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The abduction phenomenon is an umbrella term used to describe hypotheses, claims, or assertions that non-human creatures (usually aliens) kidnap individuals—sometimes called "abductees"—and take them to their ship, usually for medical testing, experiments, or for sexual reproduction procedures. Some purported abductees claim that the aliens tried to warn them of the declining state of their planet. While many of these purported encounters are described as terrifying or humiliating, some have purportedly been transformative, resulting in a profound mystical experience and a feeling of oneness with God or the universe. Reports of the abduction phenomenon have been made from around the world, but have perhaps seen most mainstream attention in the United States^{[citation needed]}. Look up abduction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In logic, abduction is a method of reasoning; see abductive reasoning. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A hypothesis (= assumption in ancient Greek) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. ... Kidnapper redirects here. ... See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... Sexual reproduction is a union that results in increasing genetic diversity of the offspring. ...

Skeptics tend to doubt that the phenomenon occurs literally as reported, and a wide variety of alternate explanations have been proposed (see below). Rather, such skeptics often argue that the phenomenon might be characterized as a type of modern-day folk myth (like the historic belief in vampires), or regard them as very vivid dreams in the state of sleep paralysis. The alien abduction phenomenon has been the subject of conspiracy theory and as such has become a staple of popular science fiction works such as The X-Files. Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ... Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... For other uses, see Conspiracy theory (disambiguation). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The X-Files is an American Peabody, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on 10 September 1993, and ended on 19 May 2002. ...

Overview

Few mainstream scientists believe the phenomenon literally occurs as reported, and most people contend the field is rife with kooks and pseudoscience. However, there is little doubt that many apparently stable persons who report alien abductions are sincere: as reported in the Harvard University Gazette in 1992, Dr. John Edward Mack investigated over 60 claimed abductees, and "spent countless therapeutic hours with these individuals only to find that what struck him was the 'ordinariness' of the population, including a restaurant owner, several secretaries, a prison guard, college students, a university administrator, and several homemakers ... 'The majority of abductees do not appear to be deluded, confabulating, lying, self-dramatizing, or suffering from a clear mental illness,' he maintained. He has encountered only one person who showed psychotic features." ^[2] Other experts who have argued that abductees' mental health is no better or worse than average, including psychologists John Wilson and Rima Laibow, and psychotherapist David Gotlib^[3]. see Center for UFO Studies ... Crank is a pejorative term for a person who holds some belief which the vast majority of his contemporaries would consider false, clings to this belief in the face of all counterarguments or evidence presented to him. ... A typical 18th century phrenology chart. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004) was an American Psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School. ... A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception. ... Look up confabulation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A mental illness or mental disorder refers to one of many mental health conditions characterized by distress, impaired cognitive functioning, atypical behavior, emotional dysregulation, and/or maladaptive behavior. ... Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted. ...

Some abduction reports are quite detailed. An entire subculture has developed around the subject, with support groups and a detailed mythos explaining the reasons for abductions: The various aliens (Greys, Reptilians, "Nordics" and so on) are said to have specific roles, origins, and motivations. Abduction claimants do not always attempt to explain the phenomenon, but some take independent research interest in it themselves, and explain the lack of greater awareness of alien abduction as the result of either extraterrestrial or governmental interest in cover-up. In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs, culture, which could be distinct or hidden, that differentiate them from the larger culture to which they belong. ... ‹ The template below (Mind-body interventions) is being considered for deletion. ... Look up muthos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ... Reptilian humanoids are a recurring theme in mythology, fiction, and especially science fiction, fringe theories, and conspiracy theories. ... Nordic aliens is a name given to what are said to be a group of humanoid extraterrestrials. ... Green people redirects here. ... This article is about a short-lived television series. ...

Perception of the abduction phenomenon

Others are intrigued by the entire phenomenon, but hesitate in making any definitive conclusions. Emergency room physician Dr. John G. Miller asks, "How can a person have any firmly held belief about this when it's so mysterious? The opinions of the true believers are hard to swallow; and the opinions of the die-hard skeptics are not based on reality either. There is some middle ground ... It's clear that this is some sort of powerful subjective experience. But I do not know what the objective reality is. It's as if the evidence leads us in both directions." (Bryan, 162) Similarly, the late Harvard psychiatrist John Mack concluded, "The furthest you can go at this point is to say there's an authentic mystery here. And that is, I think, as far as anyone ought to go." (emphasis as in original) (Bryan, 269) Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004) was an American Psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School. ...

Putting aside the question of whether abduction reports are literally and objectively "real", literature professor Terry Matheson argues that their popularity and their intriguing appeal are easily understood. Tales of abduction "are intrinsically absorbing; it is hard to imagine a more vivid description of human powerlessness." After experiencing the frisson of delightful terror one may feel from reading ghost stories or watching horror movies, Matheson notes that people "can return to the safe world of their homes, secure in the knowledge that the phenomenon in question cannot follow. But as the abduction myth has stated almost from the outset, there is no avoiding alien abductors." (Matheson, 297) A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or the belief of some character(s) in them. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ...

Even hearing a tape recording of (or watching a video recording of) a hypnotic regression session can be a chilling experience, leaving little doubt to some observers that the individual is either an accomplished actor, or genuinely believes they are reliving a horrifying experience. Once hypnotized and supposedly recalling an abduction event, some people relate the event calmly, while others may beg pathetically for the event to stop, cry in apparent horror, shout angrily or tremble with fear.

Matheson writes that when compared to the earlier contactee reports, abduction accounts are distinguished by their "relative sophistication and subtlety, which enabled them to enjoy an immediately more favorable reception from the public." Contactees are persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials. ...

The abduction narrative

Although different cases vary in detail (sometimes significantly), some UFO researchers, such as folklorist Thomas E. Bullard^[4] argue that there is a broad, fairly consistent sequence and description of events which make up the typical "close encounter of the fourth kind" (a popular but unofficial designation building on Dr. J. Allen Hynek's classifying terminology). Though the features outlined below are often reported, there is some disagreement as to exactly how often they actually occur. Some researchers (especially Budd Hopkins and David Michael Jacobs) have been accused of excluding, minimising or suppressing testimony or data which do not fit a certain paradigm for the phenomenon.^{[citation needed]} Thomas Eddie Bullard (born 1949) is an American folklorist best known for his research into UFOs and the abduction phenomenon. ... Close encounter in ufology is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. ... Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a U.S. astronomer, professor, and ufologist. ... Budd Hopkins (born on June 15, 1931 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a central figure in abduction phenomenon and related UFO research. ... For other uses, see Paradigm (disambiguation). ...

Bullard argues most abduction accounts feature the following events. They generally follow the sequence noted below, though not all abductions feature all the events:

1. Capture (Abductees taken from room/area and find themselves in the "ship")
2. Examination (a seeming medical or physiological exam)
3. Conference ("Aliens" speak with abductees)
4. Tour (Not always described but some abductees claim to be shown the ship)
5. Loss of Time (Many abductees suffer from periods of time removed from their memory, often coming back to them later)
6. Return (Returned, sometimes with environmental changes)
7. Theophany (a profound mystical experience, therefore a feeling of oneness with God or the universe)
8. Aftermath (Sickness, new phobias, ridicule, etc. incl. fear of being not returned, eaten.)

Such alleged abductions are often closely connected to UFO reports, and are sometimes supposedly conducted by so-called Greys: Short, grey-skinned humanoids with large, pear-shaped heads and enormous dark eyes. One of the fictional ships called the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, one of the most famous fictional starships. ... For other uses, see Memory (disambiguation). ... Look up theophany in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports, especially in the Washington DC area. ... UFO redirects here. ... For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ...

Capture

Most abductees report being taken from their bedroom prior to falling asleep.^{[citation needed]} Typically, at the onset of the abduction experience, the abductee will report paralysis, sighting a bright light, and the appearance of humanoid figures.

In many abduction reports, the individual(s) concerned are traveling by automobile at the time of the incident, usually at night or in the early morning hours, and usually in a rural or sparsely populated area. A UFO will be seen ahead, (sometimes on the road) and the driver will either deliberately stop to investigate, or the car will stop due to apparent mechanical failure. Other forms of mechanical failure and interference are also common, such as a car radio producing static or behaving abnormally. Such descriptions match that of an EM pulse, which can be both naturally and artificially induced. In the occasions when they have been present, animals such as dogs usually also display a heightened fear response. Example of an electromagnetic pulse, in this case caused by the electrical discharge required to fire the Z machine. ...

Some reports indicate the alleged aliens, often the Greys using a pencil sized, black device with a light on the end of it, to make the abductee compliant (From Nick Pope's book The Uninvited (book)) For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ... Nick Pope is a British government official who has worked at the Ministry of Defence since joining in 1985. ...

Upon getting out of the vehicle, the driver and passenger(s) often will experience a blank period and amnesia (see Missing Time), after which they will find themselves again standing in front of, or driving their car. While they frequently will not consciously remember the experience, either subsequent nightmares or hypnosis will reveal events interpreted as having occurred during the period lacking memory. The current usage of the term nightmare refers to a dream which causes the sleeper a strong unpleasant emotional response. ... For other uses, see Hypnotized (song). ...

Examination

The examination phase of the so-called "abduction narrative" is characterized by the performance of medical procedures and examinations by apparently alien beings against or irrespective to the will of the experiencer. Such procedures often focus on sex and reproductive biology. However, the literature holds reports of a wide variety of procedures allegedly performed by the beings. The entity that appears to be in charge of the operation is often taller than the others involved^[5] For other uses of related terms, see abduction. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Reproduction is the creation of one thing as a copy of, product of, or replacement for a similar thing, e. ... For the song by Girls Aloud see Biology (song) Biology studies the variety of life (clockwise from top-left) E. coli, tree fern, gazelle, Goliath beetle Biology (from Greek: Βιολογία - βίος, bio, life; and λόγος, logos, speech lit. ...

Physician and abduction researcher Dr. John G. Miller explains that among abduction reports what stands out is the contrast between procedures performed by the alleged entities and those performed by doctors practicing typical earthly medecine.^[5] He says "we're not hearing about 'our kind of medicine'"^[5] Millers believes these differences add credibility to claims of alien abductions because if they were hoaxes or confabulations the reports should more closely resemble the earthly medicine familiar to the claimants.^[5] A skeptic might reply by saying that the reason the reports don't resemble actual accepted procedures is because the accounts are fictional. This article is about Earth as a planet. ... This article is about modern humans. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ...

Miller notes different areas of emphasis between human medicine and what is allegedly being practiced by the abductors.^[5] The abductors' areas of interest appear to be the cranium (see below), nervous system, skin, reproductive system, and to a lesser degree, the joints.^[5] Systems given less attention than a human doctor would, or omitted entirely include cardiovascular system, the respiratory system below the pharynx and the lymphatic system.^[5] The abductors also appear to ignore the upper region of the abdomen in favor of the lower one.^[5] Cranium can mean: The brain and surrounding skull, a part of the body. ... For other uses of related terms, see abduction. ... The nervous system is a highly specialized network whose principal components are nerves called neurons. ... This article is about the organ. ... A pictorial illustration of the human female reproductive system. ... For other uses, see Joint (disambiguation). ... The circulatory system or cardiovascular system is the organ system which circulates blood around the body of most animals. ... Among quadrupeds, the respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. ... The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea. ... The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphoid organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, lymphatic tissues, lymph capillaries and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from tissues to the circulatory system. ... The abdomen in a human and an ant. ...

There are also differences in procedure as well as emphasis between human medicine and that claimed to be practiced by the entities. Interestingly, the abductors don't appear to wear gloves during the "examination." ^[5] Other constants of terrestrial medicine like pills and tablets are missing from abduction narratives although sometimes abductees are asked to drink liquids. ^[5] Injections also seem to be rare and IVs are almost completely absent.^[5] Dr. Miller says he's never heard an abductee claim to have a tongue depressor used on them. ^[5]

Cranial procedures

Yvonne Smith, a certified hypnotherapist and abduction researcher, notes that "startling similarities" between abductees reporting procedures performed on the head arise when comparing reports of hypnotically retrieved abduction memories.^[6] She states that the most commonly reported sensations and procedures performed to the head are feelings of pressure in or on the head and the insertion of needles into the scalp.^[6] During cranial procedures the abductee's head is often restrained by a strap or metal bar drawn across the forehead.^[6] The abductors sometimes will touch the forehead of the experiencer, which strangely, seems to ease their anxiety and whatever physical pain they may be experiencing.^[5]

Reports of the entities drilling into the skull have also been given by several of Smith's clients.^[6] In one instance the claimed site of the drilling corresponded with an actual red mark on the back of experiencer's head.^[6] An attempt to document this mark photographically was made, but turned out unsuccessful.^[6] The same client reported smelling something burning upon the termination of the procedure.^[6] Smith has wondered if this could represent the being cauterizing the wound left by the drilling procedure by the abducting entities.^[6] Hot cauters were applied to tissues or arteries to stop them from bleeding. ...

Other common cranial procedures involve the ears.^[6] Reports of pressure or intense heat being experienced with in one or both ears are the most common given during the hypnotic retrieval of memories.^[6] Experiencers have compared these sensations to the insertions of long needles and to having a high powered laser aimed into the ear.^[6]

The insertion of long needle-like objects into the nasal passages is also common in reported abductions, and always allegedly performed without the aid of a speculum.^[5] This is quite unlike typical earthly medecine where a speculum would be used to allow doctors to see what they're doing.^[5] John G. Miller asserts "We [terrestrial medical practitioners] certainly do not 'blindly' insert long objects into our patients' noses."^[5] He speculates that this probing may represent a biopsy of the olfactory mucous membrane.^[5] However, sometimes it is reported that these long probes are used to insert spherical metallic "implants" into the nasal cavity.^[5] Abductees reporting these implants often claim to experience nosebleeds after the alleged abduction.^[5] Meanings of speculum include: A medical tool used for examing body cavities; see Speculum (medical). ...

One of Smith's clients reported the removal of his skull cap and some sort of procedure being performed to his exposed brain with a needle-like instrument.^[6] The procedure reminded him of welding.^[6] One of his abductors tried to reassure him verbally while the apparent neurological procedure was being performed.^[6] Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ...

Reproductive, Gynecological and Urological Procedures

Although many female abductees report a "gynecological" aspect to the abduction experience, staples of terrestrial gynecology such as the bimanual pelvic exam are missing from the alleged abduction experiences.^[5] The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ...

Reported devices and instruments

Although the chest is not an area of emphasis to the alleged abductors, sometimes it is reported sometimes a device of some sort is placed on the chest.^[5] Physician and abduction researcher Dr. John G. Miller says that he can't distinguish whether this device is an EKG, chest X-ray or echocardiogram. ^[5] Experiencers also sometimes report the being targeted by "diffused colored lights" during the examination.^[5] John G. Miller notes that phototherapy is rare in human medicine. ^[5] ECG may also refer to the East Coast Greenway Lead II An Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, abbreviated from the German Elektrokardiogramm) is a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph, which records the electrical voltage in the heart in the form of a continuous strip graph. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... The echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. ... Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to specific ranges of light wavelengths (using lasers or LEDs), or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time. ...

When the abductors appear to use devices analogous to those used in human medicine, they are often quite different, for example, alleged alien syringes are often reported as being "three pronged."^[5]

Conference

During the "conference" phase, the "Aliens" speak with abductees. Generally, the aliens question the abductees about life on earth, or on their reproductive practices. In some cases, the aliens make inquiries about advanced scientific concepts, such as theoretical physics or neutron bomb technologies, apparently under the assumption that all humans are familiar with these concepts.

Tour

During the "Tour" phase of an alien abduction, the aliens will give the abductee a tour of their space vessel. While not all abductees are given a tour of the ship, in some cases, the aliens seem to want the abductee to see the different parts of the ship, particularly the main engine room (where the hyperdrive or other propulsion system is located). It is not known whether the aliens are doing this to gauge the reactions of the human abductee, or whether they are doing this as a courtesy of hospitality.

Missing time

Dr. Don C. Donderi writes that "In many of these abduction accounts, there is independent confirmation of missing time--emotionally stable people arriving hours late after long or short automobile journeys. There is independent confirmation of abduction events reported under hypnosis, sometimes by non hypnotized observers and sometimes by other hypnotized witnesses" (Donderi, 66)

Return

After the abduction, the probing/medical examinations, and the conference stages, the abductee is relocated out of the alien ship and returned to ground level. Often, the abductee is returned to a place other than their home, such as a remote location, such as an abandoned, empty drive-in theatre, or a disused building site. It is not known whether the use of these remote "drop-off" locations is done on purpose or not. Nevertheless, by returning abductees to these remote locations, it tends to undermine their credibility when rescuers find them, because the rescuer finds the abductee curled up sleeping on the dirt in the disused facility, wrapped in old newspapers. This tends to make rescuers think that the abductee was on a "drunken bender", and passed out in an empty building lot or parking lot. This may be part of the strategy of the aliens, to undermine the credibility of the abductees.

Theophany

While some abductees find that the experience is terrifying, particularly if the aliens are of a more fearsome reptoid species, or if the abductee was subjected to extensive probing and medical testing, other abductees experience "theophany"— a sense of oneness with the universe or with God. It is not known whether this is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within the abductee due to their own beliefs, or if it is externally "transferred" into the mind of the abductee using an alien mind-transference or "mind-melding" technology.

Aftermath

• Enforced Ridicule
• PTSD
• Fear of being being taken without being returned
• Family ridicule, since the family fears a loss of social standing, loss of credibility, loss of honor in society.
• Societal ridicule, ridicule by society and the medical profession, who will say that the "patient" has delusions, paranoias, other "mental illnesses" - in compliance to certain societal protocol
• Physical injuries of unexplained nature, incl. "scoop marks"
• In some cases, radiation poisoning^{[citation needed]}
• Nightmares, especially those involving aliens, medical procedures, UFOs, apocalyptic visions, instructions given by the aliens to NOT report what he/she has seen/experienced.
• Strange fears and phobias
• Ridicule by "Skeptics"
• No expectation of a full, "normal" life
• No expectation of a decent future

The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports, especially in the Washington DC area. ... Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a term for the psychological consequences of exposure to or confrontation with stressful experiences, which involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury or a threat to physical integrity and which the person found highly traumatic. ... The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports, especially in the Washington DC area. ... For other uses, see Radiation (disambiguation). ...

Post traumatic stress disorder

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"Rapid Healing"

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Realization event

Physician and abduction researcher John G. Miller sees significance in the reason a person would come to see themselves as being a victim of the abduction phenomenon.^[7] He terms the insight or development leading to this shift in identity from non-abductee to abductee the "realization event."^[7] The realization event is often a single, memorable experience, but Miller reports that not all abductees experience it as a distinct episode.^[7] Either way, the realization event can be thought of as the "clinical horizon" of the abduction experience.^[7] Dr. Miller has compiled an incomplete list of common triggers for the realization event in a paper presented at the 1992 alien abduction conference held at MIT: Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ...

1. Tanigble evidence, such as unexplained wounds or bodily changes or modification to the abductee's environment.^[7]
2. Conversations with other abductees or exposure to abduction claims.^[7]
3. Exposure to depictions of the abduction phenomenon in popular culture or the media.^[7]
4. Hypnotic retrieval of abduction memories.^[7]

Sometimes the advent of the realization that one is an abductee can cause a "flood" of previously hidden memories of one's perceived encounters with "the entities."^[7] Although the realization event is sometimes triggered by an attempt to hypnotically retrieve memories, it is frequently remembered consciously without any such assistance.^[7] Consequently, Miller sees it as a good "starting point" for a researcher investigating an individual subject.^[7]

Less common elements

• Able to "channel" aliens.

Abductors

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Motivations

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Dr. John G. Miller reports that when asked why the invasive and often humiliating medical procedures are being performed, the entity will often answer with a statement expressing sentiments like "We have the right to do this."^[5] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Types

• Greys
• Reptoids
• Insectoids
• Non-Earth Humans
• Robotic aliens
• Nordics
• Borg aliens

For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ... Reptoids are often reported wearing hoods Reptilian humanoids are intelligent, supernatural, or highly developed reptile-like humanoids in mythology, popular fiction, and speculative fringe theories. ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... Nordic theory (or Nordicism) was a theory of racial supremacy prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, which claimed that North European peoples constitute a “master race” because of their supposed innate racial capacity for leadership. ... For other uses, see Cyborg (disambiguation). ...

Abductees

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Demographics

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History

As noted below, the Antonio Villas Boas case (1957) and the Hill Abduction (1961) were the first cases of UFO abduction to earn widespread attention. Antonio Villas Boas claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials in 1957. ... Betty and Barney Hill claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials on September 16, 1961. ...

Though these two cases are sometimes viewed as the earliest abductions, skeptic Peter Rogerson^[8] notes this assertion is incorrect: the Hill and Boas abductions, he contends, were only the first "canonical" abduction cases, establishing a template that later abductees and researchers would refine, but rarely deviate from. Additionally, Rogerson notes purported abductions were cited contemporaneously at least as early as 1954, and that "the growth of the abduction stories is a far more tangled affair than the 'entirely unpredisposed' official history would have us believe." (The phrase "entirely unpredisposed" appeared in folklorist Thomas E. Bullard's study of alien abduction; he argued that alien abductions as reported in the 1970s and 1980s had little precedent in folklore or fiction.) See "external links" for all four parts of Rogerson's article. Thomas Eddie Bullard (born 1949) is an American folklorist best known for his research into UFOs and the abduction phenomenon. ...

Paleo-abductions

While "alien abduction" did not achieve widespread attention until the 1960s, there were many similar stories circulating decades earlier. These early abduction-like accounts have been dubbed "paleo-abductions" by UFO researcher Jerome Clark. ^[9] This same two-part article (^[10] and ^[11]) makes note of many paleo-abductions, some of which were reported well before the 1957 Antonio Villas Boas case earned much attention, or even before the UFO report claimed in 1947 by pilot Kenneth Arnold that first generated widespread interest in UFOs: Jerome Clark (1946 - ) is an American researcher and writer, specializing in unidentified flying objects and other anomalous phenomena; he is also a songwriter of some note. ... Antonio Villas Boas claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials in 1957. ... Kenneth A. Arnold (born March 29, 1915 in Sebeka, Minnesota; died January 16, 1984 in Bellevue, Washington) was an American businessman and pilot. ...

• There was at least one case of attempted abduction reported in conjunction with the mystery airships of the late 1800s. Colonel H.G. Shaw's account was published in the Stockton, California Daily Mail in 1897: Shaw claimed that he and a friend were harassed by three tall, slender humanoids who were covered with a fine, downy hair covering their bodies. The beings tried to accost or kidnap Shaw and his friend, who were able to fight them off.^[12]
• In his 1923 book, New Lands, American writer Charles Fort speculated that extraterrestrial beings might have kidnapped humans: "One supposes that if extra-mundane vessels have sometimes come close to this earth, then sailing away, terrestrial aëronauts may have occasionally left this earth, or may have been seized and carried away from this earth."^[13]
• The 1951 case of Fred Reagan, which was publicized by Flying Saucer Review in the late 1960s based on news clippings from 1952. Bizarre even by alien abduction standards, Reagan claimed to have been piloting his small airplane, which was struck by a UFO; the occupants (who resembled metallic stalks of asparagus) apologised, and tried to cure Reagan's cancer. Reagan reportedly died of a brain disorder not long after the alleged UFO encounter.
• In 1954, Paris Match printed a story said to have occurred in 1921, when the anonymous writer was a child. The writer claimed to have been snatched by two tall "men" who wore helmets and "diving suits" and who took the boy to an "oddly shaped tank" before being released. Rogerson calls this story "the earliest known abduction survivor report."^[14]
• A 1958 letter to NICAP asserted that two U.S. Army soldiers witnessed two bright red lights near their base. The soldiers had a strange sense of dissociation, and found themselves in a new location, with no memory of how they arrived there.
• Rogerson writes that the 1955 publication of Harold T. Wilkins's Flying Saucers Uncensored declared that two contactees, (Karl Hunrath and Wilbur Wilkinson) had disappeared under mysterious circumstances; Wilkins reported speculation that the duo were the victims of "alleged abduction by flying saucers".^[15]
• The so-called Shaver Mystery of the 1940s has some similarities to later abduction accounts, as well, with sinister beings said to be kidnapping and torturing people. Rogerson writes that John Robinson (a friend of ufology gadfly Jim Moseley) made a 1957 appearance on John Nebel's popular overnight radio program to tell "a dramatically spooky, if not very plausible, abduction tale" related to the Shaver Mystery: Robinson claimed that a friend of his had been held captive by the evil Deros beneath the Earth, and to have been the victim of a sort of mind control via small "earphones"; Rogerson writes that "in this unlikely tale that we first encounter the implants ... and other abductionist staples."^[16]

Alleged UFO photo taken in New Hampshire in 1870 The Mystery Airships were a class of unidentified flying objects, the best-known series of which were reported in newspapers in western states of the U.S., starting in 1896 and continuing into 1897. ... Nickname: Motto: Stocktons Great, Take A Look! Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County San Joaquin Incorporated 1850 Government  - Mayor Edward J. Chavez  - City Manager J. Gordon Palmer, Jr. ... New Lands was the second nonfiction book of the author Charles Fort, written in 1925. ... This article is not about Charles Forte. ... Alexandre Coste, son of Albert II of Monaco, on the cover of Paris Match Paris Match is a French magazine. ... see National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena ... Contactees are persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials. ... The June 1947 issue of Amazing Stories featuring the Shaver Mystery Richard Sharpe Shaver (b. ... Long John Nebel (1911-1978) (born John Zimmerman in Chicago, he adopted his radio name, Long John Nebel from the surname of his stepmother, Knebel) was a talk radio show host. ... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ... Some people believe they have had alien implants inserted into their bodies. ...

Contactees

The UFO contactees of the 1950s claimed to have contacted aliens, and the substance of contactee narratives are often regarded as quite different from alien abduction accounts. Contactees are persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials. ...

However, Rogerson contends that it is often difficult to determine the division between contactees and abductees, with classification sometimes seeming arbitrary.

Two landmark cases

Allegedly genuine stories of kidnap by extraterrestrials goes back at least to the mid-1950s, with the Antonio Villas Boas case (which didn't receive much attention until several years later). Antonio Villas Boas claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials in 1957. ...

Widespread publicity was generated by the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case of 1961 (again not widely known until several years afterwards), culminating in a made for television film broadcast in 1975 (starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons) dramatizing the events. The Hill incident was probably the prototypical abduction case, and was perhaps the first in which: Betty and Barney Hill were a mixed race American married couple who rose to fame after they claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials on September 19-20, 1961. ... James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American Academy Award-nominated, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor of film and stage well known for his deep basso voice. ... Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927 in Marblehead, Massachusetts) is an Academy Award-winning American theater, film and television actress of Jewish descent. ...

• The beings that later became widely known as the Greys (who also went on to become the most common type of extraterrestrial to feature in abduction reports) were encountered.

• The beings explicitly identified an extraterrestrial origin (the star Zeta Reticuli was later suspected as their point of origin.)

If we include such clearly fictional sources as science fiction movies and pulps, the phenomena might be traced back to the 1930s. For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ... Zeta Reticuli (ζ Ret / ζ Reticuli) is a binary star system located about 39 light years away from Earth. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... This article is about inexpensive fiction magazines. ...

Neither the contactees nor these early abduction accounts, however, saw much attention from ufology, then still largely reluctant to consider close encounters of the third kind, where occupants of UFOs are allegedly interacted with. Artistic representation of UFOs Ufology is the study of unidentified flying object (UFO) reports, sightings, alleged physical evidence, and other related phenomena. ... Close encounter in ufology is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. ...

Undoubtedly, the Barney and Betty Hill case is one of, if not the most famous case of purported abduction ever. Barney and Betty were driving home on a road free from other cars late one night. They both saw an odd light coming at them from above. They then blacked out and found themselves back on the road, driving. The only thing odd was it was two hours later than when they had seen the light. They both went to psychologists and hypnotists. They learned of the Grey on board the ship that had abducted them. See Barney and Betty Hill for more depth.

Later developments

Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle (a University of Wyoming psychologist) became interested in the abduction phenomenon in the 1960s. For some years, he was probably the only academic figure devoting any time to studying or researching abduction accounts. Sprinkle became convinced of the phenomenon's actuality, and was perhaps the first to suggest a link between abductions and cattle mutilation. Eventually Sprinkle came to believe that he had been abducted by aliens in his youth; he was forced from his job in 1989. (Bryan, 145fn) Dr. Ronald Leo Sprinkle (born August 31, 1930) is (was?) an American psychologist. ... The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyomings high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2194 m), between the the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. ... Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision[1]) is the killing and then mutilation of cattle, under unusual or anomalous circumstances. ...

Budd Hopkins—a painter and sculptor by profession—had been interested in UFOs for some years. In the 1970s he became interested in abduction reports, and began using hypnosis in order to extract more details of dimly remembered events. Hopkins soon became a figurehead of the growing abductee subculture. (Schnabel 1994) Budd Hopkins (born on June 15, 1931 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a central figure in abduction phenomenon and related UFO research. ... For other uses, see Hypnotized (song). ...

The 1980s brought a major degree of mainstream attention to the subject. Works by Budd Hopkins, Whitley Strieber, David M. Jacobs and John Mack presented alien abduction as a genuine phenomenon. (Schnabel 1994) Budd Hopkins (born on June 15, 1931 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a central figure in abduction phenomenon and related UFO research. ... Louis Whitley Strieber (born June 13, 1945) is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction description of his experiences with non-human entities. ...

Also of note in the 1980s was the publication of folklorist Dr. Thomas E. Bullard's comparative analysis of nearly 300 alleged abductees. The mid and late 1980s saw the involvement of two esteemed academic figures: Harvard psychiatrist John Mack and historian David M. Jacobs. Thomas Eddie Bullard (born 1949) is an American folklorist best known for his research into UFOs and the abduction phenomenon. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ...

With Hopkins, Jacobs and Mack, several shifts occurred in the nature of the abduction narratives. There had been earlier abduction reports (the Hills being the best known), but they were believed to be few and far between, and saw rather little attention from ufology (and even less attention from mainstream professionals or academics). Jacobs and Hopkins argued that alien abduction was far more common than earlier suspected; they estimate that tens of thousands (or more) North Americans had been taken by unexplained beings. (Schnabel 1994) Artistic representation of UFOs Ufology is the study of unidentified flying object (UFO) reports, sightings, alleged physical evidence, and other related phenomena. ...

Furthermore, Jacobs and Hopkins argued that there was an elaborate scheme underway, that the aliens were attempting a program to create human–alien hybrids, though the motives for this scheme were unknown. There were anecdotal reports of phantom pregnancy related to UFO encounters at least as early as the 1960s, but Budd Hopkins and especially David M. Jacobs were instrumental in popularizing the idea of widespread, systematic interbreeding efforts on the part of the alien intruders. Despite the relative paucity of corroborative evidence, Jacobs presents this scenario as not only plausible, but self-evident. Hopkins and Jacobs have also been criticized for selective citation of abductee interviews, favoring those which support their hypothesis of extraterrestrial intervention. This article is about a biological term. ... False Pregnancy, also known as pseudocyesis, is a condition that mimics pregnancy. ... Budd Hopkins (born on June 15, 1931 in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a central figure in abduction phenomenon and related UFO research. ...

The involvement of Jacobs and Mack marked something of a sea change in the abduction studies. Their efforts were controversial (both men saw some degree of damage to their professional reputations), but to other observers, Jacobs and Mack brought a degree of respectability to the subject. Joe Montaldo For other uses, see Seachange. ...

John Mack

Matheson writes that "if Jacobs's credentials were impressive," then those of Harvard psychiatrist John Edward Mack might seem "impeccable" in comparison. (Matheson, 251) Mack was a well known, highly esteemed psychiatrist, author of over 150 scientific articles and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of T.E. Lawrence. Mack became interested in the phenomenon in the late 1980s, interviewing dozens of people, and eventually writing two books on the subject. Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004) was an American Psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and (apparently, among his Arab allies) Aurens or El Aurens, became famous for his role as a British liaison officer during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918. ...

Mack was somewhat more guarded in his investigations and interpretations of the abduction phenomenon than the earlier researchers. Matheson writes that "On balance, Mack does present as fair-minded an account as has been encountered to date, at least as these abduction narratives go." (Matheson, 251) Furthermore, Mack notes when alternative interpretations are viable; throughout Abduction, his first book on the subject, he allows and even considers likely that alien abductions are a new type of visionary experience.

Matheson notes that unlike earlier abduction researchers, Mack is generally quite cautious in his interpretations of physical evidence and corroborative testimony. He places little value in the scars and scratches often attributed to alien "medical" exams, and argues that trying to prove the actuality of alleged "implants" placed in abductees is largely a futile effort.

Mack argued that the abduction phenomenon might be the beginning of a major paradigm shift in human consciousness, or "a kind of fourth blow to our collective egoism, following those of Copernicus, Darwin and Freud." (Bryan, 270) Mack also noted that, after an initial period of terror and confusion (a phase he dubbed "ontological shock"), many abductees ultimately regard their experiences more positively, saying that their experiences broadened their consciousness. Paradigm shift is the term first used by Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to describe a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Copernicus redirects here. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... This article is about ontology in philosophy. ... Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic. ...

In June 1992, Mack co-organized a five-day conference at MIT to discuss and debate the abduction phenomenon.^[17] The conference attracted a wide range of professionals, representing a variety of perspectives. (In response to this conference, Mack and Jacobs were awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in 1993). “MIT” redirects here. ... Flying frog. ...

Writer C. D. Bryan attended the conference, initially intending to gather information for a short humorous article for The New Yorker. While attending the conference, however, Bryan's view of the subject changed, and he wrote a serious, open-minded book on the phenomenon, additionally interviewing many abductees, skeptics, and proponents. For other uses, see New Yorker. ...

Impact of geography and culture on abduction reports

In his books on the subject, Harvard Medical School professor Dr. John Edward Mack explained that common features of alien abduction experiences in North America include the feeling of paralysis; the perception of having been transported immaterially, frequently through a beam of light; the sense of having been surgically probed or implanted with devices; the freezing or slowing of time; and sexual or reproductive contact or manipulation by the aliens. Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. ... John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004) was an American Psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School. ...

There are however cultural differences in perception of these reported incidents. The frightening "terror abduction" experience is reported mainly in the USA, while in the rest of the world, the ET encounters are said to be largely benevolent -- this apparent incongruity perhaps raising a question as to the phenomenon's origins.

As noted above, the so-called Greys are most popularly associated with abduction reports. Again, however, this seems to be a North American paradigm best-known since the 1980s. On the contrary, some researchers (such as Kevin D. Randle in his 1997 book, Faces Of The Visitors: An Illustrated Reference To Alien Contact) have noted a vast variety of alleged creatures have been reported in abduction accounts worldwide, with some of the alleged creatures not even described as humanoid. For other uses, see grays (disambiguation). ... Dr. Kevin D. Randle (1949-), is a captain in the US Army Reserves, as well as a prominent ufologist. ... The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ...

Although in North America, "aliens" of extraterrestrial origin are the most commonly blamed in these incidents, in Europe and other parts of the world, the beings involved are as often perceived to be demonic or spiritual in origin. Common elements in the descriptions of abductions and visitations vary by region and local culture, with only a very few elements being the same worldwide, such as an otherworldly sensation, reports of mind control, repressed memories being rediscovered, and sexual experiences. These elements, and many aspects of what witnesses describe, are very common in old stories of encounters with faeries, demons, and other magical creatures. The demon Satan In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as an evil spirit, but is also depicted to be good in some instances. ... For other uses, see Supernatural (disambiguation). ... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ... A repressed memory, according to some theories of psychology, is a memory (often traumatic) of an event or environment which is stored by the unconscious mind but outside the awareness of the conscious mind. ... Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with wings. ... The demon Satan In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as an evil spirit, but is also depicted to be good in some instances. ... Look up Magic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term magic is a Persian loanword into English and may refer to: Magic (paranormal) deals with the manipulation of what the practitioner believes to be genuine paranormal phenomena. ...

The Roper Poll

In 1991, Hopkins, Jacobs and sociologist Dr. Ron Westrum commissioned a Roper Poll in order to determine how many Americans might have experienced the abduction phenomenon. Of nearly 6,000 Americans, 119 answered in a way that Hopkins et al interpreted as supporting their ET interpretation of the abduction phenomenon. Based on this figure, Hopkins estimated that nearly four million Americans might have been abducted by extraterrestrials. The poll results are available at this external link: The Roper Poll: UFOs & Extraterrestrial Life, Americans' Beliefs and Personal Experiences

However, critics have argued that there were significant problems with the poll's methodology which should invalidate the results. Writing in Skeptical Inquirer, psychologist Susan Blackmore notes that based on her analysis, "I conclude that the claim of the Roper Poll, that 3.7 million Americans have probably been abducted, is false."^[18] Meethodology is defined as the analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline, the systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a discipline or a particular procedure or set of procedures [1]. It should be noted that methodology is... The Skeptical Inquirer is a magazine of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) dedicated to debunking pseudoscience. ...

Michael Persinger's analysis

In a long article, Dr. Michael Persinger argues that most of the features of the abduction phenomenon can be explained as the manifestation of measurable functions of the human brain. Persinger writes that the "main theme" of his article "is to explore visitation experiences, now attributed by many people to UFO and implicitly "extraterrestrial' phenomena, from the perspective of modern neuroscience... From an operational perspective, the average visitation experience attributed to an alien entity is indiscriminable from average mystical or religious experience attributed to gods and to spirits. Instead we have been trying to isolate those areas of the brain and those electromagnetic patterns within the brain that are involved with the general visitation experience." (Persinger, 263) Dr. Michael Persinger Dr. Michael Persinger (born June 26, 1945) is a cognitive neuroscience researcher employed at Laurentian University, Canada since 1971. ... Drawing of the cells in the chicken cerebellum by S. Ramón y Cajal Neuroscience is a field that is devoted to the scientific study of the nervous system. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ...

He goes on to argue that "Nearly every basic element of mystical, religious, and visitor experience has been evoked with electrical stimulation" of test subjects' brains. (Persinger, 270). Individuals with some forms of epilepsy often experience vivid hallucination, and Persinger suggests that the same areas of the brain are activated in these individuals as in those who experience extraordinary visitations. A hallucination is a perception in the absence of a stimulus that the person may or may not believe is real. ...

"Most people who report these experiences [alien abduction] display average to above average intelligence, are not 'crazy' and are very aware of the social and personal consequences of their experiences upon their families, friends and vocational opportunities." (Persinger, 278)

Persinger relates a specific case of a "thirty-five year old woman" who "reported ... the presence of multiple, elongated humanoids, in shimmering gray-silver clothes, that would surround her bed for a few nights every month." The woman hesitated to tell her regular physician of the encounters, for fear that she'd be seen as "crazy". (Persinger, 278) The woman was prescribed a low dose of "the antiepileptic compound carbamazepine" and after regular use of the medication, the visitations "disappeared". Persinger is quick to note that "This does not indicate that all people who report visitor experiences associated with UFOs are undiagnosed epileptics or that the phenomena will cease when with this part