ࡱ> uxv{b _jbjb (J^"""8Z,4^",RO >"0^^ "^^"Take Me Away: The Appeal of Alien Abduction Driving down an eerily dark, unfamiliar road, you suddenly become aware of disturbing noises and strange flashing lights in the distance. As these hauntings intensify, your uneasiness grows into a paralyzing fear that convinces you to pull over. Several heartbeats later, you regain consciousness and feel normal again, although you dont recall passing out (or, really, anything about the immediate past). It is natural to dismiss the incident as mundane construction work or an overactive imaginationuntil you notice that the drive home took much longer than is feasible and discover a strong sensation of having unconsciously lost time. This bizarre detail, or perhaps the ensuing nightmares, merits visiting a psychologist, who, after several taped hypnosis sessions, confirms a barely articulated suspicion: you have survived an alien abduction. Whether the extraterrestrials were classic little green men, tall grays with large heads, or something more esoteric; whether they subjected you to the most painful medical examinations or revealed all of lifes secrets, your voice on the tape almost sounds convincing. Plus, it would certainly explain why you have never quite belongedperhaps the other-worldly visitors destined you for an understanding far beyond the ordinary Out of habit and social custom, sensible individuals rarely take such stories seriouslywe dismiss them as yet another episode of the X-Files or an excerpt of poorly-written science fiction. The more genre-appropriate and clich the hallmarks of the abductioncomplete with the media-perpetuated concepts of probes, the beaming up satellites, and the inexplicable alien desire to produce a human hybridthe more likely one is to deny any possibility of the abduction being real. The unspoken assumption is that the abductees accounts can be explained by psychological inadequacy: a coping mechanism, a false memory, or a fantasy embellished for the purpose of gaining fame. Yet most narratives are presented by people in otherwise perfect mental healthcan they, especially considering the remarkable parallels shared by different stories, be justifiably discounted as entirely artificial constructs of the psyches pathology? Neither a medical diagnosis nor the concrete truth of visitations (in the complete absence of evidence) gives a satisfactory reason why ordinary individuals are claiming contact with aliens. An exploration of this mystery promises crucial insights into our collective subconscious and into the way we sublimate fantasies and anxieties as a unified set of very concrete cultural images. It may also lead us to answer a more disturbing questionis our obsession with extraterrestrials and removal from human society symptomatic of a greater problem, a fundamental disillusionment with life on Earth? Given the vastness of our universe, extraterrestrial life seems far more likely to exist than be conspicuously absent. As early as the sixth century B.C.E, mankind was raising objections to the apparent uniqueness of life on EarthPythagoreans believed in an inhabited moon, and later humanists assumed that every part of the heavens contained living creatures that differed from us physically but nevertheless believed in a Creator (Clancy, 85). Theories, or perhaps merely desperate hopes, of something greater or other than humans have undergone much iteration. Extraterrestrial visitations in many ways echo the fairy and demon sightings of pagan superstition. Yet the popularity and familiarity of all things extraterrestrial, which Neil Badmington half-jokingly summarizes as alien love, has only recently invaded Western culture, from literature (especially science fiction) to films to TV series such as The X-Files (Badmington, 3). The specific narrative of abduction by aliens did not emerge until the latter half of the 20th century, amidst a sudden increase in UFO sightings and rumors of conspiracy, whether of a malevolent alien presence or the governments attempts to conceal the former. These stories, typically featuring a sense of missing time and a contact experience so shocking that it can only be recalled under hypnosis, show striking similarities. Regardless of their truth value, what is the reason for the ubiquity and appeal of these narratives in contemporary society? The stories of self-proclaimed victims are rather diversesome initiate their encounters and can recall them in their detail, others are levitated into spaceships while asleep and remember nothing. The experience ranges from invasive medical exams to enjoyable physical (sexual or otherwise) interaction to abstract feelings of enlightenment. Still, the various cases share crucial detailsan initially paralyzing fear of the aliens, a discovery of their intent (which may intensify the fear or the desire for contact), and profound emotional consequences for the victim (Denzler, 32-34). Although images of little green men or grays with disproportionately large heads and weak bodies are the most pervasive, the invaders vary greatly in appearance. Figures in diving suits or illuminated by blue light, hairy dwarves with glowing eyes, robot-like beings (Hall, 464-466), and beautiful women with nothing except for cherry-red pubic hair (Clancy, 105) are but a few of the possibilities. While these may appear contradictory and confusing, there exists an iconic prototype for most subsequent accounts: the 1961 abduction of Betty and Barney Hill, uncovered in hypnosis sessions three years later (Denzler, 48). The Hills claimed to have been pursued by a bright star-like object on the highway, only to arrive home two hours later than they expected. As their psychologist helped them discover, during this time, they were supposedly taken aboard a spacecraft and underwent a bizarre medical examination conducted by gray big-eyed humanoids (Denzler, 49). After the sensational story spread through the media (and even appeared on television), the US saw an explosion of alien visitation reports (most likely due to the popularity of the Hills narrative and not a rise in abductions). The new stories often echoed the original but diverged on the aliens physique and the specifics of the contact: the extraterrestrials were now described as inserting hypodermic needles, taking tissue samples, harvesting reproductive cells to develop a human-alien hybrid, declaring their victim the chosen one, and physically engaging humans in many other ways (Hines, 194). The veracity of these accounts was immediately questioned. Susan Clancy, who has investigated over 200 of them, notes that even the prototype is suspicious. For instance, in his interview, Barney comments, Betty is trying to make me think I saw a flying saucer and switches his description of the alien from a friendly-lookingred headed Irishman to evillike a German Nazi (Clancy, 96-97). Later on, Betty reports, [the examiner] tells me to take off my dress[he] has a long needle in his handIts bigger than any needle that Ive ever seenHe says he just wants to put it in my navel, its just a simple testNo, it will hurt! Dont do it, dont do it! (Clancy, 98). Although Betty claims that she has never encountered a similar scenario, she has a long-standing interest in extraterrestrials and admits to having just seen Invaders from Mars, in which the female abductee was poked and prodded by the creatures, and needles were inserted into her neck and navel (Clancy, 96). The implication is that Betty was simply an impressionable individual who projected her fantasies onto a more mundane experience and convinced Barney to play along. This suggestibility hypothesis is supported by another interesting fact: in the two years following the release of the NBC movie inspired by the Hills experience, the average number of abductions reported per year soared from two (fifty reports total between 1947 and 1976) to over a hundred (Clancy, 99). Some authors ascribe this trend to the instant fame that accompanied declaring oneself an abductee (Denzler, 51). Others question the reliability and impartiality of the psychologists who helped the victims recall their traumatic experience. Several interview transcripts indeed suggest that doctors affected their patients narratives by emphasizing only the details that fit the ideal form of the abduction story and dismissing the more unusual cases. Yet this explanation is not satisfactory. A number of expertsmost notably John Mack, a Harvard University professor and psychiatristfirmly believed that their patients were telling the truth, having no psychological problems and nothing to gain from fabrications (Carroll, 3). Furthermore, the abductees would be unlikely to put their reputation on the line for a mere delusion, and to believe that aliens really exist and are taking members of the human race on a daily basis is to risk being mocked as eccentricto claim to have been abducted is to risk ridicule and charges of insanity (Badmington, 34). Why would victimsin Clancys experience, more likely to be socially well-adjusted and mentally sound individuals that notconvince themselves of a horrifying tale of helpless paralysis and invasive medical procedures too traumatic to be processed consciously? Despite this paradox and the testimony (albeit of a minority) of doctors, the prevalent view among experts is that abduction narratives stem from psychological problems rather than authentic events. One popular answer is that abductees acquire false memories, with or without the help of suggestive hypnosis, driven by the desire to escape from ordinary self-awareness and occasionally by sadomasochistic tendencies (Lynn, 155). A person seeking counseling for abduction trauma is already predisposed to believe in its reality, often down to the media-induced images of his kidnappers. Conversations with a sympathetic therapist and perhaps with a community of like-minded victims legitimize the patients narrative, providing ambiguity reduction and positive reinforcement until the client adopts the role of the victim or abductee (Lynn, 152). The stories are thus an effective coping mechanismClancy adds that, much like faith and pseudoscience, they offer an explanation and [a] relief of human misfortune (Clancy, 144). In many cases, the singularity and distinction of the abduction helps victims justify real-life feelings of inadequacy. After prolonged sentiments to the effect of I knew I felt different, but not why, [the victims] simply feel better because of what they believe and may use the alien contact to justify everything from estrangement to sexual dysfunction (Clancy, 143). Although Clancy does not explicitly label the narratives fabrications or suggest that her interviewees have mental defects, her underlying assumption is of a medically explicable cause. Carl Jung also sees the myth of things in the sky as a projection of individuals earthly problems onto an external manifestation (Jung, 21). Overall, given the existential angst of modern society, the quest for a more substantial meaning to and a more compelling experience of life makes sense. Constructing a narrative of abduction by otherworldly beings is one way of fulfilling this goal, no matter how strange such a coping mechanism may be. Along similar lines, Carroll explains the resemblance between different stories as a manifestation of shared cultural delusions. Just as the accounts of mystics converge on several metaphors of enlightenmentthe light at the end of dark tunnel, almost sexual ecstasy, nirvanathe narratives borrow the seemingly parallel elements from our collective subconscious. According to Carroll, this attests to the uniformity of human experience rather than the authenticity of abductionevery culture understands fundamental metaphors like birth, sex, and death (Carroll, 4-5). The theory of archetypal stages of life serving as the hidden foundation for abduction narratives casts the stories as the latest allegory for gaining greater knowledge of and transcending the physical plane. However, it does not explain why aliens have become the chosen vessels of enlightenment only in the past fifty years when myths of birth, sex, and death date to the dawn of mankind. What justifies this particular choice in modernity? Are we supplementing generally accepted methods of transcendence in earlier timesnamely spiritual (usually divine) revelation or inspiration through dreamswith a more concrete presence? Despite the considerable academic work on the explanations for alien abduction theories, there are few attempts to clarify why specifically aliens, as opposed to renewed religious devotion or parapsychological events like out-of-body experiences, are now the escapist fantasy of choice. Of course, such questions and disagreements over suggestibility do not arise if one believes in the reality of alien visitations. The aforementioned John Mack presents the most radical and well-supported argument against dismissive explanations (especially ones involving pathology). Many experts, including Clancy, view him with a degree of condescensionfor all his impressive credentials, the professor does claim that aliens are actually abducting people, which understandably disturbs conservative academics. Nevertheless, Mack is compelling because his approach is very skepticalin an interview with PBS, he comments, when I first encountered this phenomenonI had very little place in my mind to take this seriously I did everything I could to rule out other sources, or sexual abuse. Only his intensive work with over a hundred abductees convinced him of the physical evidence and of the consistency of the story, the sinceritythe power of feelings connected with this until he came very reluctantly to the conclusion that this was a true mystery (NOVA, 1). When asked to whether the experience was real or purely psychological, Mack responds, It's both literally, physically happeningand it's also some kind of psychological, spiritual experience occurring and originating perhaps in another dimensionthe phenomenon asks us to [consider] realities that are not simply the literal physical world from which our consciousness, ourlearning processes over the past several hundred years have closed us off. (NOVA, 2). He thus suggests that the experience is far more profound than our either/or mentalities will allowit is a deeply personal but nevertheless real phenomenon that requires considerable further investigation before we can even begin to understand it. This willingness to fully trust the abductees is a far more promising investigatory standpoint than dismissing them as insane. Regardless of their truth, what do the narratives themselves suggest about the place of the abduction experience in a new era of technology and skepticism? Many narratives converge on a general uneasiness, even an unwillingness to be contacted. For example, Laura and Becky, both abductees from a young age, describe vague but nightmarish experiences that began in childhood and progressed to unpleasant sexual encounters with aliens. After seeking counseling, both feel a sense of reward and reliefLaura writes, I am leading two lives, one that I share with everyone and the other one that involves abductions. The grays are not spirit guides[but] I have broken through their secrecy and now I feel I have hope (ICAR, 7). Becky adds, at the age of 42, the journey is still ongoing. I have chosen to continue with the hypnosis [and] believe [in] knowing the truth I dont like being a part of this phenomenon. I would love to find a reasonable alternate explanation (ICAR, 5). For these two women, the terror and disgust becomes a forced learning experience. However, Thomas Rymer, an abductee who believes his young daughter is also being taken by aliens, is not reassured: I dont want this experience in my life. It has no place or purpose. What Ive learned from this strange intervention into my life, Ive learned in spitenot becauseof it (Rymer, 1). Rymer has never undergone hypnosis or felt drawn to the paranormalhe repeatedly assures readers of his mental health and emphasizes that the life of an abductee is lonely, uncomfortable, and sometimes terrifying (Rymer, 5). But even he mentions hearing a voice in [his] head saying something like, Everything will be okay. Youll be all right throughout the encounters (Rymer, 2). The encouraging reaction provided by his inner self is a stark contrast to his overwhelmingly negative conscious perception. The tension between the two suggests that the abduction phenomenon is a much darker and more powerful experience than mere fantasy. Since many psychologists appear to highlight the optimistic narratives, it is important to note that other, non-mainstream reportsof extreme trauma or unprecedented imagerydo exist. Whitely Strieber, for example, mentions several unusual comments in documented cases, such as "I knew they were aliens because they had flowers and plants growing out of their heads or "All of a sudden the little man turned into a bird of paradise" (Strieber, 3). Mack states that he examines each account with the same neutrality; to his knowledge, positive reports are indeed prevalent (NOVA, 6). Some are closer to dreams than traumas: for instance, the climax of Travis Waltons eerie story of meeting a UFO inhabitant in a deep wood is merely this: He'd led me through that doorway he looked friendly...he gestured and smiled but there were no words (MUFON, 4). The emotional extremes have similar plot elements but much more inspirational and thought-provoking conclusions. Contrasting stories of alien rape, one of Macks patients describes a sexual encounter as different than sex with a human beingmore like having spiritual sexwhoever did this cared enough about me that they came and helped me; another as better than the best sex or the best anything you could have, better than fly-fishing for a week (Badmington, 75). In a more spiritual sense, subjects like Catherine report sensing energy outlines and dimensions far beyond Earth space/time or echo the gist of many online posts of UFO sightings: I was just one of millions of humans who saw something unexplained in the sky on night [but] I would like to think that it was something special (MUFON). These common motifs of uniqueness, nirvana, and a greatly expanded understanding of the world are a reminder of religious experiences. Just as faith and prayer guide believers, an intimate proximity to a superior unknown force (and sometimes direct advice from aliens) imparts inner strength to abductees. One example is Eva, who, according to Mack has had disturbing, even terrifying, encounters with alien beings. But her determinationto surrender the need to control and resist its intensity and meaning, has enabled [her] to move to place of greater balance and inner personal power. (Badmington, 74). Furthermore, the sublimation of an abduction, no matter how traumatic, often elicits a transformative experience. Many subjects in Clancys research express these inspiring sentiments: the journey has enabled me to discover my place in the universe, it made a better person out of me, in my total aloneness, I have discovered a oneness with the beings, and if I hadnt been abducted, I would have led a much emptier, drier existence (Clancy, 148-149). One interviewee even attests that the aliens care for earthlings: they are here to tell us that everything we do affects everything else, that were all interconnected in some way. Everything is. And they protect us so we cant be destructive to ourselves (Clancy, 121). Perhaps the alien abduction narrative is but the latest form of our desire not to be alone and to feel something mysterious and extraordinary beyond mundane reality. In the modern context, it can be viewed as the culturally acceptable evolution of ancient pantheism and medieval fears of witches, now that space travel and existence of extraterrestrials are actual possibilities (Carroll, 6). No matter how false, the comforting nature of the above statements strongly mirrors religious feeling. This explanation is plausible in light of patients for whom communion with the extraterrestrial is compelling enough to become identification. Reminiscent of prophets, such individuals adopt the alien nature and imply that human concepts are insufficient to describe their heightened awareness: I am a cross between what I've known as me and what the human beings would call an alien I'm more than a human being More people are finding out just how in between they are themselves (Barbeito, 8). Much like proponents of divine visitations, they claim to know the future and often warn of the end of Earth. Disasters brought on by environmental and human folly are a popular theme, as with Scott, who, in his alien form, writes to Mack, there is much I wish to conveyvery soon there should be a meeting of the high powers of your world with us" (Barbeito, 9). The apocalyptic messages acquire greater meaning when one considers the many similarities between extraterrestrials and angelsundetectable superhuman beings that bring mysterious messages to mankind. Eric Stetson draws parallels between imagery in the Bible and the Torahfiery pillars, Ezekiels wheel-within-a-wheel, swift clouds or whirlwinds in the sky, and other unnatural objectsand alien spacecraft. Particularly striking is the proximity of Jacobs ladder to an abduction narrative: both feature a diagonal shaft of light descending from above, upon which strange creatures are going up and down and an intense fear upon awakening. Also, the words Jacob hearsthy seed shall be as the dust of the earthI am with thee, and will keep thee in all placessuggest the motifs of harvesting reproductive cells and capturing only the chosen humans that are so pervasive in abduction stories (Stetson, 2). A more outlandish theory of relationship between the alien and the divine claims that the spiritual development of mankind has been guided by nonhuman intelligences whose agenda has been to infiltrate, and even instigate, religious traditionsthese nonhuman intelligences are now pretending to be enlightening aliens. This is apparently evidenced by the legends of cultures ranging from Babylonian to Hindu to Native Americanladen with beings who possess superior technologyenjoying worship and reverence in exchange forwisdom (Hard Truth). Belief in such parallels reflects a rationalization of faith and search for a more logical spirituality, further casting abduction narratives as a supplement to ordinary religious conviction. In a very direct comparison of aliens to angels, Heinz Fenkl is astounded by the similarity between his abduction experience and a dream about heavenboth contain tension incurred by his presence, a promise of knowledge to be gained, and an abrupt removal from a simultaneously uncomfortable and fascinating environment. Fenkl realizes that his memory of the heaven dream had subconsciously converted the beings of energy and light he original saw into conventional cherubs on fluffy clouds. He suggests that the same conformation of abstract concepts to more familiar cultural images occurs with abduction narratives. Fenkl notes how quickly [his] mind was influenced by the convergence of angels and aliens in the collective (un)consciousness, adding that afterwards, he had a visceral knowledgeof [his] attitudes towards religion and scienceso full of ambivalence and contradiction that they would have been impossible to express coherently (Fenkl, 6). Through its connections to both science and religion, the alien/angel theme thus reveals our conflicting desires for a world rendered meaningful by intuitive spirituality and by scientific certainty. Alien abductions seem to solve the apparent contradiction by presenting a new form of materialist faith that can be supported by evidence (even it is only memories from hypnosis and inexplicable scars). Unlike angels, aliens tell people that we are gods, that we are divine when we become self-realized, that we should look to them (not God) for help, and that Jesus was just a self-realized human (AlienResistance, 2). The extraterrestrial equivalent of the gospel prompts a shift from traditional, organized religion towards an independent and empowered self-reliance. Alien encounters may thus offer a compromise between mysterious, quasi-religious belief and concrete verification, satisfying our contemporary faith in both religion and science. This new faith seems highly appropriate for modernity. Though Gallup polls show that 96% of the US has consistently believed in God or a universal spirit since 1994 (Wikipedia, 11), a majority of the US thinks religion plays too small a role in peoples lives today (Blanton, 1). In addition, a whole 34% believe in UFOs (Blanton, 1) while those with no religious identification are making the biggest gains in both absolute and percentage terms on surveys of religious affiliation (as of 2001, this category is up to 14% of the total surveyed from only 8% in 1990) (Wikipedia, 9). People are consistently drawn to faith, but the strength of organized religion is weakening. As an alternative, the abduction narrative quite literally transcends all of the historical disappointments, limitations, and inconsistencies encountered in earthly religions and creeds. In the potential reality of alien abductions we see an entirely new spiritual paradigm not yet loaded with disenchantment and cynicism. Aliens possess superhuman knowledge and any other qualities we desire to project without the controversial connotations of God. The adaptability of the alien abduction narrative is also appealing on a more prosaic planealien contact can take on any form and substitute for a lack of understanding, meaning, or simply entertainment in ordinary existence. The actual consistency of abduction narratives is difficult to estimate given this flexibility and the bias inherent in considering only the sample size of reported narratives. The parallels that are evident appear to stem from two mutually reinforcing sets of archetypes: conceptions of the human psyche and images popularized by the media (i.e., the depiction of aliens and abduction scenarios in science fiction and film). The narratives reassure us of the deeper significance of life in a world where traditional faith is increasingly threatened by globalization and technological advances while methods of external validation dwindle (with more and more evidence suggesting that neither governments nor human reason can be fully trusted). On a superficial level, the emergence of abduction narratives in this specific time can be understood in terms of the technology that has only become feasible in the past half-century. The more interesting consideration, however, is the emergence of a need for a more substantial, materialistic faith. Aliens that can be experienced with all five sensesat times very viscerallyand, at least in theory, externally verified can be seen as a compromise between the abstract angels of earlier times and modernitys increasing demand for concrete evidence and rational explanations. The duality of these impulses suggests a fundamental contradiction between our ancient love for spirituality and a more recent expectation of cold fact. Alien abductions are the latest, but certainly not the permanent, solution to this tension, whose development we will observe and help shape in the future. Psychologically, the obsession with aliens (even in healthy individuals) can plausibly be traced to our dissatisfaction with the irrelevance and transience of the contemporary individual, our concerns about strange people and cultures (exacerbated by immigration and globalization), and our anxieties about personal inadequacy. But much more intriguing is the possibility of personally encountering the aliens, the gods of our new materialist faith, even if our only conscious memory of the interaction is a fleeting sensation of a haunting superhuman presence on lonely drive through the night. Works Cited Abductees Speak. International Center for Abduction Research (ICAR). 2000. 25 May 2008. < http://www.ufoabduction.com/abductees.htm> Angels and Aliens, A Comparison. AlienResistance. 2006. 1 June 2008. < http://www.alienresistance.org/angels_and_aliens.htm> Badmington, Neil. Alien Chic: Posthumanism and the Other Within. New York: Routledge, 2004. Barbeito, Patricia Felisa. He's Making Me Feel Things in My Body That I Don't Feel: The Body as Battleground in Accounts of Alien Abduction. The Journal of American Culture. June 2005. 28:2, 201-215. Blanton, Dana. More Believe in God than Heaven. FOX News. 2004. 2 June 2008. < http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html> Carroll, Robert T. Alien Abduction. The Skeptics Dictionary. 1994. 10 May 2008. Clancy, Susan. Abducted. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005. Denzler, Brenda. The Lure of the Edge: Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. Fenkl, Heinz Insu. Aliens and Angels. 1999. 1 June 2008. < http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/foralien.html> Famous UFO Cases. Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). 2004. 25 May 2008. < http://www.mufon.com/famous_cases.htm> Hall, Richard H. The UFO Evidence. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2000. Hines, Terrence. Pseudoscience and the Paranormal: A Critical Examination of the Evidence. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1988. Jung, Carl. Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies. London: Routledge, 1959. Kidnapped by UFOs? NOVA Online. 1996. 20 May 2008. < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aliens/johnmack.html> Lynn, Steven Jay and Kirsch, Irving I. Alleged Alien Abductions: False Memories, Hypnosis, and Fantasy Proneness. Psychological Inquiry. 1996. 7:2, 151-155. Religion in the United States. Wikipedia. 2008. 2 June 2008. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States> Rymer, Thomas. An Abductees Life. Center for UFO Studies. 2005. 25 May 2008. Stetson, Eric. Aliens: Angels or Demons. Think About It: Aliens. 1995. 1 June 2008. < http://www.think-aboutit.com/aliens/aliens_angels_or_demons.htm> Strieber, Whitley. Alien Abductions and Hypnosis: Technique Out of Control. UFO Magazine. 1989. 4:2, 3-5. Why Disguise Rebel Angels as Aliens?. Hard Truth: Wake Up America. 2002. 1 June 2008 < http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/rebel_angels.htm> Bibliography Alcock, James E. Parapsychology: Pseudoscience or Magic?. Toronto: Pergamon Press, 1981. Jacobs, David M., ed. UFOs and Abductions: Challenging the Borders of Knowledge. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2000. Patridge, Christoper, ed. UFO Religions. London: Routledge, 2003. Research Memo I began my research with a question about the alien abduction phenomenon prompted by my general interest in the paranormal. This paper investigates and attempts to answer that question: what is the reason for the ubiquity and appeal of abduction narratives in contemporary society? Without considering the truth value of extraterrestrial visitations, I situate my argument in opposition to psychological (and pathological) explanations of abduction stories. As far as rhetorical strategies, my introduction is meant to personally engage the reader in the matter of alien abductions through pathos. I strive for logos through clear argumentation, while the ethos is implicit in my collection of more authoritative sources. By considering many specific narratives and parallels to angels and synthesizing claims made by other researchers, I endeavor to show the insufficiency of the psychological explanation of the popularity of alien abductions. This plausible but incomplete explanation maintains that abductions are a projection of our dissatisfaction with the insignificance of the individual in the contemporary, our anxieties about strange people and cultures, and our feelings of personal inadequacy. I argue that the deeper and more intriguing reason for the narratives is the emergence of a kind of materialist faitha need to synthesize traditional religious belief with the modern emphasis on science, to see the supreme beings of our dreams confirmed by concrete evidence. The questionability of the actual evidence (little beyond taped hypnosis sessions and inexplicable marks and scars on abductees bodies) only endows the new faith with the proper aura of mystery. Alien abductions thus present an appealing compromise between waning belief in a traditional God and our desire for independence, self-reliance, and rationality.     xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Conspiracy Theory PAGE  PAGE 10 +168:  ""0 0 0B0C088::w:::::3;4;x;;; <5<A<g<<<<==k========= >U>A,C1CCCCD DDRDWDh4B*phhtUh4B*ph h`h4 hf.h4hO,h46hLh46 hGh4h3h45 hHh4 h^Bh4hdh4H* h46h4 h45=,-2 - P%* 03_8<c>d>x@GFNUXO_fl$@]@^`a$gd4$d`a$gd4 $da$gd4$a$gd4^WDbDlDnDD,E* hh4h4CJOJQJaJ hth4 hpTh4hpTh4>*h{Nh4>* h4>* hwh4hwh4>* h_Mh4h_Mh4>* h45h4h4CJOJQJaJ2wx`xaxxx6ykylyyyy!z"zzz{{6{l{m{ ||07$8$H$^`0gd4^gd4 0^`0gd40dd[$\$^`0gd4!z"z3z|zzz{!{8{j{l{m{|{{{{{{{{{{| |/|9|N||||||||V}}}}}}0~M~`~~~~~~~~"[hAOeh4>*hah45h"Mh4>* hAh4hAh4>* hCWh4 ho(8h4 h Kh4h Kh4>* h]uh4 hh4 hx/h4 h4>*h]uh4>*h4 hC(h46|M|||||T}}}~~~~~~   $`a$gd4$0^`0a$gd4gd4 0^`0gd4 7$8$H$^gd407$8$H$^`0gd4DEKLMOPVWYZ[_h40JmHnHu h40Jjh40JUjh4U h45heh45h4 hrh4 CDMNO[\]h]hgd4 &`#$gd4$a$gd4gd4 $`a$gd4$a$gd4$a$gd4]^_&1h:p4/ =!"#$%@@@ mNormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH R@R S Heading 1dd@&[$\$5CJ0KH$\aJ0DA@D Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No ListB^@B S Normal (Web)dd[$\$4U@4 S Hyperlink >*ph2O2 Slastdd[$\$DO"D S issue_detailsdd[$\$*W@1* SStrong5\4@B4 )6FHeader  !4 @R4 )6FFooter  !.)@a. 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As these hauntings intensify, your uneasiness grows into a paralyzing fear that convinces you to pull over. Several heartbeats later, you regain consciousness and feel normal again, although you dont recall passing out (or, really, anything about the immediate past). It is natural to dismiss the incident as mundane construction work or an overactive imaginationuntil you notice that the drive home took much longer than is feasible and discover a strong sensation of having unconsciously lost time. This bizarre detail, or perhaps the ensuing nightmares, merits visiting a psychologist, who, after several taped hypnosis sessions, confirms a barely articulated suspicion: you have survived an alien abduction. Whether the extraterrestrials were classic little green men, tall grays with large heads, or something more esoteric; whether they subjected you to the most painful medical examinations or revealed all of lifes secrets, your voice on the tape almost sounds convincing. Plus, it would certainly explain why you have never quite belongedperhaps the other-worldly visitors destined you for an understanding far beyond the ordinary Out of habit and social custom, sensible individuals rarely take such stories seriouslywe dismiss them as yet another episode of the X-Files or an excerpt of poorly-written science fiction. The more genre-appropriate and clich the hallmarks of the abductioncomplete with the media-perpetuated concepts of probes, the beaming up satellites, and the inexplicable alien desire to produce a human hybridthe more likely one is to deny any possibility of the abduction being real. The unspoken assumption is that the abductees accounts can be explained by psychological inadequacy: a coping mechanism, a false memory, or a fantasy embellished for the purpose of gaining fame. Yet most narratives are presented by people in otherwise perfect mental healthcan they, especially considering the remarkable parallels shared by different stories, be justifiably discounted as entirely artificial constructs of the psyches pathology? Neither a medical diagnosis nor the concrete truth of visitations (in the complete absence of evidence) gives a satisfactory reason why ordinary individuals are claiming contact with aliens. 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