After watching the Channel 4 documentary ‘Confessions Of An Alien Abductee’, I found it very interesting to see the number of people who actually have similar alien-related experiences. Having studied Psychology at University, I find the way the human mind works extremely interesting and so wanted to delve deeper into the topic. This led me to AMMACH (Anomalous Mind Management Abductee Contact Helpline); an organisation that provides a whole host of support and resources for those who have had an alien experience. For me this is an essential tool. No matter where you are in the world there will be people who go through similar situations and respond to them differently. In the case of alien abductions or sightings this is definitely true. Therefore having a company in place, that people can go to to make sense of their individual experiences, is vital to help these people feel comfortable within themselves and the story they have to tell.

I spoke to Joanne Summerscales, the Founder and Director of AMMACH, to learn more about alien abductions and the kind of outreach her organisation is involved with.

How many people on average in the UK report UFO sightings and abductions?

I honestly can’t report on this as yet with any accuracy, as I have not been collating statistics to this point, but it is something that in future times will feature in the work. However what I can say is that the number, in response to the documentary of people writing in with their experiences, was enormous. Some of these people were expressing relief to know that that were not alone in all this. I would estimate that around 150-200 or more have contacted AMMACH because of articles in the recent past and the documentary, and I could say that more or less between 0 & 5 calls per week beforehand is the sort of incoming we had. That’s not including hoax calls of course, which began after the Sun article of April 6th last year, and of course, again, the documentary.

Your company, AMMACH, deal with people’s personal experiences of these reports. How exactly do you provide help for these people?

Firstly, in regards to the website (www.amach.co.uk), I try to keep the resources on there up-to-date. If somebody does not want to contact us directly, this is a useful tool for them to use. I will be getting some podcasts online in the not-so-distant future too, so I’ll be updating in that way. Should somebody want to test the waters for themselves, to see what kind of response they get without imparting too munch information, they can email us at ammach@hotmail.co.uk. After emailing once, or sometimes several times, this can lead to a follow up phone call or Skype conversation. This enables the individual to feel in control of the situation, as it allows them to determine how they feel. In addition to this, if people need further support Skype is also the tool I suggest. I usually record this conversation, with their permission, to aid memory and for research purposes. This will, in time, make up a series called ‘The Ammach Files’

Initially when AMMACH was set up people were only able to get in touch via a dedication phone number (07951752813), with a person on the other end of the line who would understand and reassure people they have been heard. Many people have not been able to speak openly about their experiences, as they feel compromised in their work and relationships, so should an individual come forward my listening to their deeply impacting story with compassion is important.

Whilst AMMACH itself is not a support group, but more a resource, I have always encouraged people to form their own support group in their area. This rarely happens, however after my last conference in April 2013 a couple of people who came from Dorset expressed an interest in setting up one within the Dorset area. This can be found on the website, under contact/support group.

Should people be courageous enough to come forward and share their story on camera, I provide a platform which gives people a voice. This is one by arrangement of course and the interview will need to sign a waiver which allows AMMACH to put their material out there and use it as necessary. I welcome those who are interesting in telling their story this way, as AMMACH’s moto is “Disclosure Through Exposure”, meaning that the more people who are exposed to this material and the more information the public gets by seeing this the better. These videos are uploaded to YouTube. If you want to find them, our channel is changing from ‘megawatts1066’ to ‘TheAmmachProject’. You can also find them on another of our channels, called ‘Ammach13’, which will have other material uploaded to in due course.

As I mentioned before, I lead meetings and conferences. I have run four groups so far over two years, as well as two conferences. This provides other Experiencers the opportunity to meet and exchange details and experiences. However, these meetings were specifically for invitees only.

What inspired you to set up Ammach?

I recognised a need for support for this specific group of people; having done research, and coming from a therapy/healing background as well as media-orientated one, it was clear that the UK was not well represented in this specialist field. I had also had the privilege of interviewing SIXTO PAZ WELLS, who is a Peruvian contactee, (friend of my dear friend, see website for difference between abductee and contactee or consult the web!). I just came to the conclusion that this was the most important area of research for humanity. From all perspectives it touches every area of human endeavour, from economics, energy, medicine, history, education and science. It was time for the UK to come into the frame and become a platform to understand what these events mean, not only for those individuals going through them but for the whole human race. We are part of the galactic neighbourhood and when we do finally wake up and grow up we will be able to see where we are in the grand scheme of things and take our rightful, peaceful place.

What kinds of abductions and sightings do people come to you about?

The sightings vary from cylindrical shaped objects to orange spheres, lights spheres, the classic U.F.O shapes and other variations on that theme. People have described interiors differently but similarly also, in that there are no decorations. Everything is white or light grey with no obvious source of lighting but the area is very adequately lit. They talk of a variety of scenarios they are introduced to but you will need to listen to some of the interviews to hear other descriptions. To give you an idea of what people experience, it is something along the lines of being aware of being paralysed though they can move their eyes. Often they are moved/levitated/floated out of walls and through windows to a waiting craft. Sometimes this can happen in broad daylight and the Experiencer has noticed that the public are seemingly frozen in time whilst they are abducted. People have reported being taken in their cars, whilst others have been invited aboard (contactee) and shown around and there seems to be an educational angle to this interaction as well as taking of biological material.

Why do you think so many people are reluctant to believe people who say they have been abducted by aliens?

I think many are afraid that this could be real and if this is the case then it could change their world view. Also when this does not happen to you personally it can take a leap of faith or imagination to accept it, especially as our education, religious systems, secret societies and governments all conspire to ensure that knowledge of other worlds does not gain ground. Let’s face it, if this became accepted as a true reality for all then the governments could not possibly have the hold over the populace that they do now. That secrecy and arms, along with wars, would not be part of the picture. Not to mention the oil companies losing business. So you see, this impacts every area of human experience as well as our ancient roots.

What role do you think the media has in this?

The media so far seems to have an agenda to keep the public from accepting the truth of these experiences by presenting the information or experiencers testimony in a light that promotes ridicule, doubt, and other non-acceptance ideas. Going by how Channel 4 and Off The Fence Productions, the production company who made the documentary to do with Ammach called ‘Confessions of an Alien Abductee’, worked they took 80 hours of film and made a complete hash of it. As someone said to me about it: C4 didn’t make the film I thought we were making. Like anything in life, sometimes you take a calculated risk and do that in faith to see where it goes. As it happens, it has brought many positive responses.

On another note, I think the media should be educating and raising awareness, which is a main part of what Ammach is about. In that sense I am a media company as well; moving forward to present these Experiencers in a credible light and to help try and shake the world awake!

What psychological effects do you think these alien experiences have on people?

It does vary, though many ‘seasoned’ Experiencers have a double edged sword kind of relationship. That is they appreciate the link and know that the experience has taught them a very different view of life i.e. that we are a part of a larger society, that the technology is incredible and that somewhere we fit in to all of it. So there is that sense of belonging, in a family kind of way, to these ‘others,’ but at the same time some Experiencers are traumatised by it, after all. We have no frame of reference for this kind of thing and we are then ridiculed by our peers and society if we have the gall to mention it. PTSD is a real factor sometimes in this area and sadly all the medical world will do is label people as schizophrenic and dose them with mind numbing medications. Rarely is this subject treated with respect. So generally speaking, these folks need some TLC and time and space to have their story heard.

Now and again some people come along who make a huge difference, like Professor John E Mack who was a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University. Sadly he died in 2004 but if you’re interested you should definitely check out his work. Also a UK nurse, who moved to Australia, named Mary Rodwell and ACERN. These wonderful people have made a real impact in the field, along with the likes of Barbara Lamb and Dolores Cannon.

What advice would you give to somebody who believes they have seen an alien, or had an experience with one, and don’t know who to tell or where to go?

Have a look at the Ammach website and give me a call if they want to explore this further. The phone number 0795-1752 -813 goes to voice mail because of hoax callers, but I pick up the messages and respond to serious callers. In the first instance they can leave a message on the website or email me at ammach@hotmail.co.uk.

Otherwise, check material out online and Google information. There is plenty of work out there as well as interviews, so it’s just a case of seeking it out.