was soon transported to the “White House” unit at SEH and evaluated by the Unit’s in-take psychiatrist. In keeping with psychiatric beliefs of the time (Grinspoon & Perky, 1972; Meerloo, 1968; Warren, 1970), that anyone who claims to have been abducted by aliens is psychotic, Crawford was admitted to the unit.

The next day I found in my mail box on the unit a psychological evaluation request. It was taken for granted that Crawford had not been abducted by aliens. Either he was a paranoid schizophrenic or was suffering from severe anxiety and stress which had impaired his ability to reason. The unit psychiatrist wished me to determine which; he also sought treatment guidelines.

Nevertheless, after a few moments pause he went step-by-step through his abduction experience. He had sleep problems for many years. He was restless, tossing and turning in bed in his hotel in Washington. Finally, he fell into a deep and strange slumber:
“It is as if I was in two places at the same time: lying still on the bed and hovering in the room above myself.”
“Has this ever happened to you before?”
“Yes, a number of times, but never the same as what happened that night.”
“Which was?”
“As I was floating above myself, I saw two shadowy figures that give off a silvery light—without themselves being illuminated. They seem to have entered the room by passing through the window—although I knew I closed it to turn on the air conditioner earlier in the evening.
[...]
To equip me with this power they told me that they had to do medical procedures on me. I saw myself lying on a cot in the aliens’ surgery. There were other people there on tables as well. Technicians were working on them with large crude instruments. I heard screams and pleads for mercy from those lying on the tables as the technicians took scopes of their skin, incurring small painful hemorrhages.”

Wait a minute! I said to myself as I listened to Crawford’s description of the instruments and procedures in the aliens’ surgery: Is this a medical laboratory designed by a race of being who are so technologically advanced that they defy all known laws of astrophysics, or clandestine anatomists of the early 19th century, or even is this a visit to the laboratory of Dr. Frankenstein? There is something all wrong here! Crawford is describing a medical regime that is actually far inferior to contemporary medicine. Why in the world would a species of beings that supposedly can travel across galaxies in seconds use so painful and primitive medical techniques! Are they a sadistic race of beings, or is Crawford’s appalling description due to his lack of a medical knowledge to couch his creative delusion?

The now vast literature of investigations of people who have claimed alien abductions strongly suggests that many of the reported abduction experiences are the product of a sleep disorder (Baker, 1992; Hufford, 1982). I recognize now that Crawford’s sleep problem may have been a disorder known as “sleep paralysis.” Then it was a little known medical condition with which I was not familiar.

Based on his psychological testing evaluation and an observation of his behavior on the unit, I diagnosed Crawford as suffering from a schizophrenic reaction, paranoid type. His disturbance was characterized by grandiosity and premonition, ideas of reference, weird and peculiar thoughts, accompanied by some cognitive confusion and emotional lability. His report of an alien abduction was attributed to a systematic delusion.

Treatment considerations are always perplexing for patients like the General. What should the psychologist’s recommendation be for a patient who exhibits a severe delusion: To dissuade him from continuing to believe in his delusion by showing him the erroneous nature of his belief? Or to help him see the function his belief serves in how he feels about himself and about his relationship to other people? I recommended that the focus of his treatment be on the latter.
[...]

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Good find

It is interetsing to see that the SP experience has actually caused (or triggered) what passes for paranoid schizophrenia.

See also these resources for similar conclusions:

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 260#442260

 

[Graylien]

Wait a minute! I said to myself as I listened to Crawford’s description of the instruments and procedures in the aliens’ surgery... Crawford is describing a medical regime that is actually far inferior to contemporary medicine. Why in the world would a species of beings that supposedly can travel across galaxies in seconds use so painful and primitive medical techniques!

This is typical of the depressingly unimaginative and unintelligent approach of most scientists to the alien abduction experience. The subject says he has been abducted by highly advanced aliens. However, they don't behave as we would expect highly advanced aliens to behave. Therefore the subject imagined the whole thing and there was no external cause for his experience.

Now, in this particular case the patient may well have been suffering from schizophrenic delusions, but it doesn't alter the fact that the medics reasoning is inadequate. It completely ignores the possibility that the entities may have lied to the witness and that the 'medical examination' was nothing more than an elaborate charade. Imagine if police investigations were carried out using the same kind of logic.

Police Officer: So, you say that the person who assaulted you claimed to be called Zaphrod Beeblebrox?

Subject: Thats what he told me.

Police Officer: There's no such person as Zaphrod Beeblebrox. Therefore you obviously imagined the whole incident. Case closed.

Not too bright, is it? Unfortunately this type of logic is commonplace amongst both Ufologists and sceptics. I highly recommend the books of Jacques Vallee to anyone interested in exploring a more subtle approach to the alien abduction phenomenon.

 

[sunsplash1]

That's a great article, Thanks uair01!

 

[Anonymous]

Police Officer: So, you say that the person who assaulted you claimed to be called Zaphrod Beeblebrox?

Subject: Thats what he told me.

Police Officer: There's no such person as Zaphrod Beeblebrox. Therefore you obviously imagined the whole incident. Case closed.

Not too bright, is it? Unfortunately this type of logic is commonplace amongst both Ufologists and sceptics.

A better analogy would be if Zaphod Beeblebrox took said subject on board the Heart of Gold, and it was steam-driven. When such incredible aspects begin to accumulate in an account, the idea that the subject is imagining the incident (or lying) begins to look more and more likely.

 

[Graylien]

I'm not sure I'd agree that the greater the degree of high strangeness there is in a case, the less likely it is to be true. I think one has to take one of two positions: eithier to dismiss all abduction and entity reports as delusions and lies (a perfectly reasonable position in light of the lack of compelling physical evidence), or to accept that they do happen but that we have absolutely no idea what their true nature is or what is causing them. Taking the middle ground - that we are going to believe some abduction stories but not others, based solely on our assumptions of how aliens would behave - is actually the least logical approach, since it is based entirely on guesswork. I would suggest that the only sensible way to judge the credibility of any case is by judging the credibility of the witness, and certainly psychological testing has an crucial role to play in this.

However, say for example that we have nine apparently credible witnesses who claim they were abducted by grey aliens in a flying saucer from Zeta Reticuli and one apparently credible witness who claims he was abducted by humanoids from Mars wearing top hats and opera cloaks in a steam-powered spaceship. Common sense appears to tell us that the latter case is too preposterous to take seriously, but in fact, in and of itself, it is scarcely any more ridiculous than the other cases (and to an investigator in Victorian times may even have seemed less ridiculous than the other cases). The huge variety of entities and craft reported in Close Encounter cases of the last hundred years suggest that the abduction phenomenon is basically illusional and dreamlike in nature. The question is: do we create the illusion inside our own heads (and if so, by what mechanism?), or is it created for us by an unknown power?

 

[sudi5]

perfectly logical, graylien states:

I'm not sure I'd agree that the greater the degree of high strangeness there is in a case, the less likely it is to be true. I think one has to take one of two positions: eithier to dismiss all abduction and entity reports as delusions and lies (a perfectly reasonable position in light of the lack of compelling physical evidence), or to accept that they do happen but that we have absolutely no idea what their true nature is or what is causing them.

Yes.

Here we have, with abduction accounts, a phenomena that is not proven with any objective evidence. But we insist on "grading" the accounts as "possible" or "impossible" on subjective, anticipated details that somehow sound like the "real" thing.

Therefore, we define the "real" thing based on imaginings and creative expectations. The old "tail wagging the dog."

As a somewaht related aside, (and this goes back to the accounts of sleep paralysis and "shadow figures" by the bed, which have also been tied into abduction accounts' psychology,) we have several phenomena (old hag, abduction, near death experiences,) that have creepily similar aspects and are half-way explained in psychological terms. The conclusion that these experiences are based soley in our heads is slightly backed up (IMO) by studies of brainwaves while test subjects sleep. Activity that originates in the area of the brain behind the ear is usually where these experiences light up the brain, to the best of my recall. So I accept that the phenomena originates in some capacity in our (my) brain(s).

But this still leaves an entire kettle of fish uncooked, as far as I am concerned. Since these subjective experiences hold so many similar concrete details, it does speak to an objective reality. Very much as we have decided that an account of alien abduction must appear "credible" when we have no idea what thet definition of "credible" might be, we have decided that because the experiences of the Old Hag, et al, are similar and the brain reacts in one area in controlled circumstances, that the experience is explainable as entirely psychological. What if that area of the brain is just the best "gateway" by which aliens can communicate with humans? What if that area of the brain is just the best "plug-in" (or the cheapest software at Compu-Alien-Mart,) for other-worlders or hyper-dimensioners?

I am still flummoxed as to why the accounts are all so similar.

They all seem to be objective subjectivities.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

But this still leaves an entire kettle of fish uncooked, as far as I am concerned. Since these subjective experiences hold so many similar concrete details, it does speak to an objective reality. Very much as we have decided that an account of alien abduction must appear "credible" when we have no idea what thet definition of "credible" might be, we have decided that because the experiences of the Old Hag, et al, are similar and the brain reacts in one area in controlled circumstances, that the experience is explainable as entirely psychological. What if that area of the brain is just the best "gateway" by which aliens can communicate with humans? What if that area of the brain is just the best "plug-in" (or the cheapest software at Compu-Alien-Mart,) for other-worlders or hyper-dimensioners?

I am still flummoxed as to why the accounts are all so similar.

They all seem to be objective subjectivities.

I suppose this comes down to Occams Razor - if we narrow it down to a biological process then saying that this may just be because entities are using some area of our brain to communicate seems like an extra, unneccesary level of complicaiton.

On accounts being similar the simple answer is they aren't. The threads here and Hufford's book demonstrate the vast variety of experiences. There are interesting subsets like the alien abduction experience (and early things like the incubus and succubus attacks) but these things aren't carved in stone - you don't wake up with a nicely written record of the encounter. They have to be recalled and interpretted and often with aline abduction experiences they are retreived by hypnosis adding an extra layer of filtering into the equation. As all these experiences are processed to a varying degree then we tend to impose "agreed upon" narrative structures and motifs. When things are interpreted within an alien abduction framework hen they can appear to be alien abductions.

One could argue that parasomnia somehow confusing the issue with real abduction but the bedtime abduction scenario isn't a discrete phenomena and it shares its traits with the rest of range of enouncters - it only appears consistent and uniform if you select your data carefully.

 

[Human_84]

... it only appears consistent and uniform if you select your data carefully.

On hipnotic regression:

Dont forget Emperor, that what you said here is not true in all cases of the experience, conceivably most though.

 

[BaronVonHoopla]

The huge variety of entities and craft reported in Close Encounter cases of the last hundred years suggest that the abduction phenomenon is basically illusional and dreamlike in nature. The question is: do we create the illusion inside our own heads (and if so, by what mechanism?), or is it created for us by an unknown power?

That is single-handedly the MOST intelligent couple sentences I have ever read on this forum. Kudos, Graylien, I completely agree, it does seem to be some sort of controlled hallucination.

And it goes with the message Mr. Apol sent to one woman in the Mothman Prophesies: "We have chosen you because you are highly suggestible."

 

[sudi5]

Emps says, about abductions experiences ,etc.:

On accounts being similar the simple answer is they aren't.

I suppose I am thinking about the fact that, say in the case of the "shadow-by-the-bed" experience, many people report a triangular type body shape and also a "pointy-brimmed" hat. With abductions, it's usually gray beings....at least the recent accounts.

These details seem to be reported often enough to designate experiences as being similar. For example, (as far as specific details go,) I had never heard of a triangular shadow-man with a pointy hat before I myself experienced it and then have subsequently read a lot of similar experiences. Of course, the alien description is so popularized, there's no way to tell if the reports are formed from cultural pollution or an actual carte blanche experience.

if we narrow it down to a biological process then saying that this may just be because entities are using some area of our brain to communicate seems like an extra, unneccesary level of complicaiton.

I agree it would be an extra layer of complication, but that sort of harkens back to our original discussion which graylien brought up....when is an account's explanation so far out there that it is to be entirely dismissed, when we don't even know what the baseline for weirdnesses of these sorts is?

 

[BaronVonHoopla]

I suppose this comes down to Occams Razor - if we narrow it down to a biological process then saying that this may just be because entities are using some area of our brain to communicate seems like an extra, unneccesary level of complicaiton.

But, Occam's Razor doesn't fully cut it in this situation.

True, to water it all down to a biological process, yes it does, but when one considers the amount of stories that are remarkably the same, biological process alone doesn't hold up nearly as well.

Why do so many people see people in their rooms? Why are so many shadow people? Why are so many old ladies? Why are they so violent?

It's like the vision at Fatima - hundreds of thousands of people "saw" the sun bob and dip in the sky . . . to paraphrase Robert Anton Wilson in Cosmic Trigger, if you believe the sun really dipped toward the earth, I think you are naive, but surely SOMETHING was going on.

 

[Human_84]

^ ^ Utter nonsense!

Regression has proven that subjets to multiple person abductions often have stories that add up perfectly and aren't subject to purposefull swaying by the person conducting the phsychological tests. Furthermore, several accounts of abductions have taken place which other people were witnesses to. Continuing, physical proof by form of marks and scars on subjects bodies, and a whole slew of other bits of evidence. The case of the single lady who claimed abduction and had a hideous scar on her back from a burn off the ship. People told her it was self inflicted, pooey. What about all this stuff I mentioned merely from the top of my head in 2 minutes time? Dillusional people claiming abductions outta nowhere? Garbage!!!

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

... it only appears consistent and uniform if you select your data carefully.

On hipnotic regression:

Dont forget Emperor, that what you said here is not true in all cases of the experience, conceivably most though.

I'm not sure what you mean.

There is also no need to bandy terms like "utter nonsense" and "garbage" around - it doesn't help your arguement or move things along.

Emps says, about abductions experiences ,etc.:

On accounts being similar the simple answer is they aren't.

I suppose I am thinking about the fact that, say in the case of the "shadow-by-the-bed" experience, many people report a triangular type body shape and also a "pointy-brimmed" hat. With abductions, it's usually gray beings....at least the recent accounts.

These details seem to be reported often enough to designate experiences as being similar. For example, (as far as specific details go,) I had never heard of a triangular shadow-man with a pointy hat before I myself experienced it and then have subsequently read a lot of similar experiences. Of course, the alien description is so popularized, there's no way to tell if the reports are formed from cultural pollution or an actual carte blanche experience.

But shadows by the bed or grays are only part of a much wider continuum of experiences from dwarves to red heads to massive elephant type craetures to bacl dogs, etc., etc. It seems likely that some of these experiences will be similar just through random chance. Through in well understood "archetpes" (for want of a better word) and the kind of "understood" socially constructed narratives (like an alien abduction scenario) and it is no wonder that some groupings/types emerge but they are part of a spectrum of entities.

I suppose this comes down to Occams Razor - if we narrow it down to a biological process then saying that this may just be because entities are using some area of our brain to communicate seems like an extra, unneccesary level of complicaiton.

But, Occam's Razor doesn't fully cut it in this situation.

True, to water it all down to a biological process, yes it does, but when one considers the amount of stories that are remarkably the same, biological process alone doesn't hold up nearly as well.

Why do so many people see people in their rooms? Why are so many shadow people? Why are so many old ladies? Why are they so violent?

Well as I say there may be old ladies, there may be shadow people there are also a vast number of other things described.

Why so violent? Some of them aren't, some of them are. If it is right that the fear that is part of SP in particular is due to the fact that it is due to our threat mechanism running rogue then this would lead to generally violent imagery.

 

[wembley8]

"Regression has proven that subjets to multiple person abductions often have stories that add up perfectly and aren't subject to purposefull swaying by the person conducting the phsychological tests"

Wow, that's quite a claim and appears to go against the consensus (this is why hypnotic regression is not used as evidence in court). Do you have any references?

 

[Anonymous]

My own experience of sleep paralysis produced a gray alien that was obviously derived from television images. (particularly this chap)
I am pretty sure we cannot rule out the influence of mass media on such psychological/physiological phenomena.

 

[Human_84]

There is also no need to bandy terms like "utter nonsense" and "garbage" around - it doesn't help your arguement or move things along.

Your right. I was just getting really into my post b/c I strongly disagree, sorry for that.


Wembely - Its from material I've read. I will try to find sources...

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

My own experience of sleep paralysis produced a gray alien that was obviously derived from television images. (particularly this chap)
I am pretty sure we cannot rule out the influence of mass media on such psychological/physiological phenomena.

Every society ha had ways of disseminating a consensus on the narritives of encouters with various "entities" its just in this day and age the western hemisphere consensus is now global.

I think what is interesting is the way the encounters with aliens has shifted so much from a near galactic UN to the more universal grey (granted there are still some different aliens but there has certainly been a shift in the frequency). A war in the heavens or did we come to an "agreed" narrative?

I'm sure there are books that look at the changes in the creatures encountered over the last 50 years.

 

[Graylien]

Furthermore, several accounts of abductions have taken place which other people were witnesses to

I'd be interested to see your sources for this claim. The only two cases which I can recall from the literature are the Maureen Puddy case (in which the two witnesses could see that the subject definately wasn't physically abducted) and the infamous Linda Napolitano case promoted by Budd Hopkins - which is based solely on the testimony of the principle witness and some pseudoanonymous letters received from two alleged independant witnesses who Hopkins admits he never actually met in person.
(See http://www.skepticfiles.org/ufo2/lindarpt.htm for a dissection of this case.)

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

See also the discussion "gray abductions in crowded places":

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2889

 

[Human_84]

Furthermore, several accounts of abductions have taken place which other people were witnesses to

I'd be interested to see your sources for this claim. The only two cases which I can recall from the literature are the Maureen Puddy case (in which the two witnesses could see that the subject definately wasn't physically abducted) and the infamous Linda Napolitano case promoted by Budd Hopkins - which is based solely on the testimony of the principle witness and some pseudoanonymous letters received from two alleged independant witnesses who Hopkins admits he never actually met in person.
(See http://www.skepticfiles.org/ufo2/lindarpt.htm for a dissection of this case.)

I saw bud hopkins at a seminar once. There is his famous case where the lady was floated outside of her apartment building in brooklyn directly in view of the bridge. Another case I've read of was one where an entire office or workers were tooken aboard whilst leaving work. Others in the business park witnessed this. Streiber of course. Another I faintly remember was of a man who remembers seeing other people on board that were neighbors of his from a rural farming community i think in nebraska. Later those people were not able to prove they werent somewhere else at the time. 2 stories of fishing buddies being taken aboard at once. One of these 2 stories I think was highlighted on unsolved mysteries? Theres at least a couple more. Keep in mind I have a stack of UFO books at my other house about 2 feet in height, things mentioned here are from them. I will try to find sources...