Facing reality: Alien abduction, sleep paralysis, and pseudo-memories

If you dare to challenge the belief in “alien abduction”, you’re going to be unpopular with approximately half of the people interested in UFOs. So be it. Facing reality will always be firmer ground than attempting to win a popularity contest.

We’ve recently released a mini-series of three films - the middle of which is The best UFO cases and what they suggest. One of our “best cases” was the Travis Walton incident. Travis was one of seven loggers working in the forest south-southwest of Heber, near Snowflake, Arizona, in 1975. The men all saw a hovering UFO as they were driving home just after dark. Travis Walton leapt out of the pickup and ran towards the unknown craft. As he got close, a beam of light knocked him unconscious. The other six loggers drove off at speed, terrified. When they turned back, Travis was nowhere to be seen. He disappeared for five days. You can watch our film for further details, but we wouldn’t classify this case as an “abduction” - at least not in the sense that is meant in this article.

People have been reporting “alien abduction” experiences for decades. Typically, the individual - or “experiencer” (to glam it up) - sees one or more alien figures by their bed. They’re then floated through walls against their will to a spaceship, where a scary medical procedure is usually carried out. Some say this has happened to them more than once. Thousands of people claim such an experience - most commonly in America. If this sounds bizarre, to the point of stretching credulity, you’d be correct.

Many insist that their experience was real, usually frightening. And, in one way, there’s no doubt that it was. But the explanation is commonly sleep paralysis. This is a sleep disorder, well known to psychologists. You might believe otherwise, if you’re ignorant of this established knowledge, but that’s all it is: belief.

Sleep paralysis is a condition where there’s a brief loss of muscle control, happening just after falling asleep or waking up. It’s accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations or hypnopompic hallucinations, which are distressing in most instances, often involving a menacing intruder or presence in the room. These unnerving episodes happen to approximately half the population at some point, and can last from seconds up to 20 minutes (but they often feel as if they’re going on for a lot longer).

This sleep disorder occurs worldwide and it’s nothing new. Many have long since reported “encounters” with monsters, demons, witches, and other shadowy figures. They still do. But, in recent decades, aliens have joined this list of frightening night-time presences.

Cultural influences (think The X-Files, for example) can be clearly traced, adding to the strong likeliness of a conventional explanation. It’s not rocket science, even if the workings of the human brain still need to be further understood.

The situation is increasingly complicated when hypnosis is used, to “find out more”. There’s vulnerability to suggestion during hypnosis. And the hypnotherapist is frequently guilty of leading the witness or client in a particular direction, according to existing preconceptions held. This is demonstrably true, both widely and specifically in cases of claimed “alien abduction”. In other words, this criticism of hypnosis is not at all restricted to those holding a belief in interfering aliens; it’s a clear weakness of hypnotherapy.

A full explanation for the “abduction” phenomenon needs to go beyond sleep paralysis. Pseudo-memories occur and can quickly build up. Images, dreams, fantasies, and things a person might have seen or heard can elaborately combine into memories that might be believed, but are actually untrue. Again, this false memory syndrome is in the psychology textbooks. Hypnosis, if used, is undoubtedly a contributory factor in this confabulation.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people are vulnerable to suggestion. They are - and it’s that simple. One of the most widespread examples of such influence is the advertising industry. Huge amounts of money are spent on adverts because they work.

Reports of crude medical procedures carried out in spacecraft should raise alarm bells. Sadly, however, they usually don’t - because belief is the easier option. The key words here are “crude medical procedures” (especially “crude”). It’s ridiculous to think that an advanced extraterrestrial civilisation, capable of travelling here, would be using such primitive means. Even we humans are gradually progressing beyond such barbaric practices, visits to the dentist aside. No. The narrative doesn’t fit with reality - whereas these “abduction” experiences most certainly do match or mirror the symptoms of sleep paralysis.

Sometimes, the silliness descends into blatant stupidity. A few claim to have had “implants” inserted into their body. “Q” may have done this to James Bond to monitor his whereabouts, for example, but extraterrestrial visitors would most assuredly be using far more advanced means of information gathering - because, as we stressed several times in our recent mini-series of films: “They’re not us!” Whatever, some of these “implants” have been surgically removed and examined. And, guess what? It’s utter nonsense. There’s no indication of anything unusual in what was extracted. Yet, despite a mundane explanation being found, many believers still carry on believing.

And just when you think it couldn’t get any sillier, it does. The nasty aliens who are abducting us are harvesting our sperm and eggs for a hybridisation program. It’s how, allegedly, they’re going to one day invade us. Come on, people! A James Bond movie plot is more believable. The projection and displacement of the lousy side of human behaviour is obvious here. We need tennis legend John McEnroe to join forces with the always-polite Lue Elizondo: “You CANNOT be serious!”

Our EvolveFirst.org project is ultimately a plea for humanity to grow up. It’s about time we recognise and acknowledge that we’re still at the semi-primitive stage of evolution - psychologically challenged or fucked up - an emerging intelligent species. Before we can attain the beginning of maturity, we first need to learn critical thinking skills, and apply them to improve our currently contradictory and hypocritical behaviour. Enquiry - asking pertinent and probing questions - and facing reality are two of the 16 key factors we’ve identified as being crucial for being the best you can be. Conversely, all forms of psychological avoidance get in the way, much more than is currently acknowledged, limiting any potential development - keeping us stuck.

Those interested in UFOs or UAP are right in their pursuit to learn more. But silliness and escapism will achieve nothing worthwhile. Indeed, it adds to the murkiness and fuels the problem of stigma and taboo.

The first and third films of our new mini-series present a mature perspective on what’s really going on, with the middle film looking at the best UFO cases and what they suggest - including the Travis Walton case.

Written by Iain Scott, 15th November 2022