Page 21 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Late January 2019

Alien Abduction or Accidential Awareness 21

Alien Abduction or impact of awareness; in particular the decreased generalized to autobiographical memories, then
use of neuromuscular blockade, which induces individuals who claim to have been abducted by
“Accidental Awareness”? paralysis in the patient and may not always be aliens would be twice as likely to “falsely

necessary. The Royal College suggests that remember” things that had never happened to
patients be assessed post-operatively for them than would non-abductees.
Continued from Page 18
awareness experiences, and offered explanation,
reassurance, and counseling. 3. High levels of “Absorption”: Alien
PTSD researchers have found that trauma
That’s all very rational, well-meaning, abductees also score significantly higher than
memories are jumbled, and making sense of and compassionate—human one might even say. most people on the mental characteristic known
them can be compared to putting together a Perhaps in the future there will be fewer alien as ‘absorption.' This is a trait related to fantasy
jigsaw puzzle. Memories are recovered in bits abductions. But it seems more likely that now proneness, vivid imagery, and susceptibility to
and pieces. When Barney Hill heard the
that they have invaded our bodies—and our hypnosis and suggestion. Because of this it is
playback of the tapes he had made while telling
culture—for over 50 years, aliens will never probably not surprising that many alien
his story under hypnosis, he said “I felt so
leave this planet for good. abductees recall their experiences under
overwhelmed and relieved. Now parts of my life
hypnosis, where memories of abduction can be
that had been missing were added to it again.
About The Author: induced through suggestibility—especially if
Parts of my life were being put back together.”
Anne Skomorowsky practices the person leading the hypnosis session asks
The story of his abduction by aliens helped him Psychosomatic Medicine at the New York- particularly leading questions about abduction.
create meaning out of a set of disjointed and Presbyterian Hospital. She is an Assistant
mysterious sensations, and that was weight off
Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. 4. New Age beliefs: Being whisked up into
his shoulders. Similarly, the Royal College
space ships by tractor beams or light sources is
concluded that the awareness experience is less Five Traits That Could Get not something that happens every day—nor is it
traumatic when patients understand what is
something that is easily explainable within our
happening, or receive an explanation after it has You "Abducted by Aliens" existing knowledge of physics. Similarly, being
occurred. Their report recommends that all
subjected to imaginative medical procedures
hospitals develop protocols for helping patients requires a tendency to accept unusual and non-
with suspected or confirmed awareness. As a 1. Regularly experiencing sleep paralysis and mainstream ideas. This is also a trait possessed
hallucinations when awakening: Many people
poster advised on the website by ‘alien abductees.' They score highly on
who have reported alien abduction suffer
awarenesstrauma.com, “I also found that measures of magical ideation and endorse New
episodes of early morning sleep paralysis. On
having the experience validated by the doctors Age ideas that encompass beliefs about
awakening from this paralysis, their terror gives
involved, was important to my recovery. . . but I
rise to hallucinations of flashing lights and alternative medicines and healing, astrology, and
can tell you this was difficult to get, as they did
buzzing sounds. Some experience feelings of fortune telling. Such beliefs would certainly
not want to admit to their mistake.”
‘floating’ around the room or seeing figures in allow the individual to accept things happening
There is another problem: a person can to them that would be dismissed by existing
only report an awareness experience if she the room. While many people interpret these scientific knowledge.
remembers it, which could take years or never post-sleep paralysis experiences as dreaming,
some people interpret these experiences as
happen at all. Alien abduction may be one of 5. A familiarity with the cultural narrative of
seeing figures, ghosts, or aliens.
the most dramatic sequelae of anesthesia
alien abduction: As a cultural phenomenon,
awareness, but surely not the only one. Hate alien abduction has entered folklore and the
2. Tendency to Recall False Memories: In an
jazz? If you have ever had surgery, it may not
elegant set of experimental studies, McNally images and descriptions of aliens and their
just be your taste in music. One awareness
and colleagues found that individuals who spacecraft have become familiar to many
patient, formerly a jazz aficionado, developed a people. Alien abductees tend to be very familiar
bizarre aversion to the style after an awareness claimed to have been abducted by aliens were with this cultural narrative which is one possible
experience. It was not until years later that she prone to what is known as “false memory reason why their descriptions of aliens and their
recalled hearing a favorite jazz piece playing in syndrome." That is, alien abductees regularly spaceships are so similar—being fuelled as they
claimed to recall words, items, sentences, etc. in
the OR while awake during surgery. are by sci-fi films and numerous books about
memory tests that they had never actually seen
The report recommends a number of aliens and alien abduction. []
before. If this “false memory” affect can be
changes in anesthesia practice to minimize the