2000 00 00 Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - Vol 30 No 3 - Goldberg

Magazine Overview

This issue of the *Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy*, Volume 30, Number 3, published in 2000, features an article titled "The General's Abduction by Aliens from a UFO: Levels of Meaning of Alien Abduction Reports" by Carl Goldberg, Ph.D. The article delves into the psychological and symbolic interpretations of alien abduction claims, presenting a case study.

"The General's Abduction by Aliens from a UFO: Levels of Meaning of Alien Abduction Reports"

The article presents a case study of a patient, identified as James J. Crawford, III, who claims to have been abducted by aliens from a distant planet. Goldberg categorizes the patient's belief into four levels of meaning: historical, moral, metaphorical, and psychological, offering a rationale for treating patients with such beliefs. The key words associated with the article are UFO meaning, historical, moral, metaphorical, and psychological.

James J. Crawford, III's Background

James J. Crawford, III, hailed from a New Hampshire family with a history of military service. At a young age, he was sent to military school, where he was later accused of leading a gang in the theft of swords, medals, and uniforms. Despite pleading innocence, he was sent home and subsequently to an elite prep school in Connecticut. His father, Colonel James J. Crawford, II, severed contact with him. Crawford focused on his grades, becoming class valedictorian, and chose to speak about the federal government's alleged theft following the Revolutionary War. This public display of family matters further strained his relationship with his family, leading to his enrollment in a southern military college. Upon graduation at the start of the Korean War, he was commissioned as an officer in the Army Engineer Corps. During his service, he reiterated his accusation against the federal government, which led to an evaluation in an Army medical facility in Japan. A psychiatrist there recommended his discharge due to psychological unfitness.

The "White House" Unit at Saint Elizabeths Hospital

Goldberg served as a psychology consultant to the "White House" unit at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (SEH) in Washington, D.C. This unit housed patients who had made bizarre attempts to reach the President or other federal officials. The unit's purpose was to advise on the treatment of these disturbed individuals, many of whom were from out-of-state. William Crawford, III was apprehended at the White House gate, insisting he had vital intelligence about national security to deliver to President Johnson, claiming the message came from aliens who had chosen him to represent them in a mission to save Earth.

Crawford was transported to the "White House" unit at SEH and evaluated by the unit's psychiatrist. Based on the psychiatric beliefs of the time, which often equated claims of alien abduction with psychosis, Crawford was admitted to the unit. Goldberg began his professional career at SEH, a prominent psychiatric hospital known for its research and clinical practice. He encountered patients with unusual histories, including political figures like Ezra Pound and "Axis Sally."

On his first day, Goldberg observed Crawford animatedly recounting his experiences on an alien spaceship to other patients. Crawford claimed that the hospital staff did not want him to inform President Johnson that aliens would destroy major U.S. cities if the Vietnam War continued. He alleged that hospital officials had ties to munitions companies profiting from the war. Crawford presented his allegations as having "undisputable evidence" and viewed the staff's attempts to suppress his claims as "psychopolitics."

Goldberg recalls seeing Crawford previously in Lafayette Park, dressed in a World War II Army officer's uniform with numerous medals, handing out pamphlets and speaking to people. At that time, his friend had a premonition that he would see him again at SEH.

Psychological Evaluation and Interpretation

Crawford was evaluated, with the initial assumption being that he was either a paranoid schizophrenic or suffering from severe anxiety. Behavioral scientists of the era held skeptical views of UFO stories, often attributing them to delusional systems. However, Goldberg notes that contemporary research suggests many individuals who report alien abductions, when psychologically tested, do not exhibit marked psychological disturbance, apart from the mistaken belief in the visitations.

Despite this, Goldberg remains suspicious of studies that find no psychological abnormality in contactees. He cites John Mack's research on UFO contactees, including Peter Faust, who described intense trauma during abductions but was found to be highly functional. Goldberg questions how individuals can undergo such experiences without lasting personality changes.

Alien Abduction Reports

The term "flying saucer" originated in 1947. Since then, UFO reports have proliferated, with the Betty and Barney Hill story in 1961 being a notable early account of abduction. Early "contactee" stories from the 1950s often involved friendly interactions with aliens, but later narratives became more focused on grief and doom regarding Earth's future and hybrid programs. Investigator findings vary, with some subjects reporting positive experiences and others negative ones.

The Roper Study in 1991 indicated that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans may have experienced UFO abductions. Physical evidence such as burn marks, crop circles, and crashed saucers are sometimes reported. The article mentions federal government secrecy regarding Area 51 and the Roswell incident.

John Mack's "five dimensions" of the abduction experience are presented as evidence that is difficult to dismiss: consistent feelings of being watched, unusual marks on the body, lack of psychological disturbance, reports from young children, and collaborative descriptions among witnesses.

Critics like Randi point out the lack of physical evidence, suggesting believers explain this by aliens being too careful, the government withholding information, or the phenomena originating from a different reality. Mack suggests alien abductions offer a new way of understanding reality.

J. Allen Hynek's criticism highlights that early abduction reports often involved visitors from Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, but as scientific understanding of planets evolved, visitors began to be described as coming from outside the solar system. This shift is attributed to the cultural availability of concepts to describe experiences, with supernatural events corresponding to prevailing myths.

The Psychological Evaluation of the General and Its Aftermath

Crawford, meticulously dressed even in hospital clothes, was initially mute during his interview. Goldberg attempted to establish rapport by mentioning seeing him in Lafayette Park before his alleged experience, which Crawford interpreted as proof of his credibility. Goldberg clarified his agnostic stance, which initially disheartened Crawford.

To further build trust, Goldberg shared a personal experience of witnessing an uncanny event as a child, involving a strange light in the sky, which his companion later denied. This resonated with Crawford.

Crawford then recounted his abduction experience: lying in bed and hovering above himself, seeing two shadowy figures, being pulled by a magnetic force to a craft, and entering the craft where he met a leader who inquired about his history. The leader stated that aliens wanted him to represent them to the U.S. government due to his loneliness and being misunderstood. They offered him a special ability called "remote vision" to transcend time and space.

Crawford described alien surgery, which he found primitive and painful, questioning the advanced technology of beings who could travel galaxies. He wondered if they were sadistic or if his description was a product of his delusion.

When asked if he believed the events happened, Crawford stated that telling the truth was difficult unless compelled. Goldberg notes that most abductions occur at night and seem sleep-related. He suggests that Crawford's experience might be explained by sleep paralysis, a condition involving body paralysis and vivid hallucinations, which can manifest as alien visitations.

Goldberg advised Crawford to use his "remote vision" to find the truth. The next day, Crawford reported a vision of the General missing the following year, with Washington burning. Goldberg diagnosed Crawford with a schizophrenic reaction, paranoid type, characterized by grandiosity, premonition, and peculiar thoughts, attributing his abduction report to a systematic delusion.

Goldberg recommended focusing treatment on how Crawford's belief served his sense of self and relationships, rather than trying to dissuade him. The article concludes with an anecdote about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the subsequent riots in Washington, D.C., during which Crawford went missing from the hospital and was never found.

Levels of Meaning of Alien Abductions

The research on UFOs and alien abductions primarily aims to confirm or disprove their veracity. The article notes that currently, there is insufficient proof for either. It suggests that abduction experiences might be a product of sleep disorders, such as sleep paralysis, and that the narratives can be interpreted as metaphorical expressions of personal crisis.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the psychological interpretation of unusual experiences, particularly alien abductions. The article explores the intersection of psychiatry, psychology, and paranormal phenomena. The editorial stance, as presented through Goldberg's analysis, leans towards a psychological and metaphorical understanding of abduction claims, suggesting they may stem from internal states like sleep paralysis or serve as symbolic expressions of personal distress and societal turmoil, rather than literal extraterrestrial encounters. The journal appears to engage with fringe topics from a clinical and analytical perspective.

This document, titled "The General's Abduction by Aliens from a UFO," is a section from a larger publication, identified by page number 317 and attributed to "Goldberg" as a publisher or authorial entity. It delves into the psychological underpinnings of individuals who report alien abduction experiences, exploring the various meanings these events hold for them.

Analysis of Alien Abduction Experiences

The article posits that understanding alien abduction experiences requires examining the different levels of meaning they serve for those who report them. Unlike everyday events that often pass unnoticed, extreme experiences like abductions compel individuals to confront and interpret their significance. A key finding from the Roper Poll is highlighted: a substantial number of people in America have had experiences they cannot readily explain.

The Nature of Memory and Narrative

The author explains that memories are not fixed recordings but are reconstructed narratives. Each memory is shaped by the individual's internal process of telling themselves what happened, as if speaking to an audience. This narrative construction gives memories a story-like structure with a beginning, middle, end, and a moral. To understand a memory, it is crucial to consider who the intended audience was in the experiencer's mind, their feelings towards that audience, and their desired outcome.

For instance, someone feeling alienated is more likely to perceive their experiences and the entities within them as alien. Such individuals may have a greater need for security and satisfaction from their encounters. The article suggests that the experience of alien abduction speaks particularly to those who struggle with feeling fully human and significant.

Four Levels of Meaning

The article proposes to examine these contentions from four related levels of meaning:

Historical

This section draws parallels between reports of alien abductions and ancient legends involving supernatural beings like the devil, angels, succubi, and incubi who engaged in sexual encounters with humans. The author suggests that the alien abduction story is a recurring theme in human history, reflecting a fundamental human anxiety about finitude and the lack of ultimate control over one's fate. Those who report alien abductions may feel this existential threat more acutely.

Moral

One of the central questions explored is whether those who report alien abductions believe the aliens intend to interact with humanity for selfish purposes or to guide them away from impending global calamities. The author notes that separating the investigator's moral philosophy from that of the subjects is difficult. Citing John Mack (1994), the article suggests that Mack believes psychotherapy and postmodern science lack the capacity to teach wisdom, whereas alien abduction experiences offer profound insights into social problems. Mack's subjects, initially terrified, eventually become willing participants, tasked by aliens to warn humanity about political and ecological disasters and to help create a spiritually superior hybrid race.

Metaphoric

Metaphors are presented as fundamental to our awareness of ourselves and the world. Alien abduction stories with a constructive moral intent often share a common metaphoric theme: the death of an ordinary, stifling life, followed by the courageous endurance of an ordeal, leading to redemption and rebirth. These narratives are seen as metaphorical representations of the feelings of desperation, despair, and powerlessness experienced by many people regarding their existence. Figuratively, they may feel violated and manipulated by powerful forces, yet they anticipate a better world in return for their suffering. These expectations are fulfilled during the abduction experience, which occurs on a different level of consciousness. False memories, while inaccurate in ordinary experience, can be valid in representing feelings of betrayal, contamination, and loss of hope in relation to a powerful authority figure. Individuals reporting alien abductions are likely to have experienced more mistrust than others.

Psychological

Research indicates that certain individuals are more vulnerable to extraordinary encounters. Ring (1992) refers to these as "encounterprone" people, who, according to his research, have a higher incidence of childhood illness, trauma, and abuse compared to control subjects. This vulnerability leads to a greater tendency to dissociate reality, enabling them to access alternate or nonordinary states of consciousness. These findings are supported by Parnell's (1988) work, which found that individuals claiming communication with extraterrestrials harbored more unusual thoughts and feelings and exhibited a greater tendency toward unconventional thinking than those who reported UFO sightings without contact. The article suggests that rather than an issue of "illness" versus "health," the difference lies in how individuals cope with conflict and utilize coping strategies.

The author observes that individuals in Mack's (1994) book who reported abductions had often experienced a personal crisis or a loss of meaning prior to the event. However, Mack attributes these conflicts to a series of abductions since childhood. The article questions this causality, suggesting that people experiencing troubled lives or a lack of purpose may desperately seek explanations and meaning for their difficulties. The limited ways an individual like Crawford had confined his life led to feelings of shame, loneliness, and anguish, driving a desire to be part of a significant enterprise. Similarly, "The General" sought his UFO experience as a means to encounter his undiscovered self. A lingering mystery is how Crawford could precisely foretell the future, an event that defies easy categorization within modern scientific frameworks for understanding human experience.

References

The document concludes with an extensive list of references, including works by R. A. Baker, R. Bigelow, T. Bloecher, A. Clammar, B. Hopkins, J. G. Fuller, C. Goldberg, L. Grinspoon, A. D. Persky, C. Sagan, T. Page, J. A. Meerloo, J. Randle, K. Ring, R. Sheaffer, N. P. Spanos, P. A. Cross, K. Dickson, S. C. DuBreuil, R. L. Spinkle, C. Lorenzen, J. Lorenzen, J. Vallee, and D. I. Warren. These references span topics such as hidden memories, unusual personal experiences, UFO abduction research, psychological testing, the flying saucer syndrome, secret life, alien abduction, and the nature of evidence and deception.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this excerpt revolve around the psychological and existential dimensions of alien abduction experiences. The author consistently frames these events not merely as physical encounters but as deeply personal narratives laden with meaning, reflecting anxieties about human existence, control, and identity. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into the psychological and symbolic significance of these phenomena, drawing from historical, moral, and psychological perspectives, while acknowledging the limitations of current scientific understanding to fully explain all aspects of these reported experiences.