Are Alien Abductions Real? Or All in the Mind?

By Billy Booth

UFOs/Aliens Expert

Are alien abductions real, or are they a product of a dream, sleep paralysis, or just an overactive imagination? Some of those who claim to have been abducted or "abductees," as they are called today, say that they are being awakened from sleep, and transported to an alien spacecraft. Hard core scientists believe that these abductees never left their bed.

Once the abductees are aboard the alien craft they are subjected to medical tests by strange looking creatures not of this world. These tests vary greatly from one account to another, but generally consist of a general overview of the human body, and sometimes sexual probing. Men may be milked of their sperm-women may have their eggs taken. Tormented afterwards by nightmares or fragmented memories, they often seek professional help.

Disbelievers in the phenomena of alien abduction offer the theory that the alleged abductee is reliving memories of an alien scenario that they either read about, or saw in a movie. Mental and psychological problems produce these beliefs as a way to relieve tension or deal with other personal issues. Memories drawn from regressive hypnosis are false, created by the mind, or evoked by the hypnotist.

Current Status

Today, alien abductions are rarely reported for several reasons. The intimate, ofttimes embarrassing procedures performed on the abductees are generally details they would only reveal in private, and even then, grudgingly. Public disclosure of an abduction can expose the abductee to public ridicule, loss of friends, and loss of livelihood. Just like reporters of UFO sightings, they are also labeled as a "nut." Many times an abductee will seek professional help in the form of "regressive hypnosis," a procedure to unlock lost memories. Some abductees have a type of tracking device implanted in their body.

Modern science has gotten into the act in the last ten years or so. New technology for analyzing sleep patterns, dreams, and sleep paralysis has shed a negative light on many abduction experiences. Scientists claim that a person's memory can trigger bizarre recreations of scenarios the abductee has seen on television or at the movies. Other psychological or mental problems lend to the person's susceptibility to have these dreams. Many disbelievers claim that regressive hypnosis creates memories, instead of releasing them.

Background

The modern abduction era began on a September night in 1961. Barney Hill and his wife Betty were driving home to New Hampshire from a short vacation. They began to see a bright light which seemed to follow them on their way. Soon the object moved close enough that multi-colored lights were observed. They stopped the car, and Barney, with the aid of binoculars, could see occupants in the strange, other worldly craft.

The next thing the Hills remembered was being in their car again, continuing their journey home. They never saw the strange craft again. They did, however, hear a strange beeping sound. After sleeping until the next afternoon, the only thing the Hills recalled was the sighting of the craft, nothing else. They began to have nightmarish dreams.

Two writers learned of the Hill story, and after taking a meticulous accounting of the journey, was found that two hours of time was lost to the Hills. Seeking professional help with Dr. Benjamin Simon, their alien abduction story was revealed through regressive hypnosis.

Pros

Alien abduction claims must be examined on a case by case basis. No blanket theory or solution can apply to all cases. There are a number of abduction accounts made by sane, well respected members of society. Many of these are accomplished while the individual is not in bed, but wide awake, and sometimes in broad daylight. Many abductions occurred after seeing an unknown flying object. What will the debunkers do with these cases? Write them off as coming from unbalanced people? Are all who report an abduction mentally unstable?

A number of abductees do not require regressive hypnosis to recall their experience. Shortly after an abduction, the individual may be confused by fragmented memories, or tormented by nightmares, but in time they will gain total recall of their abduction. Realizing what has happened to them, they often seek counseling to answer haunting questions of why they were selected for this bizarre extraterrestrial visit.

There is scientific proof to substantiate abduction claims in the form of many objects removed from abductees. In theory, these objects were implanted for the aliens to be able to track them. These artifacts are available for research. The bizarre nature of the abduction process, and the stigma placed on the abductees by a skeptical world prevents the reporting of more abduction accounts. Science needs to lend an open ear and mind to this phenomena, and research alien abduction on a case by case basis.

Cons

Those who disbelieve accounts of alien abduction list several reasons for their stand. To believe in the possibility of alien abduction would necessitate the belief in extraterrestrial beings, and that Earth is being visited by these beings. There is no proof whatsoever that any intelligent beings exist beyond our own world, and even if they did, where is the proof that they have visited our planet?

Even if there were other beings in the vastness of space, the great distances to traverse make it an impossible journey. Even with our present technology, the nearest star that might be inhabitable would take many light years to reach. And the wear and tear on the body, both physically and mentally, make the trek an impossibility.

Even if we subscribe to the multidimensionality theory of existence, and there are other forms of life that we are not aware of, why would these beings be interested in our society, being so much less intelligent than they?

Those who claim to have been abducted may believe in their own stories, but that is all they are, a stories. These individuals are in need of psychological help, and their claims of abduction are only a form of delusion, or attempt at self healing.

For those who make such claims, we ask, "Where is the proof?" So-called artifacts are nothing more than foreign objects that entered the body without the person knowing it, like a small, embedded pieced of metal stepped on, and forgotten about. Alien abduction belongs in science fiction, not real science.

Where It Stands