Monday, June 09, 2003
Alien Abductions The Real Deal?
Are alien abductions a misunderstood sleep phenomenon, or apocalyptic warnings? The answer depends on which constellation you work for at Harvard.
Psychological tests confirm that abductees are rarely psychotic or mentally ill. Some 3 million Americans believe they've encountered bright lights and incurred strange bodily marks indicative of a possible encounter with aliens, according to a recent poll.
For Richard McNally, Ph.D., Harvard University, the most telling difference between abductees and survivors of "veritable" trauma is not physiological but attitudinal. Experiencers unanimously state that they're glad they were abducted. "There's a psychological payoff," says McNally. "This makes it very different from sexual abuse." Trauma survivors of all stripes cite positive spiritual growth, but, "no Vietnam vet says, 'Gee, I'm glad I was a POW.'"
John Mack, M.D., Harvard University, is currently at work on his third book, which examines the clash between "scientific materialism and a nonrational point of view." He increasingly distances himself from the question of whether or not aliens exist in the physical world, focusing more on a "consensus reality" that precludes us from even entertaining such a possibility. "We void the cosmos of other intelligence unless it can be proven," states Mack. On the work of McNally and Clancy in the psychology department, a stone's throw away, Mack says, "We're in different firmaments."
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