aliens

A Counseling Approach to Alien Abduction Syndrome

Posted on by Mark Moran

Alien abduction stories have moved more into main stream acceptance since the 1950s.  No longer are many of these accounts swept under the rug as psychosis, or shared with bedtime stories of vampires or big foot sightings.  Instead, many professionals have come to some conclusion that these experiences may be real.  While there has been a shift in possible acceptance of these accounts due to more credible witnesses, discovery of possible inhabitable earth like planets, as well as official military releases and congressional investigations, there still exists plenty of mental health professionals who would deem the encounters as naturally explainable or misconstrued.

Alien Abduction Syndrome exhibits common traits in individuals who report it

I think we need to have a possible open mind but until empirical data emerges, these stories and accounts are hard to prove as gospel proof of an event.  Modern psychology, tends to drift away from un-explained phenomenon and seeks to find the rational explanations.  In this blog, we will with an open mind look at Alien Abduction Syndrome, its manifestations, psychological and rational explanations, as well as possible counter arguments that show these events as plausible.  We will also look most importantly look at the traumatic effects these events have on individuals as well as how to help them through it.

Please also review AIHCP’s many counseling based certifications for behavioral health care professionals.  Please click here.

Reality or Psychosis?

When unexplained events occur, many times psychosis, repressed memories, past trauma, cognitive distortions, or natural explanations can explain the incident.  However, many scientists as well as counselors understand that not everything in reality must be confined to the empirical code.  With this creates a sharp divide between academic professionals who adhere to strict empiricism in practice or for those who feel the world is larger than observation via the senses.

Those who adhere to strict empiricism will rule out all stories of experiences of alien abduction, as well as demonic possession, while others may have an open mind to such experiences in human behavior.  Strict empiricists would include aliens and demons in the same chapter with bigfoot, vampires and various monsters, while counselors who hold strong to spiritual ideals, are open to other options when mental illness or natural explanations are eliminated as possible solutions.

When to comes to the demonic, testimonies, unnatural events yet to be explained, and third party testimony has led many to believe that not all cases are psychosis or mental illness.  The same has held true for accounts of UFO sightings and alien abductions with many events from credible sources.  These resources have shifted possible UFO existence into the mainstream and something modern psychology cannot prove but may not be so quick to dismiss always as a psychosis event.  I think while it is important to adhere to psychological standards, it is a very atheistic and proud view to dismiss everything as explainable to our current paradigm.  While bias can play a strong motivator in evaluating cases of wanting to believe a story, sometimes, a story or testimony goes well pass any diagnosis of psychosis.

Alien abduction or psychosis? Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications

So I feel counselors need to be very cautious in dismissing a story told to them by a client without first showing a strong sensitivity to the trauma level of the person, as well as reviewing all naturally explainable ingredients of the story to see what fits and what does not fit from a psychological science based view.  Some metaphysical experiences, as well as UFO or abduction stories are indeed psychosis, or misinterpreted, or naturally explainable, but sometimes, we cannot sweep under the rug every disturbing story we hear as merely explainable.   So, there is a very mixed reaction to alien abduction within the scientific community and will continue to be so until empirical evidence can support a universal claim.  Until then, it is important to shift through the variety of possible explanations within the realm of science and psychology for any demonic or alien type encounter–and only after an exhaustive search and diagnosis is completed, to come to a conclusion that the person’s story is reliable or not–and if reliable, then the even scarier attempt to understand what happened and how to help the person with this trauma.

It is important to remember that whether something occurred or did not occur, the trauma that manifested is real.

Psychological Explanations for Alien Abduction/UFO Sightings or Demonic Attack

Whether you believe in aliens or demons or UFO sightings from a spiritual belief or strong and reliable testimony, one must admit that not all alien or demonic occurrences are real.  Many people have mental trauma, psychosis, distorted memories, or misconstrued what they saw.  If every single sighting or metaphysical event was taken as truth, we would be doing our clients a disservice and playing into their own dangerous psychosis and not treating the malignant ailment causing these issues.  So it is important to investigate the more probable causes of these manifestations but to review these in such a way as to be sensitive and not demeaning to the client expressing trauma and fear in the account of the story itself.

Cognitive perceptions and beliefs can distort reality in how one experiences an event or recalls and remembers the actual event itself.  Memories themselves of the initial event can also be effected due to secondary events since the event, as well as possible recalling during hypnosis.  During intense emotion, the recalled event sometimes can be different than the initial event or how it was initially experienced.  Those who also experience PTSD can also exhibit flashbacks, vivid dreams, or dissociation from reality.  It is no secret that many who report abduction also have a case history of childhood trauma and other events in their life.

What are some psychological explanations for alien abduction?

Psychodynamic theories postulate that events or memories can stem from unconscious psychological projections due to universal human ideas regarding cultural fears and anxieties that manifest in these encounters. Karl Jung theorized that UFO sightings were a cultural manifestation of archetypal symbols that reside in humanity’s collective consciousness.  In addition, during times of historical uncertainty, fear, anxiety and war, many of these symbols manifest in a person’s life.  In addition, many of the feelings of fear, helplessness, and anxiety are closely related to repressed trauma.  Trauma can resurface after digesting various stories about other events, as UFOs, and resurface in dreams, sleep paralysis, and other manifestations.  According to Freud, many terrible events in life are repressed from the conscious mind that later resurface in this way through symbols of demons, monsters or aliens.

For the sane mind, many times, objects or events are simply misinterpreted due to lack of clear sight, weather conditions, or disorientation.  Many things in reality turn out to be merely a shadow, or object in the room, or if in the sky, merely an object that is unidentified but completely explainable.  Instead, due to media perceptions, bias, spiritual beliefs, the mind looks to fill in the gap of the story. Anomalous perception as a concept illustrates how the brain seeks to find answers and fill in gaps when the complete sensory picture evades it.

There are also numerous pathological issues that need to be addressed when someone recalls a story of alien abduction.  First, is the experience delusional due to mental psychosis or Schizophrenia?  Is the person on medication that causes psychosis?   Are the hallucinations due to drugs, or mental pathology?  Did the person exhibit sleep paralysis which is a dreamlike state where the person becomes conscious and unable to move but feels in the process traumatized, terrified and helpless?   Many of these hallucinations or perceptions can be tied to media, imagination, as well as research on a topic.

Hence without dismissing immediately and upsetting a client, a thorough case history of the person is needed, as well as a diagnosis that eliminates cognitive distortions, psychodynamic manifestations, trauma, pathological issues, drugs and sociocultural influences that may reflect in these encounters.

The Alien Abduction Syndrome Story

The alien abduction story has similarities.  This can both account to a universal disorder, that finds itself retold by study of previous accounts, or a general human psychodynamic response in the modern cultural world, but it can also account for a general theme shared by different unassociated people.  So, while the account may be consistent with other stories, one cannot assume it is a valid encounter merely based on common themes.  Within this traumatic recalling of an event or perceived event, the individual displays these common traits of the encounter.

There are numerous common threads that are universally found in alien abduction stories. Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications

In these events, the first aspect relates to the capture event.  Whether in bed, or on the road, taken, or beamed, the capture event illustrates how the alien entity was able to capture the person.  Following this step, includes the second aspect of experimentation and examining which can purely medical, or even sexual in nature.  Following the experimentation, the third part of the account relates to some type of communication, followed fourth by a tour of the vessel,   The fifth element is the universal experience of loss of time.  Following the sixth part of return, most experience a seventh theophany event of some type of emotional or philosophical or metaphysical change or outlook on life.  Some may experience a high or love, while others may be filled with a complete dread.  Finally, the eighth phase includes the aftermath where the person attempts to understand the experience.

Within this account, what can we conclude?

For many, this may very well be explained by science or psychology from cognitive distortions, psychodynamic explanations, cultural biased views, unresolved trauma, drugs or some type of mental pathology.

For others,  some studies have equally shown individuals of sane mind recounting these events and sharing a common narrative.  Some of these stories come from reputable sources as well.  The same can stem from stories of exorcism where individuals all account the same phenomenon or relate events that defy logic or scientific explanation.

Some from Christian perspectives hold that alien encounters are demonic manifestations.

Others from New Age perspectives share stories of collective alien alliances and different species of aliens with different intentions.  Others claim to communicate with these entities.

With such a mixed results and theories based in bias, belief, and no true empirical universal proof, it can be very difficult to sift through what is really happening but one thing that can be agreed on is that the experience creates trauma and dread for many.  Some may walk away with curiosity or hope, while others walk away with extreme dread.  If a person illustrates no pathological or rational explanations, it is best to help the person face that trauma and not so much try to prove or disprove the event.

Counseling AAS

Whether real or imaginary, there are real traumas associated with Alien Abduction Syndrome

So from what we have concluded,  whether someone enters a counseling sessions, speaking of seeing a demon, bigfoot or an alien, the counselor must approach the story carefully as not to prove or disprove and challenge the person at first.  This can cause more trauma, especially for a person already suffering from psychosis, much less anger an individual who may have no mental issues but also strong spiritual beliefs.  The purpose of the counseling is to help the person discover on their own if what they have experienced is real or not and how to heal from that trauma.  If indeed, case study and psycho therapy or natural explanations emerge that present evidence of not a real event, the counselor as part of the healing process should help the person come to grips with that it was not real, but if such evidence is not presented, then the role of the counselor is to help the person heal from the trauma and in a healthy way come to some type of conclusion of what occurred, as unexplainable but plausible.  The client should not be labeled as crazy or insane, but instead aided in reconciling the disturbing and unexplained event, as something that may have occurred, or yet to be determined.  An individual who suffers from no true pathology,  should not be made to feel superstitious or insane if a counselor has a different view on a unexplained religious experience or alien encounter.  The goal again of the counselor is to help the client come to grips with the experience and to move forward from it.

In many of these cases,  the experience itself can cause trauma, fear, dread and anxiety.  One can develop insomnia and other sleep disturbances.  Others may become hyper vigilant and become extra cautious of their surroundings or when they go certain places.  Many exhibit what victims express during rape or assault and will share the same reactions.  Some may experience intrusive thoughts, or due to PTSD of the event manifest flashbacks, nightmares, or even dissociate.  Some may fall into depression, or social withdraw.  The fears and also frustrations of not being believed, or considered crazy can have multiple emotional reactions with the person.

Counselors can help individuals through the trauma and fear tied to these events and better understand themselves in relationship to it.

Helping individuals with PTSD usually involves grounding, EMDR, hypnosis, and meditation and breathing techniques.  For many, cognitive behavioral therapy can help individuals understand why something like this happened to them and how to learn to cope through the loss and pain associated with it.  Other emotional based Rogerian therapies may help the person express the pain and emotion of the event and the post ridicule and shame following the event.  Others may find coping with support peer groups who share similar stories, or others my reinterpret the event as something tied to their role and spirituality with God.  Those who experience demonic attack, or abductions, or even near death experiences, usually are able to tie to a deeper spiritual message that translates to a closer union with God and understanding of life.  Whether traumatic or good experience, whether real or imaginary, it is important for the counselor to help the person come to grips what was experienced and to heal and grow from the trauma of the event.

Conclusion

While alien abduction, near death experience, or demonic attack has many explanations within psychology, not all cases fit the subjective credentials of someone being cognitively distorted, pathological or experiencing past trauma, but instead present real issues to the objective nature of the event.  Many credible accounts in these experiences as well as recent investigations by the congressional house into UFO sightings have raised the bar to go beyond merely dismissing all accounts.  While the status of these accounts are separating from folklore and myth, counselors need to discern that their client is not subjectively compromised to delusion, but after such investigation is thoroughly dismissed in an individual case, the counselor needs to help the client come to grips with the event and trauma.  The trauma not the event should be the main concern in these cases for the counselor and the primary purpose to heal the client despite the counselor’s personal beliefs about it.  The client needs to be freed from dangerous labels.  In treating trauma, the counselor will need to address the issue from multiple therapies and ways to help the person again find resolution with the experience as to move forward in life.

Please also review AIHCP’s numerous behavioral health certifications

Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications and see if they meet one’s professional and academic needs.  The programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals working within the scope of their non-clinical or clinical practice.  Obviously treatment of alien abduction and the therapies fall under a clinical scope beyond the basic disucussion.

Additional Blogs

Christian Counseling: Aliens and Christian Theology. Click here

Additional Resources

Transpersonal Psychology.  Access here

“The American UFO Encounter: Therapy and Coping Strategies for Post-Event Resilience”. Vetted.  Access here

Lehmiller, J. (2023). “Why Some People Believe They’ve Been Abducted by Aliens”. Psychology Today.  Access here

Alien Abduction. Wikipedia.  Access here

Davey, G. (2012). “Five Traits That Could Get You “Abducted by Aliens”. Psychology Today.  Access here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian Counseling Certification Video on Christianity and Aliens

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

The odds of other alien life in an infinite universe should be very high.  Sentient life while less common, should still be well represented.  Scientists and theorists have calculated mathematical probabilities of life and all points to it, but why has humanity yet to experience an encounter?   Has it already happened but is forgotten?  Is it a secret?  Or, is it simply a filtering effect where the probabilities of life becoming sentient did not work out on other worlds like on Earth?  Yet, still, is it merely too large of a universe for sentient civilizations to ever meet?

Theologically, Christianity is open to the notion of other life because one cannot limit God in His grand plan, but how would other life fit into the narrative of humanity?  The video below looks at some theological questions that could arise.

Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

Christian Counseling Certification Blog on Alien Life and Alien Encounter

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Within Christianity, the belief that God created two sentient type of creatures, namely angels and humans is universal.   By sentient, one infers that an individual is made in the image and likeness of God in that the individual or species has an intellect and will that can reason beyond physical problems but actually acknowledge the issue of existence itself.  In this understanding of to exist or not to exist, sentience allows one to truly understand good and evil and to also contemplate a higher power.

This is far more than mere solving of puzzles as one can see in primates or dolphins, but realizing the very essence of “to be or not to be”.   Despite the intelligence of many animals and emotional ranges, animals such as primates or dolphins do not write about existence itself.   Animals merely exist.  Abstract concepts of existence itself and the choice to adhere or not adhere to moral principles are of a higher cognitive level, which is referred to sentience.   Sentience makes one made in the image and likeness of God.  It gives one knowledge, choice, and self awareness.  It is spiritual in nature, but many  non sentient things can have spirit, but it is the spiritual qualities of humanity and the angels that make them separate from other creation.

Is one to conclude then that only angels and human beings are sentient?  From observation, no other creature on Earth possesses the qualities of sentience.  While many creatures on Earth display amazing intelligence, they do not illustrate sentience.  As a Christian, is it then fair to say only human beings and angels are sentient?

While it has yet to be proven or at least acknowledged, the limitless nature of the universe ultimately has other life.  Is some of this life sentient?  One cannot answer but one cannot also limit God’s creative power to the creation of other sentient life forms.   With the creation of other sentient life forms as a possibility, speculative theology looks at the role of Christ and His redemptive act coincides with other alien sentient beings.

The cosmos is so vast that we cannot limit God’s creation.

 

Once asked regarding what he would do if he met an alien, Pope Francis said he would offer baptism and the message of Christ.  This point may very well be true, but the appearance of another sentient life form offers many challenges and questions to Christian theology.   For some, aliens offer no crisis of faith to the Christian, while to others, it may very well make them doubt the universal importance of humanity in the cosmos and reduce the Christian faith to just a religion of a particular planet.

I would like to point out a few ideas that may reassure believing Christians that alien life is not necessarily detrimental to the message of Christ.  In fact, Christian theology can exist side by with other sentient life.

First, humanity exists within a temporal and fallen sphere.  Hence due to the sin of Adam, humanity fell from the grace of God and the protection of the Garden of Eden.  Humanity was thrust into a world of suffering, death and loss.   It is possible, that other sentient life has been created before and could be created after humanity.  Would this sentient form of life be immune from the sin of Adam since they are not human?  Angels and humanity were judged separately.  So if sentient life does exist in the universe, it could very well be immune from the temporal fall.  They very well may have “passed” their test.  If not,  did this form of sentient life also incur the sin of Adam or their “own sin”.   In this case, one of two options emerge.  First, Christ’s death was for all temporal existence, or Christ’s death was just for humanity, and the Trinity has other plans for the redemption of other fallen sentient beings.

Second, other sentient life forms will have a different form of revelation.  Revelation via scripture is for humanity and through the special incarnation of the Son.  Alien life may have a very different form of revelation.  This does not mean it is a false creed, but a different form of revelation from the Trinity.  It would be difficult to determine if the alien life adhered to a false creed or the universal creed found via the Trinity.  It would take investigation.   Aliens could also very well be atheistic.  One merely needs to look at the variety of false “isms” on Earth.  A larger collection of false “isms” could exist in other sentient cultures as well.

What do we make of alien encounters? Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification

 

Hence the existence of aliens does not harm the faith of a Christian, but in fact opens one to the potential larger plan of God.  It again is only speculative but theologians should be prepared to try to re-evaluate Christianity under the lens of the possibility of alien life and how the faith would respond to such an event.

An important aspect to note.  One philosophy which has many heretical aspects are the ancient alien theories when applied to Scripture.  Assuming interventions and stories about God and angels were in actuality an alien encounter.  When these stories in Scripture are interpreted by ancient alien theories to dismiss the supernatural and replace it with the paranormal, Christians must dismiss those notions.  Did aliens appear in the past?  It is possible, but such stories cannot be used to confuse God’s communication with humanity with paranormal speculation.

As for those who are faced with alien encounters, counseling, especially Christian Counseling must approach the individual carefully.  The individual may be psychotic, on drugs, or not mentally well.  This is why it is important to refer anyone with such encounters to a professional counselor who can better attest if someone is suffering from delusion or a true event.

In such events as well, Christian theology teaches the possibility of demonic influence under the guise of alien presence.   Under such theories, the alien presence shares false ideas that weaken the faith, or push the faithful to doubt the importance of Christ.  Obviously it is very difficult to ascertain what is occurring to the individual when paranormal or supernatural events occur and this is why it is important to refer an individual to appropriate mental health professionals.

Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Christian Counseling.