There are a large number of people out there (men and women) who’ve experienced the abduction phenomenon. Thousands have reported their experience to researchers and more show up in polls. Their stories show remarkable similarities, which force new theories related to the paranormal and others entirely related to psychology. Fortunately, a good deal of research already exists. Is any other aspect of the phenomenon more divisive than “alien” abductions?
Abductions force people within the UFO research community to pick sides and grab pitchforks. And the public? The public thinks it’s crazy. So, where does that leave the experiencer to turn? The government doesn’t have a hotline to deal with Alien Abductions. The experiencer must turn to a psychiatrist. If what the person experienced was not a part of their personal psychiatric history, it may or may not lead the psychiatrist to seek alternative theories.
If an experiencer or therapist were to look to the public for information, and be believed, they’d likely seek out the most well known authorities on UFO and “alien” activity. This would be MUFON, which is the Mutual UFO Network, active since 1969. So, if one were looking for reports of alien abductions over the last 50 years, they’d probably check with MUFON for leads.
This is what the US government did when compiling their report on the effects of UAP on people aka Anomalous Acute and Subacute Field Effects on Human Biological Tissues. They used what is known as the “Schuessler Index.” This is a list of effects compiled by John Schuessler who is an aerorospace consultant on the board of MUFON. He literally wrote the book on the subject of UFO effects on humans and created a catalog of events from the accounts.
The government took Schuessler’s work seriously. We do too. We think you should as well. Does that mean we think everything in the Schuessler Index happened exactly as stated? Doubtful. The Schuessler Index uses a variety of sources and mainstream publications for leads, and reporters weren’t covering this. So, for example, some of the initial sightings were reported in the National Enquirer.
This doesn’t mean there wasn’t follow up with these people from MUFON investigators, and MUFON takes investigations very seriously. Anyone who dismisses them as a bunch of UFO nuts who believe everything should take a look at what goes into a MUFON investigation. However, it does mean there aren’t a variety of investigators’ research to pull from. To be clear, a news story vetted and confirmed by multiple news outlets is logically more reliable.
That said, MUFON Investigators follow up as much the experiencer will allow. If possible, they’ll want to meet the person and know if they are credible and have a history of delusion etc…Even before the follow up questions about flying objects, time of day, point of view et al. For example, in the case of UFO pregnancies investigators want to know the following:
MUFON researchers are looking for the truth of these events. They want to weed out false-positives. One look at their methodology should give one reason to believe their research is directionally correct. By this we mean the trends and patterns they identified are most likely correct, even if a minority of cases turned out to be false. Thus, when they identify UFO abductions and pregnancies as actual events. They most likely took place.
To start, let’s focus on people who were identified as physically missing or reported validated medical effects. This allows us to determine whether or not the phenomenon is real in a material sense. Obviously, abduction, pregnancy and childbirth are emotional subjects. In order to ensure we are dealing with valid cases, we can first ask the question of whether or not abductees have been physically missing.
The answer to that question is unfortunately: Yes. Perhaps the most famous UFO abduction case involves Travis Walton. He was physically missing for 5 days in 1975 and returned skinnier and disoriented. The FBI was looking for him, and couldn’t find him. His story hasn’t changed and he’s continued to remain humble and earnest in his dealings with the public. We believe the evidence in the case of Travis as well as Travis himself.
Furthermore, we can look to the work of Dr. Gerry Nolan to see the effects of UFOs on humans to understand what effects it may have on an abductee. He’s repeatedly cited the Cash-Landrum incident as one of the more proven UFO abduction events. Both women (Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum) suffered radiation sickness consistent with Dr. Nolan’s current findings. When Vickie Landrum contacted various government agencies to report her abduction. It was those agencies which referred her to John Schuessler. Once again, reinforcing our overall faith in the Schuessler Index.
How does this relate to abductions and UFO pregnancy. Well, there are a number of cases of abductions and pregnancy on the Schuessler Index. If the government’s faith is not enough, for further confirmation of the abduction phenomenon we look to the work of Doctors John Mack and David Jacobs. Dr. Mack was a psychiatrist in the Harvard School of Psychiatry who worked with over a hundred abductee cases. He discussed his personal journey from skepticism to belief in a PBS interview. Prior to moving forward with a patient, Dr. Mack describes a two-hour screening process. He was looking for cases of genuine experience.
Unfortunately, Dr. Mack has passed. While he didn’t form a firm conclusion about the phenomenon, Dr. Mack found too many similarities between abductees who had never met to be able to dismiss the phenomenon as mass delusion. He became a champion of people who were not believed and was branded a heretic for it. However, what he discovered is these people all shared a similar and genuine experience which affected their lives in profound ways. So, this is enough for us to accept that UFO abductions are real.
How about pregnancies? The leading researcher on this topic is Dr. David Jacobs, who is a retired Temple University Associate Professor of History. Dr. Jacobs has performed decades of work with hundreds of abductees, having learned interview techniques from famed UFO researcher Budd Hopkins. Who, himself, estimated 1 in 50 Americans have been abducted and don’t know it. Dr. Jacobs estimates as many as 2% of Americans. Either way, in totality, Jacobs’ work corroborates the work of Hopkins, Mack and Schuessler (and vice-versa).
Several of the researchers mentioned (Hopkins, Mack, Jacobs) used hypnotic regression in their interviews with abductees. This causes understandable controversy. Hypnosis is little understood and easily mistaken. Dr. Jacobs, for his part, understands these limitations. He refers to hypnosis in the interview below as “not totally fraudulent.” What he describes is more of a series of relaxation techniques followed by an interview.
Still, we have to acknowledge that the best abduction research relies on witness interviews. In some cases, Dr. Jacobs describes family members noting and corroborating the disappearance of abductees. This lends support. Yet, for obvious reasons, people who experience this don’t want to come forward and be branded insane or bothered. This is why polls become important, if not entirely reliable.
Most criticisms or prosaic explanations involve faulty memories and sleep paralysis. Yet, Jacobs points out some of the abductees are awake at the time of the event. Telling people they have a faulty memory without ever speaking to them or asking them what they saw is just plain stupid. The reality is each of these cases is its own case. No one gets to just dismiss all of it because they don’t like it.
Which leaves us with a collection of mostly anonymous (to the public) accounts retrieved under hypnosis. While we have no reason to believe Dr. Jacobs work is faulty. He summed up the challenges of his research best himself on the International Center for Abduction Research website.
.…I have conducted over 1,150 hypnotic regressions with abductees. I have tried to be as objective and as “agenda free” as possible. I have no New Age, spiritual, religious, transformational, or transcendent program to promote. I try to stay as close to the evidence as I can. However, there is no possibility that I have avoided error. The majority of evidence for the alien abduction phenomenon is from human memory derived from hypnosis administered by amateurs. It is difficult to imagine a weaker form of evidence. But it is evidence and we have a great deal of it. Still, readers must be skeptical of what I say and of what all others say in this tangled arena of alien abductions, hypnosis, popular culture, and memory.
A well stated-summary of the grey (pun intended) world of alien abductions. It was a subject we were avoiding until it popped up all over the news in March of 2022 due to the emergence of, like The Dude says, “New Information Man…”
A FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request by The Sun yielded the “subacute” document which utilizes the Schuessler Index, they ran a story with the title: SPACE INVADERS UFO encounters left witnesses with radiation burns, brain problems & damaged nerves, claims Pentagon docs. This triggered a variety of outlets covering the same thing. Which lead us to the question are “Alien” abductions and UFO pregnancies real?
By our own veracity system we have to say they are “Most Likely Real.” Enough physical effects (being actually missing, being actually pregnant despite celibacy, having actual radiation burns) have been reported and verified to determine these people experienced something very real. Was it what they saw or was it a projection caused by something else? We cannot say, but the experiencers say what they feel is as real as flesh and blood.
That’s real enough. The most important aspect of the phenomenon is not whether or not they’re extra-terrestrial or inter-dimensional. The most important question is: How does this phenomenon affect us? We won’t get an answer to that question by ignoring it. Abductions have a profound effect on people’s lives, and is thus worthy of further funded study.
As all of these credible researchers pointed out before, there are too many similarities and physical effects among abductees. Even if the explanation turns out to be entirely terrestrial, the effects of the phenomenon are too real to ignore.
Further Analysis:
The data suggests this needs more study to understand. However, one can only wonder at the basic questions of who and why? The question of who is doing the abductions is the same question as who is flying the UFOs? The answer is we don’t know. Experiencers report varying descriptions of the entities who abduct them: humanoid, alien-greys, reptilians and insectoids. Yet their experience is generally similar, suggesting these forms are just costumes.
John Mack felt his work suggested UFO abductions could potentially lead to positive effects on the experiencer. Dr. Jacobs believes his work suggests an ongoing alien hybridization program. Dr. Nolan has studied the verified radiation illnesses caused by proximity to UFOs. Dr. Karla Turner notes both positive and negative effects on Abductees, but the same abductee can experience both.
The evidence of harm caused by abductions and proximity to UFOs far outweighs the evidence of benefit. The current logical conclusion is whatever “Alien Abductions” are: They’re Overall Bad for People.
We’d also point out researchers who participated in the Government study of Skinwalker Ranch reported something following them home. After a paranormal encounter on the ranch, a series of paranormal events spread from the Analysts who worked on the ranch to their families. From there, it spread to people with which they came in contact. It spread like a virus.
This is relevant in the discussion of abductions as Dr. Jacobs points to the fact the abduction phenomenon is intergenerational. If a mother was an abductee her children would be more likely to be abductees. Thus, it spreads through families. Fortean researcher John Keel found the same thing, and the list of paranormal researchers who’ve noted paranormal events follow families is long. This may point to a “viral” component to the phenomenon, and it certainly points to a genetic component.
Researcher and scientist Jaques Vallée consistently notes the sociological effects of the phenomenon and posits it acts as a control mechanism, which manipulates society in subtle ways. He’s suggested abductions are an extension of this mechanism. Yet, the abduction phenomenon could be both individual and societal. In fact, it is. If we agree people have been abducted and were affected physically, that is real. If we agree society has been influenced by the abduction phenomenon, that too is real.
The “Alien Agenda” need not fit into anyone’s theory in order to be studied. In order to be studied, the abduction phenomenon simply needs to be accepted.
Fortean Winds: Scientific Research into the Unexplained, Paranormal and Anomalous 