Dissociation : Vol. 7, No. 1 (March 1994)

Permanent URI for this collection

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Open Access
Dissociation : Vol. 7, No. 1, p. 044-050 : Dissociation in alleged extraterrestrial abductees
(Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1994-03) Powers, Susan Marie
Dissociative symptoms were assessed in twenty persons who claim extraterrestrial abduction. This paper presents the results of two inventories: the MMPI subscale for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the Perceptual Alteration Scale. To obtain comparative data, two other groups of twenty subjects each were given the inventories: sightees, people who report witnessing unidentified flying objects but do not recall extraterrestrial contact, and individuals who recall childhood sexual abuse. The sightee group served as a control whereas the sexually abused group was included to explore any similarities between alleged abductees and sexually abused persons. PTSD symptoms were manifested by 45 % of the abductees, 0 % of the sightees, and 70% of the sexually abused subjects. Dissociation symptoms were demonstrated by 70% of the abductees, 10% of the sightees, and 100 % of the sexually abused subjects. These results suggest that distressed individuals alleging extraterrestrial abduction may benefit from therapies designed to address dissociation and PTSD.