Alien Abductions: A New Theory for the Skeptics

March 3, 2011

Mar 3

We were watching a TV show about alien abductions. One skeptic put forth the theory that abductees were simply having vivid dreams about things they saw on TV or in movies, and then imagining the dreams to be actual memories. He suggested that even hypnotic regression brought forth details of something they watched on TV rather than something they actually experienced.

Abduction memories are not usually as straightforward as regular memories. Alien abduction memories are often hidden behind “screen memories” which block the terrifying memory of a traumatic event and replace it with a more acceptable memory. Screen memories are a phenomenon often discussed in the psychoanalytical community and they were first introduced by Sigmund Freud in 1899. Freud did not consider the “recovered” memories behind the screen memories to be accurate.

Alien abduction screen memories often involve an animal or insect which is out of place, such as an owl or cow watching you through your window. Screen memories can include owls, deer, monkeys, rabbits, cows, wolves, cats, dogs, clowns, insects, and even people. Such memories can come in the form of vivid dreams and may leave behind a fear of whatever entity was used as the screen.

As the alien abduction memories often come out in your dreams, it can be difficult to differentiate between a dream and an actual memory and this is where the skeptics have a field day.

The TV skeptic in question talked about Betty and Barney Hill, one of the most widely publicized accounts of alien abduction. He noted that some of the details of their story came out right on the heels of an episode called “The Bellero Shield” from the sci fi TV show called “The Outer Limits” about space aliens.

The skeptic stated that the details Betty and Barney Hill gave were very similar to details in the TV show. His conclusion was that they saw the TV show and then dreamed up their own alien abduction from there. Other skeptics have suggested that details of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction were taken from two science fiction movies called “Invaders from Mars” and “Killers from Space” that had been out for some time.

Suppose, just for a moment, that the skeptics are right. Suppose that the details of Betty and Barney Hill’s alien adbuction matched something that had appeared on TV. Where then, did the writer of the TV story get the idea from?

Consider this: Is it possible that the people who write the stories, movies, screenplays, and TV shows about aliens have themselves been abducted and are drawing on their own hidden memories without even realizing it? Whoever wrote that Outer Limits episode or the movies that the skeptics use to debunk Betty and Barney Hill’s abduction story, perhaps those writers were sharing personal experiences that they thought were simply figments of dreams or a vivid imagination.

If the majority of alien abductees do not realize they’ve been abducted, and attribute any memories they have to active imaginations and dreams, their memories may surface in the stories they write. Therefore it makes perfect sense for Betty and Barney Hill to echo something that appeared on TV or at the movies.