The alien visitation/abduction issue, along with government conspiracies and even things like child vaccinations and global warming, stir up a lot of emotion in people, and often, people have arrived at their personal conclusions not because of careful consideration of all of the factors, but because it satisfies something within them. Rationality isn’t high on the list of subconscious priorities, and takes a distant backseat to lots of other factors. However, we like to think we’re always rational.

So you get down to the debate: Who’s actually being rational (or more rational) and who isn’t? You’re not going to win that one, and it almost always dissolves into petty argument. Sometimes you simply have to raise a few questions and let it go at that. Some people won’t think about them. Some will, and the seed is planted.

There’s also the standpoint that it is impossible to prove some of these things conclusively either way, and when there’s a lack of hard information, the best argument that can be made is that it’s “inconclusive.” A personal conclusion should not take the place of a scientific one, and while the evidence for something like alien abductions might be scattered and inconsistent, that may be simply because it represents not one consistent phenomenon, but a wide range of them.

Your points about regional (or cultural) reports are another thing that raises questions, as does the change in the reported aliens’ physical appearance, and they have this ugly tendency to follow media trends. Does this mean it’s mostly imagination, or that the grays got the contract for exploring the North American continent while the tall blonde aliens got the contract for Northern Europe? Facts are a demonstrable thing, but conclusions are an opinion.

As for meeting an abductee? Yes. And there is apparently one right here in the comments. You have to recognize that I, not having experienced what they have, cannot reasonably tell them what they experienced. And most times, this experience is something that affects them strongly – in some cases, it’s what makes them special. You don’t simply tear that down (even if you wanted to), and in these areas, the very act of trying is part and parcel of the experience, the lone person standing up against the conspiracy – our movies are rife with the concept. So by arguing against it, you’re only reinforcing it. Making any claim that I’m right and they’re wrong is also arrogant, and ignores the possibility that I might actually be wrong. It happened once before.

So, where does that leave us? Right here, I think ;-)

gfish did not dismiss the phenomenon or those who have experienced it, whatever it may be. He offered a different perspective on both details and the overall concept of alien visitation/abduction – admittedly, in a way that raises some questions. But that hardly seems vicious or dismissive. Moreover, he demonstrated some real knowledge about how both the human mind and hypnotism work. I would disagree with his statement that all of the abduction accounts are recovered under hypnosis, but it certainly is safe to say that hypnosis is a major factor in this field of study.

Atrueoriginall, however, wants to make it clear that he knows more about this field than gfish, but doesn’t seem inclined to offer much in the way of support for this standpoint. He begins by saying that very few hypnotists bother with hypnosis (really?), but the recommends reading, among others, John Mack, a person who made his entire career out of hypnotizing supposed abductees. Mack has come under fire countless times, from multiple sources, for his procedures and questioning methods, and has made no small amount of effort to compound the social stigma (that Atrueoriginall claims is implanted by aliens) by parading his work, and his patients, shamelessly through the media. I wouldn’t consider this professional by any stretch, and a substantial breach of ethics.

But we also have several distinct statements too, such as, “Most abductees do not report said experiences to anyone.” This begs the question of how someone comes to possess this knowledge, much less in a statistically significant form. Telepathy, perhaps? I, of course, welcome any cites of sources, but until that time I’ll simply consider this as “made up out of thin air.”

Further comments about mainstream media not having a clue would seem to indicate that there is some kind of underground network for the real info regarding abductions. Am I reading this wrong?

There are others, such as how an advanced alien species would certainly have knowledge of inducing sleep paralysis, supplanting false memories to make abductees seem like kooks, and so on. But what’s missing is any evidence of such. Seriously, how would anyone know what aliens are capable of? Speculation is all well and good, and there’s no shortage of the claims of what a sufficiently advanced race would be able to achieve, but this is exactly the same as speculating about whether unicorns exist on other planets. Not having the faintest clue about something does not automatically open the door to what there “must” be, anywhere. Serious investigators are far more concerned with what has been demonstrated or evidenced, and what conclusions, if any, should be drawn from such. Guesswork that aliens have the ability to induce sleep paralysis is absolutely no different, in scope or medical knowledge, than gfish’s idea that they could simply block the transfer from short-term to long-term memory – and in fact, since we already know how to do that, we have a good reason to consider this less advanced than inducing sleep paralysis.

Atrueoriginall was very quick to berate gfish for his attack on abduction experiences and how insulting and hurtful this was, but I can’t see any attack. I can see perhaps being miffed about the questions that are raised, but seriously, I’ve seen far more in the way of attacks from many, many other sources – my own, right now, included. Do not expect any apology from me, because the behavior I see from Atrueoriginall is a far more distinct example of dismissive, insulting behavior than gfish’s. Nor does Atrueoriginall bother to address any of the points gfish made, but instead goes off on a pet rant that doesn’t belong. I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but I’ve seen it far too often. Often enough, I have to say, that I’m inclined to start being very dismissive of anything having to do with UFOs anymore. Does anyone find that ironic?

Want to be treated seriously? Then be serious about your subject. Throw the chip on your shoulder out, and impart some real info. Aliens have so-and-so technology? Fine. What makes you come to that conclusion? Sleep paralysis isn’t a cause of abduction stories, it’s an indication that an abduction occurred? Fine. Tell me what demonstrated the difference to you. I’ve made a real effort to listen for years now. But I, like many, find listening to self-righteous rants to be boring and pointless.

Where does the word “alien” come from ?

You ever hear of the Ganzfeld Experiment. It’s also written as Horton Hears A Who, for a man named Honorton who worked on the experiment.

They’re just people who don’t have a conscience about what they do. As long as you’re looking at “beings from outer space” you’re not going to find the answer.

Not all aliens are interested in hurting people.

If you had an “encounter” how would you know it?