A Possible Cause of Some Abduction Experiences?

I've had this idea for quite a while. Let me start where this idea came from. A few years ago, I had my wisdom teeth extracted. It was the first (and so far only) time I've been put to sleep. I found it to be a very peculiar experience, and sparked a curiosity about anesthetics. My younger brother was in med school at the time, so I asked him how they worked. His answer surprised me quite a bit - very little is actually know about how they work, just that they do work, and have a negligible risk to the patient's life. There have also been cases of anesthetic awareness, where the patient is aware but paralyzed during the procedure.
What I am thinking is that some abduction experiences may be linked to the use of anesthetics at some point in an abductee's lifetime. Because we have very little understanding about how anesthesia actually affects the brain, what if there are some highly abstracted memories generated during the time of the procedure? There are just so many similarities in some abductee's experiences to the general experience of a patient undergoing a medical procedure. The sterility of the surroundings, the lights, the tools, and masked faces peering down at the patient. A hospital operating room is very much an 'other worldly' environment, and the team performing the procedure also act and talk in a very peculiar fashion. This kind of experience could very easily transform into something involving aliens and spaceships, under the right kind of stress (hypnosis? :mnky.
In addition to this, another idea I had was possibly some very early memories coming to the surface. And by early I mean, like, the hours after birth. We have no clue as to how aware we are during those first hours. Nor do we have any idea about memory formation during that time (I'm taking care not to link 'memory formation' with 'awareness,' in case no one noticed hehe).
Having said all this, I do lean toward there being an unknown phenomenon that is causing many of these experiences. I do believe there are too many cases of shared abductions for the above theory to explain every instance. But I think its another filter we can apply to abduction cases, so we can separate the cream from the normal.

While I will never, ever rule out the possibility that alien abduction is just that, alien abduction, I'm sure there are definitely some overlooked long term effects of anesthesia - at least in some people.

I'd say with a certain degree of confidence that a large percentage of abduction experiences are just hallucinations resulting from psychoactive drug use. You can see and feel a whole lot of "real" stuff while you're in that state; I bet a lot of people abductees were tripping at the time but are so certain that it actually happened that they don't want to ruin their credibility by admitting that they were under the influence.

reply to post by Irako


Good thinking out side the box. Surely a cause for some experiences that might be thought of as "abduction". Stolen from the womb? Getting ones teeth pulled?

How does one explain all the other cases though? Especially ones where a group of people are involved or have physical evidence?

According to researchers, most are explainable in earthly terms. But then theres those few. Same with sightings. Most are explainable…

reply to post by intrptr


Agreed. There are those little 'thorns' in the side of rational explanations like the one I posted. I also think that there are abduction experiences dating back from before anesthesia as well. They weren't thought of as alien abductions, but were abductions by some unknown entity.

reply to post by cosmikDebris


The drug use issue one is a big one that is seriously overlooked by researchers. I would love to know the statistics of people who claim alien abduction, and have a history of drug use.

edit: On a side note, statistical analysis is sorely ignored by UFO researchers. We really need to gather all the data we can about the people experiencing abductions. Then we can find patterns common amongst abductees, which would further our knowledge about the phenomenon.

Irako
Having said all this, I do lean toward there being an unknown phenomenon that is causing many of these experiences. I do believe there are too many cases of shared abductions for the above theory to explain every instance.

Your theory has more credit than you are willing to give it.

Irako
I also think that there are abduction experiences dating back from before anesthesia as well.

I've never heard of one. Has there ever been a story before the 20th century of aliens with operating tables, surgical instruments and overhead lights in spacecraft?

intrptr
How does one explain all the other cases though? Especially ones where a group of people are involved or have physical evidence?

You don't cite any specific cases. But you should know the lack of an explanation is not a valid reason to assume it is aliens by default.

reply to post by Irako

They weren't thought of as alien abductions, but were abductions by some unknown entity.

Going so far as to add that some of those are perpetrated by deceivers in spirit form.

Worse than torture sessions carried out by malevolent beings.

Surely another form of "abduction'".

reply to post by Irako


Theories about how chemicals are doing stuff are easy to come by. Focused analysis on abductions suggest very strongly that there is something real and objective going on.

Having had my gall bladder removed just over a week ago I can attest to no dream sequences, abduction experiences or any other out of normal feelings. Just sick as a parrot for a couple of days and general run down type effect. The physio said the anaesthetics would remain in my system for up to a week. Having spoken to an anaesthetist he said in major operations his job entails keeping the patient hovering on the verge of death. whether this is true who knows.

reply to post by SteveR

You don't cite any specific cases. But you should know the lack of an explanation is not a valid reason to assume it is aliens by default.

Ummm…. Travis Walton, for starters.

I don't have to assume anything, I have seen one of their craft.

ETA: By the way, I prefer you hit reply in my post so I can follow the conversation you are having with ATS about me…

reply to post by Irako



There are two important aspects of the UFO phenomena that you either ignore or are unaware of from lack of a proper study. First, UFO abductions frequently happen when the person is frequently doing something active, if nothing more than being fully awake and on their feet. Myself, I was driving. Under what conditions then would you have your mock abduction event taking place?

Second, from the mass of abduction cases, we have clear evidence that the method the ETs use to anesthetize the "patient" is mind control at a distance--best known among humans as hypnosis which is a very good anesthetic when properly used, but which is largely discounted for its true abilities to control another's mind. Therefore, it is extremely downplayed in medicine and general use to the point of being almost a taboo subject. It frightens many that are aware of its power so it is shunned.

A third fault you have in mind about abductions is that you evidently assume that all abductees have had some sort of major surgery involving typical anesthetics that lead--in some oblique fashion--to them thinking that ETs had grabbed them. Certainly, many professionals in the medical field and officials in government would want to explain away the whole situation in such an easy manner, but as I said, they too either deny or ignore the data out of a studied ignorance.

SteveR

Irako
I also think that there are abduction experiences dating back from before anesthesia as well.

I've never heard of one. Has there ever been a story before the 20th century of aliens with operating tables, surgical instruments and overhead lights in spacecraft?

I merely meant that abductions by uknown phenomenon were common before the idea of aliens coming from other planets became popular. The abductions back then were attributed to other mystical things, such as fairies. I actually think that even in genuine abduction cases, the patient's recollection is 'filling in' events, because the real experience was so abstract and other worldly that the mind couldn't actually comprehend it.

Irako
reply to post by cosmikDebris

 

The drug use issue one is a big one that is seriously overlooked by researchers. I would love to know the statistics of people who claim alien abduction, and have a history of drug use.

edit: On a side note, statistical analysis is sorely ignored by UFO researchers. We really need to gather all the data we can about the people experiencing abductions. Then we can find patterns common amongst abductees, which would further our knowledge about the phenomenon.

edit on 5-4-2014 by Irako because: (no reason given)

Ever read any Vallee? He did an extensive amount of statistical analysis on the subject along with Dr Hynek. I don't know of anyone else who has gathered and categorized so much information on so many cases.

In addition to this, another idea I had was possibly some very early memories coming to the surface. And by early I mean, like, the hours after birth. We have no clue as to how aware we are during those first hours. Nor do we have any idea about memory formation during that time (I'm taking care not to link 'memory formation' with 'awareness,' in case no one noticed hehe). - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

I agree with you there, as I have been pondering this possibility as well. Especially if we are somewhat aware at birth, and the silhouette of a doctor or a nurse actually would seem very eerie, and alien.

Also, coupled with sci-fi fears being processed or believed in the mind, might make the reliving of such a deep memory become relived, although in a completely different form, or perceived differently.

reply to post by Aliensun


I'm actually in agreement with you mostly, as I stated in my OP. What I wanted to do was propose a 'filter' with which to separate the non-events with the significant abduction instances. We need to start look at this phenomenon differently. Not from an adversarial, court room-esque lens like too many of us have been doing for the majority of the last half-century. But more from a scientific perspective - one about learning and finding new tidbits of information we can add to our understanding of the universe.

reply to post by wtbengineer


nice contribution, although you left out an important part of their findings, they both described whatever's behind all this as "deceivers", and suggested whatever they are, they aren't entirely 'physical' in nature..

the kelly cahill incident (australia) is a well known 'mass encounter'
the westhall school incident (australia again) is another.

i've been mouthing off at this site for a while now, almost time to make a post about the things i experienced

reply to post by UNIT76


Yes, I did leave that out, thanks for adding (I happen to agree with Vallee here). I didn't want to make too large a post. I just wanted to suggest to the op that he check that out if he wants to see where that kind of analysis has been done. I hope you do start a thread, I'd be interested to read it.

Oh, and thanks for those links! Pretty sure I've read about these cases before, but really good ones.

I'm confused...

Are you wondering how many drug abusers claim alien abduction or anyone who has ever had anesthesia/drugs claim alien abduction?

Anesthesia type drugs have very definite half lives, so most respectable anesthesiologists know how long they last, and it isn't indefinitely.

As a medical professional, I understand how those, and how most drugs, work. I don't doubt that an individual can have a very strange trip, even after a little morphine. BUT to think that anesthesia/mind altering medical drugs are the reason for alien abduction experiences, I HIGHLY doubt it.

OP, this is the very first time I have heard this mentioned about aliens and anesthesia since 1993, when it happened to me. Amazing.
(Granted, what happened to me was not an actual alien abduction experience, or maybe it was, but I doubt it.)

I had carpel tunnel surgery on one hand back then and they put me under completely. Then I remember slowly coming back to a waking state with a gigantic head ache. The first thing happened was a nurse quickly came over and asked me if I remembered anything, to which I said no, I didn't remember anything at all.

Then my Doctor pops in and asks me if I have ever had any alien abduction experiences, to which I said no, and then he said he was asking because just slightly after he closed up and finished the surgery, he sais I started hollering about aliens and they were trying to take me, and I yelled a bunch of times, and was flailing my arms around in the air above me and they were worried I might break free and get hurt so they tried to hold me down.

When they pinned my arms down, they said I simply "moved" my arm like a casual wave to a friend, and it literally threw a doctor across the room and bashing into something. Then my Doctor was back in the operating room again hearing the fuss, and he tried holding me down, and he was 230lbs, and at that time I was about 200lbs, but he sais I grabbed onto his waistline garments and picked him up with one hand and threw him across the room, about 25 feet which I still can't believe.
So they left me alone after that and waited for me to wake up..

They did mention that anesthesia can do things like this, but the super strength part they did not understand, and I still don't, unless it is because my mind was not concerned with the usual conscious knowledge (or sub) that we can't do those things, and so I could do them.
Like the bumble bee that shouldn't be able to fly, but the bee doesn't know it, so he fly's anyways..? :up

reply to post by lovebeck


No, this has nothing to do with the drugs used to anesthetize an individual. My OP was about memory formation during the time a person is under the effect of an anesthetic. What if there are some memories being formed and/or warped while an anesthetic is active? These memories lay dormant deep beneath the surface of our consciousness, until they randomly resurface. That's my theory, anyways.