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From: Joseph Polanik <jpolanik@mindspring.com>
Date: Sun, 03 Oct 1999 21:11:19 GMT
Fwd Date: Sun, 03 Oct 1999 17:57:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Abductions: A Funny Thing Happened...


 >From: Kevin Randle <KRandle993@aol.com>
 >Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 09:12:22 EDT
 >Subject: Re: Abductions: A Funny Thing Happened...
 >To: updates@globalserve.net

 >>From: Joseph Polanik <jpolanik@mindspring.com>
 >>To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
 >>Subject: Re: Abductions: A Funny Thing Happened...
 >>Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999 22:38:13 GMT

 >>Why is it that we _assume_ that one phenomenon (UFOs) has
 >>anything to do with the other (abduction/contact experiences)?

 >>There is a widespread willingness to consider evidence that
 >>radar contact has been made with objects (presumably craft) not
 >>produced on Earth.

 >>There is a lesser, but growing, willingness to consider that
 >>something extraordinary is happening to so-called abductees and
 >>contactees.

 >>Where is the willingness to soberly evaluate the evidence as to
 >>whether one phenomena is related to the other, and, if so, how?

 >We (Russ Estes, Bill Cone and I) have tried to do this in 'The
 >Abduction Enigma'.

Maybe you could explain a little more specifically, Kevin, how
you and your co-authors attempted to evaluate the evidence
for/against the alleged link between UFOs as physical craft and
Alien Abduction Experiences, AAEs. As I see it, "The Abduction
Enigma" treated the AAE as a hallucination associated with sleep
paralysis or regurgitated birth memories, or as a false memory
imposed by unethical or incompetent therapists and researchers.

Once its reality status was assumed to be that of an illusion,
there was no need to consider whether there was an actual
evidence of a link between AAEs and UFOs.

There _was_ considerable insightful analysis of the relationship
between _reports_ of abduction experiences _reports_ of Satanic
Abuse. It may be that differences in the theoretical
perspectives of abduction researchers and satanic abuse
researchers have led to classifying a single phenomenon into two
categories depending on who is doing the investigating. However,
the possibility that we might be able to consolidate these two
areas of research doesn't automatically mean that both groups of
researchers were investigating an illusory experience rather
than a real one.

Consider an analogous situation involving research into cattle
mutilations. For better or for worse, I live in the Bible belt
and we just don't see many dead cows mutilated by aliens. Bible
belt cows are much more likely to be mutilated by satanic
ritualists. (My theory is that around here the sheriff's deputy
who takes a report about a cattle mute calls a researcher
specializing in satanic rituals rather than a researcher
specializing in aliens harvesting genetic material.)

In any event, we might say differences in theoretical
perspectives among researchers explain why the phenomenon of
cattle mutilation is divided into two categories. But even if we
eliminated the artifical distinctions between the two field, we
still have to admit that both groups were investigating a real
phenomenon.

There really were dead cows.

 >>Is there any evidence that would selectively discriminate
 >>between these theories:

 >>1. That the same off-world beings that pilot the craft are also
 >>perpetrating the abductions.

 >>2. That abductions are Out-of-Body Experiences, Lucid Dreams or
 >>cases of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis that are unrecognized
 >>or incompletely recalled.

 >You have left out sleep paralysis, vivid dreams, hoax,
 >psychological manipulation by hypno-therapists and a couple of
 >other explanations.

Did I leave out sleep paralysis or did you leave out Awareness
during Sleep Paralysis?

Sleep paralysis by itself explains nothing. Since we all
experience sleep paralysis 4 to 6 times each night as we cycle
into REM sleep, the presence of sleep paralysis does not
discriminate between those who report abductions and those who
do not.

What _may_ discriminate between these two groups is the presence
of _Awareness_ during Sleep Paralysis, ASP.

I don't mean to belabor the semantics of the situation, but I
think we should distinguish between a physiological state (sleep
paralysis) and a state of consciousness (Awareness of the
physiological state)

 >>I know that there are advocates of each point of view. But if we
 >>were to sit down to soberly sift the evidence available now, do
 >>we find any that is simultaneously consistent with one theory
 >>but inconsistent with the other?

 >We find that abduction stories have existed since humans began
 >recording their thoughts. We find parallels in pop culture. We
 >find parallels in the tales of Satanic Ritual Abuse and tales of
 >Multiple Personality Disorder.

We find that there are historical precedents for reports of
abduction experiences and for reports of UFOs. This establishes
that both phenomena are old. It doesn't say whether they are
related.

Joseph Polanik
_____________________________________________________
Joseph Polanik, jpolanik@mindspring.com
Trionic Research Institute, http://trionica.com