After posting a thread last week on ATS covering my first UFO sighting back in March 2011, I had intended to post
at least one follow up thread but on refection I have had a complete rethink in regards to posting those threads.

Please let me explain my reasoning.




Before joining ATS in 2010, I had never witnessed anything in the sky that couldn't be explained away as aircraft or Chinese lanterns, for example but I was surprised how hard it was for me, personally to discuss my first inexplicable UFO sighting which took place a year after joining ATS with anyone I knew and cared for, let alone posting details on line.


It really was far harder to discuss my experience than I would have imagined prior to that sighting.





When I finally did get up the courage to post my first sighting on ATS almost 2 years after the event, I also planned to discuss a more unusual and complex UFO experience I had in June 2012 in a 2nd thread but given the response to my previous thread and the feeling of hurt when I felt I wasn't believed during my first visit to the chat section of ATS, where I talked a little bit about my 2nd sighting with other members, I have reluctantly decided I will never discuss the events of that evening with anyone , ever again.

Don't get me wrong, I can fully understand why sceptics feel the need for proof of extra ordinary claims, it's just that as a guy that prides myself on finding the truth, I have had a really hard time not being believed, which begs the question, how many other people don't actually report their own UFO experiences etc,for fear of ridicule?



All of which brings me to the point of this thread.

If you had a UFO experience or any kind of paranormal experience for that matter, when you were all alone, with no one to verify your claims or support your story and you had previously been sceptical of such things as aliens or ghosts, would you tell someone you knew or consider sharing your story on a website such as ATS?



All thoughts and comments welcome and very much appreciated.

I almost certainly would, but with a caveat that. If it went badly after the
first airing i would probs just leave it alone.

I might mention it in a relative thread, but i would never make a thread about it again.
Been through the same as you for the most part.

It is not easy when you are a position where you have experianced things that are not yet the "normal" and where you cannot give others the same experiance. At least chakras and spirituality is getting more of the norm nowdays so hopefully it will stop confuse some people but you will always find people who cannot relate at all either because they fear things they do not understand or think they know more about it by reading about it without experiancing it.

I have never seen a UFO in my life that I can remember. I have had a paranormal message sound within my head once and I have some experiance with chakras/the bliss and synchronicity (11:11 phenomena). Some people accept it some do not. To tell you the truth I have had a 2 year paranormal bliss experiance . But from my point of view paranormal is just normal that have not yet been quantified by humans/society.

What's with all the emotional attachment to silly little words on a screen.

Do any of us know who you really actually are?
Probably not.

Thus, what's with acting all like some fragile little princess?


In answer to the question posed in the OP:
If I had some extra-ordinary experience of ANY kind, you bet I'd post it here on ATS.
I'd ALSO be one of the hardest skeptics regarding my own experience.

Grow some thicker skin already.
Quit being such a princess about silly little words on a screen.

Why does it matter if anyone here takes you seriously or thinks you're a complete gonzo loony?
Is there some monetary reward, or toy surprise in the T&C for how seriously people take you that I overlooked or something?

I've never had a UFO experience other than that weather balloon when I was like 6 or something, and I posted that.
Up until recently I'd never experienced sleep paralysis but, posted the experience directly afterwards.

No doubt about it. If I saw something inexplicable that was worthy of comment, I'd post it up for sure.
Again, however, I'd be one of the biggest skeptics regarding my own eye-witness account, especially since I'm a proponent on the stance that eye-witness testimony is essentially worthless, except as mediocre entertainment for mediocre people.

Edit: I'd be sure to take note of every detail, angle, apparent distance, exact compass directions, elevation in degrees above horizon, apparent size, apparent shape(s) colors, wind direction, time, sounds of any vehicles in the area, bird activity if any, temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and every other bit of detail I could squeeze out of the incident that might be of any sort of relevance.

If you're going to be an eye- witness, then do it and do it well.

Not a chance that I'd tell anyone. I may mention I saw some sort of weird craft and ask if anyone knows what kind of technology our military has. I probably know more about the governments secret projects than most people around here but I would word it as a question to observe the response.

I have, and had a very hard time from it, which has deterred me from mentioning my experiences to anyone now. I mentioned an experience I had to 2 of my closest friends, who then labelled me a nut job, recommended to my parents that I seek psychological help, and made sure everyone in my village thought I was crazy. Worst still, I wasn't alone when the experience happened, a friend was also with me, but he denied everything. When I asked him why, he said he didn't want the hassle and ridicule that I'd had to go through, so thought it best to deny it all. (Needless to say, none of these idiots are my 'friends' anymore) It's no wonder that many people keep UFO or paranormal experiences to themselves when that's the attitude we get subjected to. Luckily, I've noticed the majority of people on ATS are a lot more open minded.

I sure would, and have. Call it "biting the bullet" if you want, but here's a very important quote that many of our grandparents have chimed at us at one point on our lives:

"It is none of your business what people think about you."

Now, I prefer to hold back my experiences regarding ATS until I see an appropriate time.
Many here do not consider it evidence, and RIGHTLY SO- this is the internet, and words=air.

When it is valuable to share the truth, I share. When someone thinks they are crazy, I will try to lend a hand and help them not feel so crazy for what they saw in the sky on day/night.

For Me- Especially: When someone sees something similar to what I have experienced?
That's when I love eye witness testimony, because it corroborates my experience.


Honestly, this is ATS... If you have an experience you'd like to share; share it. Just don't have any expectations that you are going to "convince" anyone, no matter how convincing it was to you. However, there will be the people who will be grateful for reasons I've stated above.

Just be brave, the more you research this phenomena from the perspective of a witness; the more you will realize your little experience was not so rare/crazy/unbelievable. --- And that's when it becomes easier to deal with it.

For many experiencers, I think what we seek the most is "closure".

I struggled inwardly with my own experiences, because I did not have any interest in such topics before, and had been one to laugh at such ideas. Then I had experiences that I could not find rational explanations for and it was very troubling.

I could not bring myself to talk with others about it. When I got online, I thought maybe then I could work through my feelings, with people not present, that I didn't have to see the mockery in their eyes- the distance made me feel open.

Someone asked me to write down a description of my experiences, and I did. He asked if he could put them up on his site, and I said yes, because at the time, I was totally new to the web, and thought nobody would ever read it. I didn't know at that time that many I have known, most I will meet, would/will Google my name and find that. It has been translated in many languages and copied onto other sites. I was asked to let it be published in a book and i chickened out of the deal at the last minute (thank god).

I have come to grips with the experience- at least, I just have been able to embrace the unknown factor of it and move on to other things. But my family members haven't. Many of the people I start to make friends with now, can't. Most of them are very uncomfortable with this. I have no answers for them, I have no excuses, I have no way to prove I am not crazy, and I have no convictions to push forward.

I regret having done it. I regret having used my real name. On the other hand, in all other areas of my life, I am very open and hide nothing. The benefit to that is that if you expose all the less sane and attractive things about yourself right away, at least you will not live in fear of it being found out, and losing good friends- it sort of eliminates those people before you get too attached.

I have experiences of other sorts now, equally unusual, but I don't tell anyone. I don't feel the need to though.
That seems to be the thing- if you feel the need to express it, then you should. But if you are in conflict inside, then that will most likely be played out then!

Probably not to the general public. My lifelong interest in UFOs, including writing about it, makes me not a credible witness simply because of my interest. For example, I have about 250 books on the subject. I might seek out some individuals to discuss it with, but I certainly would not "go public" with it. It's not worth it. I can't see anything to be gained.

You need thick skin to get by in life, let alone participate on this particular forum.

I think you will find that for the most, people will be supportive and understanding. Sure there are also those who sit and pounce on anything you may say because, let's be honest, that's life.

Unfortunately most people do not carry a video camera around with them in readiness to capture unusual events and ergo, if you don't have any tangible evidence to support your claims, you become easy fodder.

Sure, many people now carry android phones, many with semi decent cameras, but who really has the sense of logic when they come across something out of the ordinary?

To be fair, many things can be explained and it's always good to provide evidence of what you are relating, but purely due to the way we lead our lives, this cannot always be the case.

If I were you, I would bite the bullet and share whatever expeiences you have. Even if it doesn't seem plausible, at least you would have shared it and this alone sometimes feels like a heavy weight has been lifted.

Good luck.