1979 07 00 OMNI - Hendry - UFO Update

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO UPDATE
Issue: 32
Publisher: OMNI
Date: Not specified
Author: Allan Hendry

This article, "UFO UPDATE" by Allan Hendry, explores the phenomenon of UFO abductions and the role of hypnotic regression in eliciting these accounts. Hendry, chief investigator for the Center for UFO Studies, questions the veracity of abduction narratives obtained through hypnosis, while acknowledging their public fascination and the consistent patterns observed across numerous cases.

The Prevalence and Nature of UFO Abductions

Hendry begins by noting that UFO abduction reports, particularly those involving close encounters of the third kind, have significantly fueled the extraterrestrial hypothesis. He highlights the existence of over 1,100 known abduction accounts, with a striking majority of these occurring since 1970. A key aspect is that many of these experiences require hypnotic regression to overcome participants' amnesia.

He points to the celebrated case of Betty and Barney Hill, who, under hypnosis, described medical examinations by UFOnauts aboard a spaceship after a joint loss of memory. Hendry emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident, citing a 1976 abduction case in western Kansas that mirrored the Hills' experience, involving forced boarding of a UFO and extensive, painful physiological examinations by humanoid "captors." Witnesses in these cases often retained physical marks and reported "psychic" apparitions of the UFOnauts.

The Reliability of Hypnotic Regression

The core of Hendry's analysis questions whether stories recounted under hypnosis accurately reflect events. He draws a parallel to police investigations, where hypnotic regression has been successfully used to aid in crime solving, such as in the Chowchilla bus kidnapping case where a witness recalled a license plate number. This success has, in turn, bolstered public confidence in hypnotic regression.

However, Hendry, along with Dr. William McCall, M.D., a former president of the American Institute of Hypnosis, expresses significant reservations. McCall notes that a skilled hypnotist can influence a subject, who, desiring to please, might fabricate details. He believes abductees often struggle to distinguish between fact and subconscious fantasy. Dr. Leo Sprinkle, also known for his work in abductee regression, acknowledges the possibility of subjects substituting fantasy for experience or lying under hypnotic suggestion, though he considers it unlikely.

Hendry's own suspicion was initially fueled by an account from UFO researcher Ted Phillips, who recorded a Missourian abductee. This individual described a spaceship journey and examination, but when asked about his abductors' appearance, he initially provided outlandish descriptions that he later changed under hypnosis, attributing them to newspaper comics.

Controlled Experiments and Case Studies

To address the reliability issue, Hendry discusses a controlled experiment conducted by UFO researchers on the West Coast. In this experiment, subjects were hypnotized and given a scenario of being abducted by a UFO. To the researchers' surprise, the hypnotized volunteers produced detailed narratives virtually indistinguishable from genuine abduction accounts found in UFO literature. Critics point out that in real abduction scenarios, subjects are not prompted to invent details and often display strong emotional reactions. McCall counters that in a suggestible state, subjects are highly attuned to hypnotist cues and may produce emotional reactions that don't necessarily reflect physical reality.

Despite the limitations of controlled experiments in replicating real abduction scenarios, Hendry poses the ethical dilemma of how else to verify UFOlogical applications of hypnosis. He even humorously considers staging a phony abduction to test the process.

The Long Island Quasi-Abduction Case

A more concrete, albeit ethically sourced, alternative presented itself on July 14, 1978. Hendry was contacted by a woman on Long Island, New York, who reported a "quasi-abduction." She described seeing a saucer-shaped UFO, approximately twenty feet in diameter, hovering low over her house, emitting humming and whirring noises. The craft displayed hundreds of white lights underneath and a red dome light on top. A red beam descended, paralyzing her, and a deep voice telepathically asked if she was afraid. She responded mentally, affirming her belief in the experience.

The UFOnauts then departed, leaving a message spelled out in the lights, which she interpreted as "FAIL TO" or "FULL TO." She ran to alert a neighbor, but the UFO was too distant to be seen clearly by then.

Hendry contacted nighttime advertising-plane companies in the New York area, a common practice to test UFO witness accounts against known aerial phenomena. He discovered that a plane from the Brooklyn School of Aviation was flying nearby, spelling out "CHARTER FLIGHTS TO ATLANTIC CITY" with its lights. This suggested that the woman's experience might have been a misinterpretation of an advertising plane.

To investigate further, Hendry hired a professional clinical hypnotherapist to conduct a regression on the woman. The therapist, unaware of the advertising plane explanation, performed the regression. The woman recounted a story identical to her initial account, with no new information added. She still could not recall details about the UFOnauts' planet of origin, and other details remained vague. Her hypnotic susceptibility score was moderate (2 out of 5), and her description was in the past tense, indicating recollection rather than reliving the event.

Hendry notes that only a small percentage of the population can be truly time-regressed under hypnosis.

Psychological Profile of the Witness

Adding another layer to the case, the woman reported a physiological aftereffect of nausea following her experience, which recurred after the hypnotic regression. Hendry had the therapist administer a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to assess her psychological state. The results indicated that she was "far removed from the report one would get from a psychologically well person." The report described her as having "childish demands for attention," a possibility of "suicide attempts," and being "strikingly overconcerned about her bodily functions and physical health," potentially explaining her recurring nausea and other physical complaints.

Hendry concludes that UFO abduction tales, when extracted through subconscious means like hypnosis, may be more indicative of a "new technological mythology" than genuine close encounters.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this article are the nature of UFO abductions, the psychological aspects of witness testimony, and the scientific scrutiny of evidence obtained through hypnotic regression. Hendry's stance appears to be one of cautious skepticism regarding the literal interpretation of abduction accounts derived from hypnosis, suggesting that subconscious factors and psychological predispositions play a significant role. He advocates for rigorous investigation and controlled experimentation to understand these phenomena, while acknowledging the persistent public interest and the consistent patterns reported by witnesses.