Abduction Digest, Number 39 Monday, January 13th 1992 Today's Topics: Abduction thread Re: If Ufo's Re: Abduction thread Re: abductions I'm back. Abduction research Abduction research RESEARCH Abductions Research Australian abductions Australian abductions 2 Australian abductions 3 Australian abductions 4 Australian abductions 5 Welcome Back! I'm Back. Abduction Research I'm back. Premature Births ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jim.Speiser@p666.f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Jim Speiser) Subject: Abduction thread Date: 10 Jan 92 16:02:12 GMT Is it my imagination, or has this thread gotten a little out of control? I think fouls have been committed on both sides. Sue, it was you who brought religion into this discussion in the first place, and you do seem to be steadfastly unwilling to examine the sources we have quoted for you, choosing instead to point to that which you HAVE read and insisting that it doesn't constitute proof. You also made some demonstrably unsupportable statements regarding alcohol use and UFO perception. Mike, while I know how tempting it is to bash religion, I think it sets a better example to try to steer the conversation back on course. Doug, I don't think its proper to show support for one user's arguments over another's while wearing your echo moderator's hat. Can we start over? Sue thinks abductions are a reflection of an innate need for religion among those who reject traditional forms. I don't think its necessary to bash Christianity to counter this; its much easier to show that abduction percipients run the gamut of religious belief, from Betty Andreasson Luca (devout Christian) to "Lydia" (secular humanist). Furthermore, the effect of the abduction experience is not to convert the percipient to one religion or another, as might be expected, but to reinforce the percipient's previously held beliefs, at least in the two cases I cited. Betty Luca is still a devout Christian, and thinks her experience ratifies her beliefs. Lydia is still a secular humanist, and eschews any spiritual explanation for her experience. As far as abductions "proving" anything, I don't think anyone here is making such a claim. The only claims being put forth on this echo regard what abductions are NOT: according to our best information, they are NOT a generally recognized form of psychosis or delusion. They MAY be related to fantasy-proneness, as Basterfield et al have shown, and this is certainly a viable avenue for inquiry. I hope this gets us back on track. Jim -- Jim Speiser - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Jim.Speiser@p666.f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Linda.Bird@f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Linda Bird) Subject: Re: If Ufo's Date: 10 Jan 92 21:15:00 GMT Hi Sue, Yes, I think UFO's do exist. The problem is that, like most mysteries, this one is unidentified. We must keep in touch and share thoughts and experiences, in my opinion, and we must not ridicule those who think they have seem something truly unexplainable. Best, Linda -- Linda Bird - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Linda.Bird@f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Doug.Rogers@p0.f1.n606.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Doug Rogers) Subject: Re: Abduction thread Date: 11 Jan 92 07:55:15 GMT As always, Jim, your insights are appreciated. I hope your post has the desired result. Mine certainly have not. -- Doug Rogers - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Doug.Rogers@p0.f1.n606.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Doug.Rogers@p0.f1.n606.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Doug Rogers) Subject: Re: abductions Date: 11 Jan 92 08:01:58 GMT > > 49 percent of Mensans claim a Christian orientation. And > only 7 percent are agnostic, and 3.6 percent atheist! > hahaha.. that's better than the 60 percent! Can you spell "assumption"? You "assume" that those expressing no religious orientation are Xian. I believe this is an unsupportable assumption. Could we *PLEASE* move away from religion and get back on topic in this echo? Jim Spieser has posted a very rational suggestion as to avenues to persue. Perhaps you would enjoy seeing where they go. One last clarification. It is my *function* here to attempt to keep the echos "on topic". That is to say, the topics labeled on the subscriber BBS's are to be the topics discussed in the relative echos. I would get on your case just as quickly for a discussion of Mickey Mouse cartoons in this echo as I will your religious discussions. Your cries of "free speech" are totally out of order. There is regulation in *any* network. Were there not, we, the sysops, would be paying big bucks to move messages around (like this one) that have nothing to do with the reason we subscribed to the echo. Having said all of this can we PLEASE get back on the abduction issue? If you have problems with this, take it up with your sysop and allow him/her to discuss it in our sysop area. NOT a warning. Just a request. -- Doug Rogers - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Doug.Rogers@p0.f1.n606.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: David.Jacobs@f21.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG (David Jacobs) Subject: I'm back. Date: 9 Jan 92 12:14:15 GMT I would like to say hello to all my friends and colleagues again. It seems that I have resurfaced after all these months. I only have a few seconds left on the BBS so I will wait for some messages in the hopes of getting up an interesting dialogue on abductions and UFOs. Via SPITFIRE Bulletin Board System - Version 3.1 -- David Jacobs - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: David.Jacobs@f21.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Abduction research Date: 6 Jan 92 03:59:00 GMT Thanks for the "comments" on the paranormal aspects of that abduction case you posted. The links between events with heavy emotional overlay, and later use of these events to relive these emotions is particularly relevant to abduction research. Our brain has a tremendous capacity to recall minute details/emotions/bodily experiences of every moment we live. Think of people who have been involved in an accident who can relive in real time the last few seconds of an accident. Then move to an abduction researcher who says that only a real event can trigger later emotional recall, i.e. post traumatic stress disorder always has its roots in a real physical event. It is a strong argument. Regression hypnosis is utilised to probe deeeper into the mind of an abductee who may remember something of an abudction. Under hyponosis they recall the entire abduction, they scream, laugh and cry when recalling the event. Take another person who has vague feelings that they have lived before, i.e. they have a past life. Regress them and you might discover they were burnt at the stake as a witch. As they recall burning/dying, under regression, safe in a chair in a room in 1992, they scream, cry and show signs on their skin as if induced by heat. In another instance what appear to be rope marks might show on their skin. Later, it is conclusively show that their story matches the storyline of a novel written in the 20th century. This emotional evidence falls away, it is meaninglesss, because it was created by the mind of the "past lifer." Has any abductee been screened for past lives? It seems to me that we should not just be researching abductions, but tying it in to current research with out of body experiences, near death experiences, and past life research. More in next message. -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Abduction research Date: 6 Jan 92 04:17:00 GMT I wanted to explore the apparent association between the paranormal and abductions a bit more. I have noted over the years that a large number of researchers have commented on the association of paranormal events and the UFO phenomenon in general but the abduction phenomenon specifically. In the couple of cases here in Adelaide which I have studied closest-in one case coming up to two years now, there were numerous paranormal and abduction episodes scattered over the lifetime of the abductee. In both instances there were associated poltergeist phenomenon, prophetic dreams, precognition, out of body experiences, and other unusual episodes. Now, poltergeist events are fairly rare-for example 3% of the British population reckon they have experienced poltergeists. Apparitions-some 11-14% of the population. OBE;s say up to 10% of the population. Now by statistical chance one particular person has a probability of 3/100 times 11/100 times 10/100 etc of having all the events happen to them. For this particular person to also be an abductee which is a very small percentage of the total population seems to be to indicate something unusual about this individual. Interesting! Now if you examine the mainstream psychological literature on the fantasy-prone individual you will see that in Barber and Wilson's original 1981 work they found that some 3/4 of FPPers had OBEs, saw apparitions etc. Now, does that mean some individuals are open to paranromal events including abductions? Do the real aliens zero in on psychic people? Are FPPers really psychic or does their imagination create a belief in them that these paranormal episodes occur? The questions needing answering are numerous. I'd like to see a standard set of questions about their paranormal experiences given to all abductees when they are interviewed. I feel we may learn that most if not all abductees score above average for paranormal events in their lives. Interestingly, Budd Hopkins' work has never explored or indicated any paranormal events to any of his abductees. I'll be exploring this connection myself in an article I'm currently writing, to open up some dialogue. -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: RESEARCH Date: 6 Jan 92 04:19:00 GMT Sorry Sheldon, I'm in the dark as much as you on the term "RESEARCH". Is this another folder on PARANET? Perhaps Mike Corbin could illuminate us? -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Abductions Date: 7 Jan 92 05:43:00 GMT Hi Jim, there is a copy of the UFORA Australian abduction and missing time catalogue on its way to you by airmail-should be there in about 10 days. Re the question of objective/subjective. Eddie Bullard's massive review of abduction texts left him with the impression that the subjective elements of the abduction experience outwayed the objective elements. I think by this he was suggesting a psychological basis rather than a physical basis to the phenomenon. In the Dec 91 issue of the UK Journal "Fortean Times" Eddie is interviewed by Bob Rickard: page 49:- "FT: You have said-in Jerome Clark's UFO Encyclopedia-that you incline towards a psychological or psycho-social interpretation of these stories, but the physical evidnce in some of these case troubled you. Are you any nearer to resolving that dilemma? EB: No, not really. Some abduction cases have to be psychological; there's no way the events could really have happened as described." In the local abduction cases I've been involved with a woman, as a young girl reports being levitated off her bed and floated through a wall, then follows the classical medical examination and trip around the ship, plus being show her future life. How objective is being floated through a wall? That's what I meant by some subjective and some objective elements that need to be dealt with. A classic Australian abduction is that of Maureen Puddy who whilst in the company of VUFORS UFO researchers Paul Norman and Judith Magee lasped unto unconsciousness in a car, and then reported being inside a round room, entity there etc. She never physically left their presence yet an abduction event occurred. Question, if we and Eddie accept that some cases are psychological and yet these psyhcological caused ones tell exactly the same story as a "real" abduction, how do we tell them apart? How can you prove a real one was real? THis would be a good question to ask Eddie, which cases does he feel are psychological? -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Research Date: 7 Jan 92 05:51:00 GMT Lest people get the impression that I'm sugegsting that THE answer to abductions is simply psychological, I'm not. I think they deserve serious scientific attention by health professionals. However, let's investigate the psychological possibilities whilst looking at all aspects. I don't think many of the "pro ETH" anduction researchers have done this yet. For example, in his otherwise excellent MUFON Symposium paper on abductions, John S Carpenter, a psychologist, reviewed a number of possible psychopathological explanations for abductions, including psychosis, schizophrenia, hysteria, dissociative states, paranoia, and sociopathic personality and quite rightly decides that these explanations are inadequate in explaining many abduction cases. However, despite the fantasy prone personality hypothesis having been around since 1988 he doesn't discuss it at all-never mentions it as worthy of review. I'm quite happen to entertain the ETH as an answer, but based on data and omitting no possibilities. -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Australian abductions Date: 8 Jan 92 03:17:00 GMT A while ago Michael Corbin asked me to describe some of our abduction/missing times cases for you. This and the following messages provided summaries of the 17 cases I have been associated with over the last few years:- 1. Sep/Oct 1970 Sydney New South Wales "Adrian". One night a man noticed a red/orange glow in the bush close to his home. He took his dog and went to investigate. Getting closer to it he saw a glow illuminating the area. His dog became excited and dashed into the bush. There next appears a discontinuity in his physical and emotional recall-an apparent period of "missing time." He next recalled seeing an owl fly past him and he could hear his own internal thought : 'There's something I should remember.' Strangely, he felt comfortable with this, lost interest in the glow and went home. (UFORA91036 Keith Basterfield and Julia Elsbeth). 2. 1972 Largs Bay South Australia "Carol Williams." A 27 year old woman reported a lifelong series of experiences which commenced with a CE1 at age 6. This was followed by other UFO experiences, poltergeist activity, telepathy, precognitive dreams, an out of body experience, lucid dreams, hypnagogic imagery and sleep paralysis, amongst other things. Of particular interest was a recurrent nightmare of encounters with a strange dwarf in an unusual room. Memories of some of these events were triggered after watching an "Unsolved Mysteries" segment on abductions on television. Under regression recollection eventuated of one abduction at age 9. Partial recollection of a second possible abduction at age 15 ran into a mental block. A friend of hers participated in some of the experiences and was present in the same room at the age 15 episode. Regression of this second woman confirmed parts of carol's story but not the abduction. (UFORA89036 UFORSA & Keith Basterfield). 3. 1974 Elizabeth South Australia "Lisa." A woman recalled, that as a 9 year old girl, she and a friend observed a UFO at close range in suburban Elizabeth. As she had memories of observing the UFO from two different locations a fraction of a second apart, she suspected a period of missing time. Regression revealed no abduction scenario. (UFORA89037 UFORSA & Keith Basterfield.) -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Australian abductions 2 Date: 8 Jan 92 03:32:00 GMT 4. 1977-1989 Adelaide South Australia "Anne Hastings." A 34 year old woman related at least 3 encounters with entities. The first appears to be religious. On the second, one night she suddenly found herself recalling that she had somehow been in a very large room where there had been a large number of human-like figures, including a human child about age 10. The room showed no apparent source of illumination. It was warmly lit-a very light soft blue colour. Breathing was no problem, gravity was normal and the temperature was skin temperature. She can recall conversing with the child. On the following occasion she had retired to bed when she found herself drifting through tunnels. Suddenly she was in a room. This time the people present were not human. They had pointed faces, large heads, and slanted very dark blue eyes. Their heads were quite swollen at the forehead, with their ears being little, with no lobes as such. They had thin bodies, were grey in colour and short in stature. One of the female aliens was carrying a baby. The baby had its arms outstretched and the witness asked to hold and nurse it. Suddenly, she knew she had to go and found herself back in bed. She quickly fell asleep. In her teens she underwent precognitive dreams and later in life (continuing) precognitive visions. (UFORA89016 Ray Brooke & Keith Basterfield.) 5. Mar 1978 Gisborne New Zealand 'P' Three women were involved in an apparent abduction event in the midst of a large UFO flap near Gisborne which began in 1977. One night they were lying on a hillside watching the skies, and felt that a period of missing time occurred. Shortly after the event a regression hypnosis sesssion was arranged and an abduction scenario revealed. In 1989 during a retrospective investigation by Keith Basterfield and Bill Chalker, a regression session was conducted with 'P'. This revealed an account of being drawn up a beam of light, and of talking to a male entity. All 3 women then found themselves back on the hillside. (UFORA89017 Original investigation by Bryan Dickeson. 1989 by Keith Basterfield and Bill Chalker.) 6. 1979 Melbourne Victoria "Mark." A man retied to bed one night at about 11 p.m. Shortly after closing his eyes he lost all sense of sound and feeling and found himself travelling in a tunnel through space. Looking forwards he noted a light at the end of the tunnel. His next awareness was of lying on a table in a "craft". He was being medically examined by 3 beings. One of the beings seemed to be a human female, with long blonde hair. The other 2 were some 150cm tall, fat and of a dark brown colour. These latter two had plumpish faces, large eyes, a large nose and bigger lips and ears than us. They addressed him in English and seemed like scientists. When they intoruced a "scanner" he "freaked out" and woke up in his own bed. All his teeth were numb and his knuckles were white. (Garry Little.) -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Australian abductions 3 Date: 8 Jan 92 03:50:00 GMT 7. 1980-1989 Adelaide South Australia "Barbara White." A young woman wanted assistance to determine the origin of 3 relatively large triangular scars on her forehead which had simply appeared over night some 2 years prior. Over a 10 year period Barbara saw UFOs, had a near death out of body experience, and a peak experience. She also experienced telepathy, precognitive visions, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic imagery, and other psychic style events. As to the marks on the forehead she did have recollections of something touching her forehead during one night, following which the marks were seen the next day which later resulted in the current scars. Under regression she recounted how a "shadow" was in her room and shone a laser-like beam of light onto her forehead. (UFORA90038 UFORSA & Keith Basterfield.) 8. 24 Oct 1981 Port Lincoln South Australia Messrs P & J 2 young men were travelling by car when they encountered a "white endless space" where a time loss of several hours is said to have occurred. During this lost time they have vague memories of a "being" and recalled "...walking into a big room..." Just prior to this "space" they had been watching a mysterious light in the sky. They did not wish a complete investigation. (Keith Basterfield & Pony Godic). 9. 1983 Darwin Northern Territory "Simon". A 16 year old reported a series of events which included a night time encounter, a number of dreams and also observations of entities about the house. However, his sketches of the entities were straight copies of Betty Andreasson's beings copied from the original Fowler book which he had read. An investigation revealed a possible psychologcal explanation for the story. (Keith Basterfield & Pony Godic.) 10 Ca 1988 Adelaide South Australia "Jan". A married woman went to bed one night and during the night had a very vivid experience which she believes was not a dream. She found herself in this white space. Present were 3 entities. They were some 210cm tall, and covered in gowns. She wasn't frightened of them. She had a discussion with them. Next morning she had a vivid recall of the events of the night apart from the content of the conversation. Personality changes ensued from that time. Since then she has reported episodes of sleep paralysis, and other unusual activity. (UFORA91037 Keith Basterfield.) 11 Ca 1988 Mid North South Australia "Elizabeth." Over a number of years a woman has experienced interactions with aliens. All these have taken place in her bedroom on the interface between sleep and wakefulness. Some of the episodes have involved sexual contact. (UFORA91038 Keith Basterfield.) -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Australian abductions 4 Date: 8 Jan 92 04:03:00 GMT 12 1988(?) Adelaide South Australia "Frank." A man reported that he was in 2 way communication with aliens via an implant in his ear. During an investigation it was revealed that he had undergone 2 apparent out of body experiences where he was "sucked out" of his body. He indicated that during these episodes he had been taken onboard a UFO. His account was set in the context of the Ashtar command via automatic writing. 13 Lifelong Adelaide South Australia "Susan." A 31 year old woman told how at age 10-11 she was abducted from her bedroom by 1 tall and a group of small, entities. The smaller beings were some 120cm tall, with large bald heads. They had large eye sockets, no visible pupils, with dark blue or black eyes. With a slit mouth and a small nose. The taller being seemed to be in command, and was some 210cm tall. Susan was levitated off the bed and taken to a circular "room" where she received a medical examination whilst lying on a metal table. The next conscious recollection was of waking up in her own bed. Regression sessions documented her abduction claim. This woman also recounts numerous lifelong episodes of such things as poltergeist activity, a sense of presence, being told she levitated whilst she slept, seeing objects such as childrens'tricycles moving by themselves, experiencing apparitions, precognitive visions, telepathy and spirit photographs. There were also claims of unusual implants in her mouth. In addition there are fragmentary recall of a number of other abductions. The case is set in the context of the woman being an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse. (UFORA90045 UFORSA & Keith Basterfield.) 14 Lifelong Tasmania/South Australia "Nigel." A number of paranormal and abduction-like events were reported by a 27 year old man in 1990. These included a 1987 event in which he woke paralysed in bed. Something was being pushed into a vein in his arm. Upon awakening he found a hole in his arm from which blood was issuing. (UFORA90066 Keith Basterfield & Julia Elsbeth.) 15 Jul 1989 Adelaide South Australia "Julian." A man and his wife have recollections of being abducted on the same night. He recalls an entity with oval shaped head, large black eyes, a slit for a mouth and nostrils, looking at him. (UFORA91098 Keith Basterfield.) -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Basterfield) Subject: Australian abductions 5 Date: 8 Jan 92 04:10:00 GMT 16 Jun 1988 Jamestown South Australia "Bronte." A 58 year old farmer related that one night he experienced an unusual "attack" whilst in bed. Later he saw a UFO at close range and found a disturbed area of ground. (UFORSA). 17 1988-1990 Melbourne Victoria "Rita." Several unusual episodes are said to have occurred to a Victorian woman. Episodes included her 6 year old son telling her that several small men entered his bedroom, shinign a "torch" at him. In addition her 14 year old daughter told her she had seen a large, luminous object floating down their driveway. The woman herself had been physically pulled out of bed by "something" one night. Finally, the woman recalled a "dream" from age 7 in which 3 "pixies" entered her room and took her away. (UFORA91044 Keith Basterfield.) These then are the cases I have been associated with so far. Note the variety of experiences, the tunnel like manner of some abductions, similar to near death experience imagery. Comments, etc are sought. -- Keith Basterfield - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Keith.Basterfield@f12.n1040.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sheldon.Wernikoff@p0.f605.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Sheldon Wernikoff) Subject: Welcome Back! Date: 12 Jan 92 05:42:03 GMT In a message to All <09-Jan-92 05:14> David Jacobs wrote: DJ> I would like to say hello to all my friends and colleagues DJ> again. Hi Dave, and welcome back! Discussion is just now starting to pick up on this echo (as I'm certain you've noticed), so you couldn't have been more timely in your return. I know Mike Corbin has been working furiously to set up a node for you in PA. I see he's succeeded. DJ> It seems that I have resurfaced after all these months. ^^^^^^^^^^ Ah Ha, so you've been vacationing at the underground base in Dulce... that explains your mysterious disappearance. Seriously, I know how busy you've been. Your book is due out in March, is it not? Can't wait to read it. DJ> I will wait for some messages in the hopes of DJ> getting up an interesting dialogue on abductions and UFOs. There are quite a few in the message base now for you to scan through and comment on. Also, if you have received my letter of a couple weeks back, and have not yet responded, please feel free to do so in this forum. Thanks -- Take care, Sheldon -- Sheldon Wernikoff - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Sheldon.Wernikoff@p0.f605.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael.Corbin@p0.f428.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Michael Corbin) Subject: I'm Back. Date: 12 Jan 92 19:10:00 GMT > I would like to say hello to all my friends and colleagues again. It > seems that I have resurfaced after all these months. I only have a few > seconds left on the BBS so I will wait for some messages in the hopes > of > getting up an interesting dialogue on abductions and UFOs. Welcome back Dave! Hope to see you posting often. Keith Basterfield has been anxiously awaiting your re-appearance. Enjoy! Mike P.S. Make an announcement on your upcoming book. -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Michael.Corbin@p0.f428.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sheldon.Wernikoff@p0.f605.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Sheldon Wernikoff) Subject: Abduction Research Date: 13 Jan 92 01:11:01 GMT Hello Keith, and many thanks for the most interesting statistical data and condensed case histories you have provided us with. Intercontinental dialogue at its finest - thanks to ParaNet. The paranormal/abduction correlation you suspect does seem to manifest itself in at least 5 out of 6 cases I am personally familiar with. One woman, while a student at Southern Illinois University, reported numerous poltergeist type incidents, such as overturned water glasses righting themselves, and drapes opening spontaneously. Another, reported a single, very profound OBE, in which her image allegedly became visible to a friend. All recited accounts of prophetic dreams, clairvoyance, precognition, etc. First we must determine conclusively, through the currently available percipient profile database, if this posited link does indeed exist. Next, we must construct hypotheses that conform to the observed data. Many questions must be answered, some of which you touched upon in your last message. Are individuals that are susceptible to paranormal events, also prospective abductees? Do abductees, ex post facto, then become "paranormal prone"? How do we define and confirm the paranormal event? I agree with you that it seems likely that most abductees would score higher than average on a standardized paranormal aptitude test. Personally, I feel that the majority of the UFO/abduction scenario may be more of an intangible psycho-sociological phenomenon than anything else. I base this observation on the fact that after all these years, we have little (some would say none!) physical confirmation of UFO's/abductions. MOST, but NOT all UFO sightings can be resolved through temporal mechanisms. The most popular point of departure for abductees of late has become the percipient's bedroom - which augments the probability of hypnopompic/hypnogogic imagery. Your cited case of Maureen Puddy, lapsing into unconsciousness in the presence of VUFORS investigators, and later reciting an abduction event which could not have been physical, lends credence to some type of psychological etiology. What happened to Maureen was certainly far more complex than a dream - but what was it? I, like you Keith, am not stating that the abduction issue can be satisfactorily settled through known psychological mechanisms. Obviously, it's just not that rudimentary. However, it does appear that psychological method is the primary vehicle to utilize in unraveling this enigma. Thanks again Keith for your post, Sheldon @ FIDO 1:11/50 -- Sheldon Wernikoff - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Sheldon.Wernikoff@p0.f605.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jim.Speiser@f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Jim Speiser) Subject: I'm back. Date: 11 Jan 92 18:35:00 GMT > I would like to say hello to all my friends and colleagues again. It > seems that I have resurfaced after all these months. I only have a few > > seconds left on the BBS so I will wait for some messages in the hopes > of > getting up an interesting dialogue on abductions and UFOs. > Ahlevai! Welcome back, David. I hope you have been able to track the last few weeks worth of messages on this echo. If not, please advise and one of us can use FastForward to update Chris's message base. We're finally getting some good traffic here, with the participation of Basterfield, Wernikoff, Rodeghier, and perhaps a real-live abductee or two. To the lurkers out there, this is one area where you may use an alias, so please feel free to post, especially if you have some suspicions that you may have had the abduction experience. Jim -- Jim Speiser - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Jim.Speiser@f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Brent.Wilcox@p5.f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG (Brent Wilcox) Subject: Premature Births Date: 13 Jan 92 01:03:24 GMT I won't claim that all abduction experiences stem from this source, but I wonder if anyone has pursued this angle... I've encountered a few people on BBS systems who claim abduction experiences, or "borderline" abduction experiences -- paranormal encounters that are similar but not quite the same as "alien abductions". Several of them -- it came out -- were born prematurely. I'm aware of the "birth trauma" theory of abductions, and wonder is anyone has looked for premie births in the data. Even more potentially traumatic than birth itself might be being stuck in an incubator and/or hooked to life support equipment. -- Brent Wilcox - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Brent.Wilcox@p5.f100.n1010.z9.FIDONET.ORG ****************A**B**D**U**C**T**I**O**N****D**I**G**E**S**T******************* Submissions UUCP {ncar,isis,csn}!scicom!abduct Submissions DOMAIN abduct@scicom.alphacdc.com Admin Address abduct-request@shemtaia.weeg.uiowa.edu Mail to private Paranet/Fidonet addresses from the newsletters: DOMAIN firstname.lastname@paranet.org UUCP scicom!paranet.org!firstname.lastname ****************A**B**D**U**C**T**I**O**N****D**I**G**E**S**T*******************