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Essays about alien abduction
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Can alien abductions be elucidated scientifically as a product of sleep paralysis, false memory, dreams, or just an overactive imagination? The abductees say that they were awakened from sleep and transported to an alien spacecraft. The description of which usually begins with what sounds like an episode of sleep paralysis.
Up to 60 percent of people have experienced sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis transpires just prior to falling asleep, or while awakening (Spanos, Cross & DuBreuil, 1993). The brain and body temporarily desynchronize when waking from REM sleep. This causes the body to remain paralyzed during REM sleep, and allowing the mind to be fully cognizant of its surroundings. Technically this experience cannot be classified as either awake or asleep. A small percentage of people who experience sleep paralysis do so in juxtaposition with terrifying hallucinations (Perina, 2003). These hallucinations vary, for example; people often feel tingling sensations, weightlessness, hear buzzing noises, and see flashing lights and figures around one’s bed. This rarely lasts for long, no more than a few minutes at which point the hallucinations and paralysis end. The individual believing something transpired during sleep may see a hypnotherapist to gain understanding of the experience (Clancy, McNally, Schacter, Lenzenweger, & Pitman 2002). During hypnotic regression, memories of abduction may surface. They can be so terrifying that the experiencer may believe they are afflicted with a serious neurological problem. Rather than accepting the prospect of insanity, they believe aliens abducted them, as it seems less outlandish (Perina, 2003).
It is believed by some that trauma can lead to amnesia, blocking memories that ar...
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...riven imagery in people reporting abduction by space aliens. Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 15(7), 493-497. doi:10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00707.x
Otgaar, H., Candel, I., Merckelbach, H., & Wade, K. (2008). Abducted by a UFO: Prevalence information affects young children’s false memories for an implausible event. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23, 115-125. doi: 10.1002/acp.1445
Perina, K., (2003). Cracking the Harvard x-files. Psychology Today, 36(2), 66.
Spanos, N. P., Cross, P. A., Dickson, K., & DuBreuil, S. C. (1993). Close encounters: An
examination of UFO experiences. The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102(4), 624-632. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.102.4.624
Steffens, M. C., & Mecklenbräuker, S. (2007). False memories: Phenomena, theories, and
implications. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 215(1), 12-24. doi:10.1027/0044-3409.215.1.12
All of these definitions are exact and significant to this research because sometimes it is obvious people are unaware of the true meanings of these words. The meanings of extraterrestrials and aliens have been commonly misinterpreted. An extraterrestrial is something, living or nonliving, which is not from earth, while an alien can be something from earth, but is not native to its surroundings. An unidentified flying object is something that has never been officially recorded. In this case, the witnesses refer to th...
Karl Albrecht, Ph.D. "The (Only) Five Basic Fears We All Live By." Psychology Today (2012).
Alien abduction stories have always held a strong interest among people all over the world, captivating our attention and curiosity as they propose yet another unsolved mystery of gigantic proportions and unthinkable consequences for humanity to contemplate. More so in modern times, and especially in the western world, where the media is a more significant part of culture, many science fiction novelists and screen writers brought out the issue to the public in the form of entertainment. This, due its widespread appeal, gave these stories a certain level of credulity among the masses, and sparked curiosity for closer investigation.
False memories being created is obvious through many different ways, such as eye-witness testimonies and past experiments that were conducted, however repression is an issue that has many baffled. There seems to be little evidence on the factual basis of repressed memories, and many argue that it does not exist. The evidence for repression in laboratories is slowly emerging, but not as rapidly as the evidence for false memories. It has been hard to clinically experiment with repressed memories because most memories are unable to be examined during the actual event to corroborate stories. Experimenters are discovering new ways to eliminate this barrier by creating memories within the experiment’s initial phase. This is important for examining the creation of false memories during the study phase. This research study will explore the differences between recovered memories and false memories through research and experiments. Other terms and closely related terms will be discussed, while examining any differences, in relation to repressed memories. The possibility of decoding an actual difference between recovered memories and false memories, through biological techniques. Because false memories can be created, examining these creations in a laboratory setting can shed light on facts overlooked. Exploring these issues will also help with the development of better therapeutic techniques for therapists in dealing with memories. This can lead to an easier process for patients and therapists if they must go through the legal system in relation to an uncovered memory.
Anterograde Amnesia (AA) is commonly known as short term memory loss. It is the inability to form any new memories after a neurological or psychological trauma in the brain. “Current definitions of anterograde amnesia emphasize the presence of severe and permanent deficits for the recall of recent events (typically with poor recognition) that contrast with intact short-term memory, IQ, semantic memory, skill learning, simple classical conditioning, perceptual learning, and priming” (Aggleton, 2008, p. 1442). Also, according to Aggleton, AA causes the inability to recall autobiographical events (episodic memory). Research shows that damage to the diencephalon or frontal lobe can cause AA. Damage to the diencephalon impairs memory performance because it encodes new experiences for future recall and damage to the frontal lobe of the brain weaken memory performance because the it is involved in regulates access explicit memory (Mendev 2007). Duff, Wszalek, Tranel & Cohen (2008) stated...
For over a thousand years people have reported seeing strange objects flying in the sky. Today the unknown flying objects -UFOs continue to visit us, on a regular basis. A large amount of recorded historical events of this issue have taken place to give the subject of UFOs recognition. Recently, many individuals have claimed to witness or be part of fantastic stories that attract some while are turned away. Videotapes, photographs and pieces of physical evidence do support some of these stories. Even more frightening, small objects called implants have been found in the bodies of some people that have reported strange sightings or encounters with strange objects. Once one begins to put it all together, the history, stories, claims, and evidence that science is to studying, the truth has come clear. We are not alone aliens do exist!
We may never know what lays beyond our night sky. It may be nothing, or our Government may be hiding everything from us, perhaps our President is behind these cases as well. This is the mystery that will trouble us for generations, but using evidence such as the LA shooting back in World War II, It is easy to gleam that: Aliens, Do, Exist.
Further biological research on the effect of psychological trauma on the neurochemistry of memory may help clinicians distinguish between true repressed memories and false memories in clients who report abuse. However, to date there is no method to determine the accuracy of these memories. Therefore clinicians and the courts must rely on corroborative evidence, and behavioral and physiologic clues to distinguish veracity.
Imagine a quiet night with nothing but the sound of your friends’ laughter and the soft crackle of a campfire. All around you is darkness lit only by the moon and stars. Now imagine a bright light beaming down on you from above. The next thing you remember is waking up from a daze next to your friend, unable to explain what just happened. This is just one of many examples of what many people call alien abduction experiences. Despite the hundreds and thousands of people who have claimed similar abductions, scientists and skeptics still attempt to answer this mystery with more earthly explanations. Even though many people claim very similar alien abductions, researchers can reasonably explain this phenomenon.
The third genre I will highlight is the heavily psychological issue of the psycho-physiology of the UFO experience. I distinguish this from the first genre dealt with by virtue of its focus on both the individual (as opposed to the more broadly social) and on psychodynamic causes and effects. John Mack (1994) and Michael Persinger (1989) lie at opposite ends of this theme's spectrum: Mack, a psychiatrist, assists self-identified abductees in clarifying memories of alien contact, rendering support to hypotheses of alien contact; Persinger, a laboratory-based psychologist, technologically elicits what he identifies as the contact experience in nonabductees in order to undermine the argument for alien abduction. Some work in this genre relates UFO experiences to religious and mystical experiences, trance states, shamanic initiations, and other alternate states of consciousness, coming into contact with anthropology in the process.
An alternative view to this debate, are from practicing therapist who argue that most recovered memories are true, and that there is still some evidence to support the concept of repressed memories (Briere & Conte, 1993). They claim that traumatic memories such as sexual abuse tend to be different from ordinary memories because they are encoded in a way that prevents them from being accessible in everyday life. In addition, they argue that certain procedures during therapy are necessary in order to bring the repressed memories back into conscious awareness, and this is deemed necessary in order to help the patient recover. Despite these claims, there is little evidence to support the validity of reported cases of recovered memories, and most of the theories are mainly based on speculation rather than scientific evidence. However, there have been some cases in which a recovered memory did corresponded to an actual event that occurred. For example, an article by Freyd (1999), reported a case in which a man called Frank Fitzpatrick recovered memories of sexual abuse from childhood. Although this
There are numerous of different movies, books, and TV shows on how humans think aliens interact, look similar to, and what the media portrays aliens to be like. Occasionally, most will stumble across news articles with a variety of related headings about aliens, UFO’s, or recent known abduction stories. Every person has their own theories and or thoughts on these basic questions: do aliens exist? Could the government be covering up real life “space ships” or encounters? Countless folks have claimed to witness or have fanciful stories that have fascinated countless while several others are turned away. There are Videos, pictures and pieces of physical evidence to support nearly all of these stories. Even more alarming,
Whether or not the Roswell incident truly involved a UFO remains unclear. How ever, the military cover-up only served to fuel the fire of our imaginations. Interest continues to grow, as questions remain unanswered. Even Bill Clinton has been quoted as saying “…If the United States Air Force did recover alien bodies, they didn’t tell me about it either, and I want to know”(qtd. in Wright 105).
The phenomenon of sleep paralysis can be a frightening experience: many who suffer can feel tremendous anxiety and fear, even though occurrences are considered as harmless as a bad dream. The disorder does not discriminate on the basis of race or gender, but age sometimes is a factor. Treatment for sleep paralysis is limited; in general, doctors treat the disorders linked to sleep paralysis such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis continues to be one of the many mysteries of the human brain, which science will continue to investigate.
Undoubtedly, with over 10 000 cases, the sheer amount of reported UFO sightings and abductions is startling. In July 1947, an airborne object crashed on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Rancher Mac Braezel examined the debris which appeared to be mostly metallic and plastic scraps. However, it was damaged beyond identification of its origin. He brought some of the material to his neighbours who attempted burning it, cutting it, and yet, it would not be damaged. They also tried bending it, too which it would dent momentarily before peculiarly molding back to its original form. Mac hurriedly contacted the local sheriff, who then, in disbelief, contacted two military officers to the debris field, also in dubiety, they brought some of the material they had found to the Roswell Army Air Base. Shortly thereafter, another local along with some students on an expedition, discovered a disk-shaped aircraft about two miles from the debris field, which had four small humanoid bodies scattered around its vicinity....