An Examination of the Aftereffects

[of ET-Alien Abductions]





By John S. Carpenter, MSW, LCSW





“Acceptance can be a real turning point where new growth influenced by new perspectives can really flourish. Many exciting life changes occur with acceptance; many people change careers, mates, living environments, and their quality of living - including spirituality and environmental awareness. Although some believe that such changes are influenced directly by alien intervention, these transformations are most likely due to the growth stemming from their new view of life.”

There are often many assumptions about what people experience following their recognition and awareness of contact with otherworldly beings. Many people think that those persons must be traumatized by the hypnosis or investigative procedures that would promote such ideas. However, from my own experience with 120 cases, there appears to be immediate relief, enhanced understanding, less confusion, a healthy but bewildering awareness, and certainly a large degree of amazement. Despite recalling such extraordinary events and bizarre imagery, there is clearly a feeling of resolving a puzzle. What once seemed to be a confusing mystery with missing pieces is now a more complete picture - which brings some relief and processing of the new pieces which now fit and make sense to the abductee. People have claimed to have slept better than they have in months, comprehended previously misunderstood events in their lives, and experienced decreased phobic responses to stimuli which now have a known origin. For example, people who had a phobic fear of “falling up” now understand where such a reaction could originate. Moving from a vague and confusing sense of global fear to a specific cause is usually quite a relief as it narrows the full range of fears to an identified source. And, although the subject content is so bizarre and outrageous, the subject still experiences this relief.





Another myth is that “everybody will need intensive therapy.” Actually, since subjects of these encounters are usually psychologically healthy with little or no history of any problems, very little on-going therapy has been necessary. Support groups have been effective for sharing feelings, re-establishing sanity, and returning a sense of normalcy. The most common therapeutic process is akin to a grieving process. Subjects are grieving their loss of their former reality - one in which aliens or UFOs did not exist! Now they are forced, kicking and screaming, into having to rethink their whole concept of reality, other forms of life, and a different view of the Universe. They might be angry that this happened to them without their permission or any explanation given. They may become depressed over finding themselves alone and disbelieved. They will undoubtedly try to deny such ideas and promote mundane and more acceptable explanations - although privately they know differently. They may try to bargain by stating that they will agree to believe in this phenomenon if they can have another encounter - perhaps in a fully conscious state of mind. As with the other stages of grieving - Denial, Anger, Depression, and Bargaining - the final phase, Acceptance, can be a real turning point where new growth influenced by new perspectives can really flourish. Many exciting life changes occur with acceptance; many people change careers, mates, living environments, and their quality of living - including spirituality and environmental awareness. Although some believe that such changes are influenced directly by alien intervention, these transformations are most likely due to the growth stemming from their new view of life.





Writing: A Therapeutic Form of Coping





Another myth surrounds the notion that most abductees will write books and seek publicity once they have accepted the experience. Barely five percent of my 120 cases have tried to write a book, and hardly any of them really desire any publicity. Writing a book is a therapeutic form of coping, processing the information, and educating or helping others. Several subjects have been furious with the secrecy and disbelief in what they consider to be a most serious topic. They write or speak about their experiences boldly to reduce ignorance, enhance public awareness, and be an advocate for those who are afraid to speak out. The other 95% of abductees shy away from any public association with the subject. Support groups may be the only outlet for those who need social support. Some find the subject fascinating and become investigators. Others attend UFO conferences to privately learn more. Most cases take what they have gained from the investigations and quietly return to their normal daily routines, attempting to blend back into society.





It should be noted that therapists only receive those contact cases where people are reporting upsetting and troubling encounters. There are many people out there who recognize and deal with this contact experience all on their own. Their reactions, beliefs, and methods of coping are less known because they did not seek therapists or investigators. So information provided by therapists like myself represents a skewed sample of data.





There are some fascinating patterns of other aftereffects which I am finding consistent worldwide. Apparently just after abduction encounters, many people have been reporting electrical disturbances in their homes. Appliances will turn on and off by themselves - or continue to operate after being unplugged! Unusual shocks may occur when touching soil, wood, and other unlikely materials. Touching dishwashers, microwaves, lights, computers, small appliances, etc. may cause those items to short out. Several people lost their jobs because they could not be around computers any longer! The abductee himself seems “charged” and can produce amazing results when utilizing Kirlian photography. What sounds like simply another “urban myth” - causing streetlights to blowout - has some apparent validity. When asked such a question, many subjects have reported this occurrence - and with amazement that it had happened to anybody else. There is also a common report of sensitivity to magnets - being able to sense where they are located and perhaps being unable to stay near them.





Psychic Ability and Psychokinesis





Quite a great number of cases demonstrate enhanced psychic ability and possibly psychokinesis in the home. Although not desired or really appreciated, these persons find themselves knowing things well beyond chance and often observing objects move or fly across the room. One girl told me she never thought it was strange to dodge flying books or clothes until she found it did not happen in the homes of her friends! Due to the consistent data in research suggesting that these beings use strong telepathic powers, it is quite possible that they have “trained” or “exercised” the powers of those abductees to the point over a lifetime that they find themselves with these abilities on an everyday basis. This does not say that they know how to use such an ability effectively - and may explain the random psychokinetic occurrences in the home!





Many [abductee-experiencers] report feeling that they were “up all night in a classroom-like setting being taught information or trained in some skills.” Exhausted when they awaken, not one case can recall what it is that they were being taught - but all receive the distinct impression that they will be allowed to know at a later point in time. If these were dreams or delusions, then we would get many detailed reports of teachings. But it is highly consistent among credible cases that nobody can remember their “teachings.”





Continue Reading: Review of Symptomatology [of ET-Alien Abductions]





This article is published with the expressed written permission of John S. Carpenter exclusively for publication on alienjigsaw.com



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