Alien Abductions - A Skeptic's View

The following website is one of many that explains the phenomenon of alien abduction.
According to many psychiatrists this phenomenon can be explained by what is known as false memory syndrome
and a hypnagogic condition known as sleep paralysis.
It is believe it or not, possible to remember something that did not happen. Many alien abductees only become aware of
their experiences in a hypnotic trance,otherwise they would not have been aware that they had been abducted.
The famous case of Betty and Barney Hill which started this whole craze of alien abduction is a good example.
It was only under hypnosis that she became aware that she had been abducted by alien beings.
Why was she not aware of this before? If something extraordinary like this happened to someone then it would make it all
the more memorable an experience.

It's far easier to remember something traumatic or strange than it is to forget it,even if you wanted to.
So how is it that only under hypnosis that one can remember this?
It is a psychological fact that hypnotists can implant memories in a person by suggestions delibrate or not.
Perhaps just by asking them to go into detail about something will make someone think up and imagine details
that do not in reality exist.
For this reason hypnosis is questionable as a means of using as a tool to recover actual memories.
Also the fact that many of this encounters with the alien creatures occurs when the person is about to fall asleep
in bed or while they are asleep, leads one to question the reality of this.
Very few of these occurences have been reported when the abductee is awake at work,in school,at a concert,a picnic
or while engaged in some activity other than sleeping.

There is a condition known as sleep paralysis that according to some may account for these experiences also.
This phenomenon is characterized by a feeling of being awake but paralyzed and helpless. It can also be accompanied
by a sense of someone or something in the room but not seen.
Another symptom of this strange mental experience is that some have reported a heavy or crushing weight on their chests.
Which causes them difficulty in breathing and gives some the sensation of also being strangled or choked.
In the past this was attributed to visitations from the incubus and the succubus,evil spirits or demons that attacked people
while asleep.

In China this was also regarded as a nightly assault from ghosts.
These accounts of alien abductions have more in common with medieval delusions of demonic visitations by incubi,witches flying to a sabbat,perhaps nocturnal visits from vampires,and other supernatural phenomena.
If these ufos have been around since ancient times as many claim then why is it that there haven't been more accounts of alien abductions
in the past? That is before Betty and Barney Hill had their famous encounter.
It's only after the start of the cold war that we have had these occurences.





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Wow, that's pretty cool... and scary. I think I would rather actually be abducted by aliens and go crazy than have my head messed with, THINK I was abducted then go crazy

This is very interesting and would account for many alien abductions. However, it does not explain markings discovered on some abducties (burn patterns and such).

From ID>

This is very interesting and would account for many alien abductions. However, it does not explain markings discovered on some abducties (burn patterns and such).

Have they proven that the burn patterns and the implanted
objects found in some of the abductees are of man made
or alien origin?

Originally posted by yogibear

From ID>

This is very interesting and would account for many alien abductions. However, it does not explain markings discovered on some abducties (burn patterns and such).

Have they proven that the burn patterns and the implanted
objects found in some of the abductees are of man made
or alien origin?

Often times, the burns, cuts, scrapes, and implants aren't found on the person's body until AFTER the abduction allegedly takes place. Speaking from a non-skeptical standpoint, even if the alien abduction isn't real, something goes on during the time a person believes they are abducted or else there wouldn't be physical evidence.

Very good yogibear there is (as far as I am aware) no proof that these objects were not man made. However, if these are sleep induced hallucinations where would these burns come from? As the victim is unable to move during sleep paralysis it would seem impossible for these burns or implantations to be self inflicted. This would mean that some outside presence was inflicting these wounds. Now there are always the easy conclusions of "the government" or "aliens" but are there any other viable solutions to this dilemma?

So what about those who were driving down an empty highway, saw lights and hours disappeared and they suddenly find themselves outside of their car....or the campers who saw lights and the next thingf they know they are still standing and hours have passed...and many more like these where they were not abducted from a sleep position? I wouldn't be surprised that a lot of alien entusiests who experienced sleep paralysis attributed their experienced to abduction. But this is a step up from the explination of "you're nuts". I would totally see this as an explination for witches back in a time when people were more gullable and explained away their problems with folklore.

People talk of incubus and other demons in past time i think that was just their way of interpeting an abduction. u forget people though the earth was flat back then the concept of aliens was non existing.Yet there are numerious accounts of ufos and flying discks right through history.

check out www.ufoartwork.com

[Edited on 11-1-2004 by Merkeva]

Mamaship time displacement is a common condition that I feel is not at all extraterrestrial in origin. The only instances where I would agree that they are related to aliens are when it is more then one person experiencing this time laps or when they have moved significantly during their laps. If it is simply one person experiencing this phenomena I would not be so quick to point to extraterrestrials as the culprit.

I think most "abductiees" are deluded or lying.

But it only takes ONE to be true..........

Some people may have simply been lying to get attention however I refuse to believe that all UFO sightings are a result of this. Again as I have said many times people often see what they want during times of fear or when something occurs that they are unable to explain. It is much easier to pass of the unexplained as an Abduction rather then sleep paralysis or time laps. The only cases that I feel have sufficient merit to warrant a closer look are those where there is physical evidence on the victim.

I think there is still more to the story still, and I'm sure there are "real" alien lifeforms. The skeptics lead us down two paths constantly. One that gets to the truth, and one that gets in the way of the truth. Sometimes they need to listen first, listen again, and then think of what it probably is and keep in mind what the science of today isn't saying. Probabilities and Possibilities: one always has the answer. Some skeptics think that probabilities are always the truth...that is why they fail to convince everyone and think non-believers are idiots!

Therefore I say good job for them for seeing that there was more to the abduction phenomenon than just someone being crazy. My big question is why does the brain create this phenomenon? Is the brain trying to reboot itself because it is awake yet the body is not? Is fear the best way (adrenalin?) to get our body in sync? However, why is the grey alien the boogyman? And why do so many people in different cultures around the world see them?

I always go back to the 60+ kids in Zimbabwe in 1994 who saw a ship land near their school and saw a short humanoid figure with dark eyes get out of the ship. None of the kids as far as I know to this day have said they made it up, or it was probably just a helicopter. Most should be in high school or entering college now...the kids were both black and white, so with the dictatorship in Zimbabwe these kids may still not be together or even in Zimbabwe anymore...it would be nice to hear their story today.





[Edited on 13-1-2004 by Boogie]

[Edited on 13-1-2004 by Boogie]