An Open Letter to Abductees

Part 1

Decades ago, those who endeavored to research UFO’s concentrated their efforts strictly on the UFO phenomenon. As time passed, reports and testimony started to surface from persons claiming to have had encounters with the occupants of some of these UFO’s. At that time most if not all UFO researchers elected to distance themselves from these contact and abduction stories. Most researchers felt that many of these abduction stories were just too bizarre and strange and it was hard enough to convince people of the validity of the UFO phenomenon without adding the abduction aspect. As the UFO topic gained wider acceptance, more people elected to come forward and share their stories of up close encounters with the occupants of UFO’s. Eventually the numbers of such encounter reports had grown to the point that researchers were faced with having to acknowledge the fact that the

By David Andrew dandrew.homestead.com © 7-1-10

UFO and abduction phenomena were related. After enough people had chosen to speak out about what was happening to them, small similarities in some of these experiences became apparent. It was at this point that a handful of researchers began to focus their efforts on the abduction phenomenon exclusively. From these initial efforts to study abductions more closely and on up to the present, abduction research has yielded some useful data. Unfortunately, continued research has in many ways created even more questions than it has found answers. After all this time, the answer to the question of “Why” still remains just as elusive as it did in the early days of abduction research.

Today many abductees are less fearful of speaking publicly about their experiences and many have chosen to do so. Personally I have gained a little more insight into the abduction phenomenon from speaking to others about their experiences and sharing my own experiences with them. For the most part I have no regrets about talking to others about my own encounters. Throughout all the research I have done a lingering question has always been in the back of my mind. That question is why do we choose to speak out? Why do some of us feel the need to talk about our experiences and, does it really accomplish anything? By talking to each other we can find the differences in our experiences as well as find some of the commonalities that might present themselves and I do believe this is useful. It surely gives comfort to the experiencer to know they are not totally alone in all this and to know that others are having encounters as well. Even with those benefits, a cold hard reality must be faced by all experiencers whether they want to admit it or not. That reality is that when it comes right down to it, we can speak out all we want and speak with each other all we want but whenever an abduction experience occurs to any of us no one else can stop it, change it, or explain why it is happening to us. Through all this the answers to the really big questions about what is happening to us still won’t be found. Abduction research can only go so far by its current methodology and I think it has reached its limits in what it can discover or uncover.

~Science, Skepticism and Guesswork~

Sometimes in scientific analysis stumbling blocks and unforeseen difficulties can occur that make finding the “What it is” answers difficult. Many times in such instances, researchers might choose to change their research tactics and use a process of elimination method. They eliminate all the things that what they are researching “is not” to hopefully get closer to “what it is.” Are you familiar with the quote by Arthur Conan Doyle that says, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Skeptics of the abduction phenomenon have long used a list of “possibilities” that they claim can explain away all abductions in conventional terms. Things such as sleep paralysis, hallucinations, chemical imbalances in the brain, physical or sexual abuse, and even mental illness have been presented by skeptics as possible explanations for stories of abductions.

In the twenty years or so that I have been researching the abduction phenomenon, there is an aspect of this topic that has presented itself repeatedly. This aspect is the fact that in some cases, the skeptics list of explanations for why people think they have been abducted does apply. I have met many people who think they have been abducted or claim to be abductees when they are not. I do feel that there are some people who have had an episode or episodes of sleep paralysis and mistaken this to be an indication they were abducted. Sadly I have also met several people who claim to be abductees and, after speaking with them at length it becomes very apparent that they have serious issues and alien abduction isn’t one of them. Additionally there are also some medically proven physiological problems that can cause a person to hallucinate. To be as objective a researcher as I can I must be willing to consider these factors as well as the possibility that someone might be a genuine abductee.

I heard of a well known author who experimented with several types of hallucinogenic plants used by native shamans in South America. He claims that his research shows a similarity in the substances in these plants and a chemical found in trace amounts in the human body called Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). While under the influence of this hallucinogen he claims to have had “visions” of beings that are very similar to descriptions of some extraterrestrials given by abductees. He feels that some people have occurrences where the DMT levels in their bodies rise or spike unnaturally causing them to hallucinate and he thinks this is the explanation for people thinking they were abducted. I know from my research and the research of others that all of these “possible causes” previously mentioned could be considered as explanations for some people thinking they are abductees but, they are not explanations for all the people who say they have been abducted.

It has been known by abduction researchers for quite some time now that in many cases the abduction phenomenon is “generational”. This term means that persons from several generations of a family are abductees. Stories you hear from abductees often mention medical type procedures being conducted on them by the extraterrestrials. Sometimes these procedures include physical samples; hair, skin, ova or sperm, being taken from the abductee. It is clear to me and other researchers that there is a definite physiological research aspect to what the extraterrestrials are doing with abductees and also a possible psychological/mental aspect to it. They are looking for and, testing for something but what, and why?

Part 2

~Throwing Down the Gauntlet~

I used the sub-heading of, “Throwing Down the Gauntlet” for the second part of this article because in a way that’s what I’m going to do now. Be forewarned, what I am going to suggest might be even more frightening to some abductees than their own abduction experiences are. Of my fellow experiencers I would encourage you to ask yourself, “Why do you want to speak out about your experiences” and, “Are you really interested in finding some answers”? If you were honest with yourself and you still want to speak out to try to find further answers as to why this might be happening to any of us then, take a deep breath, brace yourself, and read on.

Most abduction researchers record and document the stories they hear from abductees in the hopes of finding similarities and correlations that might shed some light on this phenomenon. They also try to find any form of physical trace evidence that might be present after a person has had an abduction experience. Both of these methodologies have yielded some useful and interesting information but, in my opinion one of the most important resources we have for furthering abduction research remains largely untapped. This resource is the very same thing that seems to be the focus of the extraterrestrial’s activities during abductions. It is the physical body and brain of abductees as well as certain aspects of our mental processes. Like me you may have heard that many abductees are of the same blood type. This may be true but, have you ever seen the recorded data that supports this statement? I know I haven’t seen such data or been able to find it anywhere. This sort of data could be very useful toward understanding the “why” about abductions but, it is still only one piece. We need more pieces of the puzzle to have any hope of understanding the bigger picture in all this.

I feel that as much hard, tested, and analyzed medical data as we can get from abductees could lead us much closer to some real answers about why abductions are occurring and why they occur to specific people or along family lines. I also feel such testing should include a full psychological profile as well as IQ testing. I know that suggesting abductees willingly submit themselves for in depth medical and psychological testing is probably the scariest and most reprehensible thing I can suggest. It is not my intent to be insensitive here but the bottom line is if we really want to get any closer to the truth about the abduction phenomenon then we have to step up and put our money where our mouths are so to speak. To my fellow abductees I say this; these beings (the ET’s) come and go in our lives and include us in their agenda whether we want to be involved or not. Dozens of non-experiencer abduction researchers study our stories and try to tell us what they think is going on. We seek out each other and talk and share our stories to find some comfort but we are still no closer to answering the big questions of why abductions happen or why they happen to us. The extraterrestrials test us, poke and prod us, take samples from us and yet it seems to me that none of us have ever considered using this very same resource to try to find some answers for ourselves. Abductees need to remember that we are the evidence that abductions occur and we are the evidence that might reveal what the extraterrestrial’s agenda is.

Most people might possibly understand my suggestion of medical testing involving abductees. They might be puzzled however, by the suggestion of psychological testing and types of brain function testing. Many abductees have reported what they perceived as an interest by the extraterrestrials in the abductees emotions and mental abilities. There seems to be something about our thought processes and our emotional responses that are of interest to them in addition to the physiological component of abductions. Psychological tests, IQ tests, Brain Wave Mapping, Neuropsychometric testing and ESP tests could show if there is something different or unique in abductees thought processes and brain function. All of the testing done has the possibility to serve a double purpose which could work in our favor. Imagine if the things skeptics claim are explanations for abductions, things such as chemical imbalances in the brain or body, mental illness, and hallucinations are not found to be present in the participants. If the absence of these things were documented and verified by qualified MD’s and PhD’s in Psychology then we would have some pretty strong scientific evidence to prove the skeptics claims are wrong.

I know many of these types of tests can be costly and, a research project of this type would eventually need some serious funding to achieve its highest goals. Personally I think the ultimate testing would be DNA mapping and analysis but, that would also be the most expensive testing that could be done. There are some things however that would cost very little and they could be a good starting point for a research project of this nature. Documented blood typing and a detailed medical history from each abductee participating in the study would be a good basis to build on. On the question of funding for the more expensive tests that could be done I would like to point out a few things. I have a hunch that there are qualified medical professionals and mental health professionals who are open to the idea that the abduction phenomenon is real, and some of these people would jump at the chance to be involved in such a research project. I also have a hunch that a lot of these people would donate their time and expertise for the possibility of finding some real answers about the abduction phenomenon. I say this because I have personally met a few psychologists and MD’s who were not only open to the idea of abductions but, were actually abductees themselves. People from all manner of professions have reported being abducted and this shows that the abduction phenomenon does not discriminate in that regard.

The funding for the more expensive lab and medical testing is the greatest of several hurdles to overcome but I do think this goal could be accomplished as well. Stop and consider how many people pay to attend UFO/Abduction conferences and donate money to other research groups and websites. These avenues and outlets for research information sharing are important but, there is an overabundance of such things. I’m not trying to make light of anyone else’s research but I honestly believe a research project of this nature could yield some of the best information to date that could answer some of the most pressing questions about the abduction phenomenon.

I understand the personal risk for all involved is a grave concern, especially for the abductees. Maybe some of us have considered being involved in a research project like this but the fear of attempting such an undertaking is too great. This fear of trying because of possible personal repercussions is the first and most important thing that should be addressed. To get enough abductees to agree to this sort of thing we would have to have an absolute guarantee that our identity and personal information be protected and secure and that any samples taken from us must also be kept secure. Any medical or mental health professionals who would be willing to help conduct and analyze the research must also have a guarantee of anonymity if necessary. I think the second thing that should be addressed is the actions of the researchers and their accountability for their actions if such a study were ever conducted. On both these points and many others a “contractual agreement” comes to mind. A legal and binding contract in addition to a non-disclosure agreement should be signed by all persons involved. I feel that a hefty monetary loss as a penalty for breaking the contract in any way should be stipulated in the contract. It should also be agreed to by all involved that none of the information or data gathered from such a study will be used for monetary gain in any way and, this data will not be used by anyone to further their careers or be used to put them in the limelight. Once the data is analyzed and some conclusions can be drawn all parties agree to distribute the analysis results to anyone for free.

How many years now have we been hearing people talk about abductions and report being abducted? The whole time this topic was gaining more widespread interest and acceptance there has always been a resource of possible evidence that could answer the deeper questions about abductions. This resource is us, the abductees. Our stories can only bring some information about abductions to light. We need to be brave and change our research tactics to focus on the very things the extraterrestrials seem to focus on during abductions. Answers to the core questions about abductions are not just going to be handed to us. These answers are only going to be found through aggressive, pro-active research. Most abductees have had to face and endure abduction encounters for their whole lives. Don’t we have a right to seek the answers to our deepest questions about this phenomenon? As abductees we are on the “front lines” of this phenomenon so, don’t you think we have earned the right to get some answers?

More . . .

See Also:

Barney & Betty Hill: The White Mountain Abduction Documentary

CNN: Miles O'Brien Talks To Bud Hopkins and Explores Alien Abduction

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