What is alien abduction?
“Abduction” means kidnapping, and in the UFO world it refers to the experience of being taken aboard a UFO by aliens. Accounts often say the person was bathed in bright light and could not move, and then found themselves lying on a table inside a UFO being examined by aliens. Some say a small device (an “implant”) was put inside their body.
Spread from the Hill case
Abduction accounts became widely known after the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in America in 1961. In the 1970s and 1980s, American researchers published one book after another collecting experiencers’ stories, and a Harvard psychiatrist’s serious study of experiencers also attracted attention. The small aliens with large heads and black eyes described by many experiencers are called Greys. In Japan, the Nikoro incident in Hokkaido is known.
Features common to the accounts
Abduction accounts share several features: they happen at night in a bedroom or car; the person cannot move; several hours of memory are missing (“missing time”); and the memories later resurface in dreams or under hypnosis.
How psychology explains it
In psychology and sleep research, many abduction experiences are thought to be explainable by sleep paralysis. During sleep paralysis, people cannot move, may sense someone in the room, and can see vivid hallucinations. It is also known that memories recalled under hypnosis can be shaped by how questions are asked and by images from books and films, without the person realizing it. Most experiencers sincerely believe what they say, but no solid evidence of alien abduction has been found.
