DISSOCIATION
IN
ALLEGED
EXTRATERRESTRIAL
ARDUCTEES
Susan Marie Posters, Ph.D.
Susan Marie Powers, Ph.D., is a research psychologist who
resides in Scotland, Connecticut.
For reprints write Susan Marie Powers, Ph.D., P.O. Box 100,
Scotland, Connecticut 06264.
ABSTRACT
Dissociative symptoms were assessed in twenty persons who claim
extraterrestrial abduction. This paper presents the results of two inven-
tories: the MMPI subscale forPost-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 whoreport witnessing unidentified flying olyects but
do not recall extraterrestrial contact, and individuals who recall
childhood sexual abuse. The sightee group served as a control where-
as the sexually abused group was included to explore any similari-
ties between alleged abductees and sexually abused persons. PTSD
symptoms were manifested by 45 % of the abductees, 0 % of the sigh-
tees, and 70% of the sexually abused subjects. Dissociation symp-
toms were demonstrated by 70% of the abductees, 10% of the sigh-
tees, 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.
INTRODUCTION
In 1989, I began to investigate the topic of extraterres-
trial abduction through my analysis of Communion (Strieber,
1987) , an alleged autobiographical account of extensive con-
tactwith extraterrestrials and Intruders (Hopkins, 1987) , which
is a purported non-fiction collection of abduction accounts.
I conducted a thematic content analysis of these two popu-
lar books following the guidelines of Lofland and Lofland
(1984) . Three predominant themes emerged from this anal-
ysis: (1) amnesia; (2) bodily intrusions; and (3) being cho-
sen.
Persons claiming extraterrestrial contact and/or abduc-
tion often told stories about being violated as if they were
laboratory animals. According to the stories, the extrater-
restrials performed cell-sampling techniques, inserted nasal
and anal probes, and even took samples of sperm and ova
from their victims. These violations, combined with the preva-
lent themes of having amnesia and being chosen by the
extraterrestrials for such unwelcome attention, caused me
to wonder if some form of abuse (perpetrated by humans)
might be at the heart of some of the alien abduction stories.
My research on the presence of post-traumatic stress dis-
order symptoms and dissociative symptomatology in persons
claiming extraterrestrial contact grew out of this original
suspicion. There is an entire subculture of extraterrestrial
devotees in our country, and the topic is considered laugh-
able. However, as this study and previous studies (Davis, 1988;
Ring & Rosing, 1990) have demonstrated, there are impor-
tant differences between the person alleging a UFO sight-
ing and a person who says he or she was physically violated
by extraterrestrial forces. There is a dark side to the stories
of aliens among us: many people are suffering and it is hard
for them to get help in a culture that relegates extraterres-
trial abduction to the tabloids. Therefore, I undertook this
study to further explore the existence of dissociative symp-
toms in those alleging extraterrestrial abduction, and to explore
the possibility that certain therapeutic interventions designed
to ameliorate trauma might be useful.
RESEARCH DESIGN: METHODOLOGY
AND INSTRUMENTATION
This study investigates the possibility that dissociative
tendencies may be important in those individuals who call
themselves extraterrestrial " abductees" or "contactees."
Interviews and questionnaires elicited the abduction narra-
tives while two inventories assessed PTSD and dissociation in
the subject groups. This paper will focus on the results of
the two psychological inventories.
These included the 49-item MMPI Subscale for the
Assessment ofCombat-Related Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
(Keane, Malloy, & Fairbank, 1984) and the Perceptual
Alteration Scale (Sanders, 1986) which measures dissocia-
tion. To yield comparative data which could be analyzed for
its statistical significance, two other groups of twenty sub-
jects each received these psychological inventories: (1) "sigh-
tees, " that is, people who report witnessing unidentified fly-
ing objects (UFOs) but do not recall extraterrestrial abduction
or con tact experiences, and (2) individuals who report good
recall of early childhood sexual abuse experiences which
involve penetration.
Sample
The subject population in this study consisted of three
groups: twenty abductee/contactees, twenty sightees, and
twenty sexually abused subjects. The abductee/contactee
group in this study included individuals who either assert-
ed that they had had "abduction experiences" or who fit the
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UISSOCLRTION. Col. Cit. No. 1. March 199-1
POWERS
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CE3) category. Table 1
summarizes several characteristics of the typical abduction
narrative (Bullard, 1987) while Table 2 (Bloecher, 1980)
presents CE3 categories. Subject selection for the
abductee/contactee group was conducted by comparing the
initial descriptions of extraterrestrial or UFO encounters
(detailed on the data sheets) to the patterns established by
Bullard (1987) and Bloecher. The prospective subject did
not have to describe every component of the abduction
sequence specified by Bullard (1987) or the CE3 sequence
(Bloecher, 1980); however, it was imperative that the sub-
ject indicated that he or she recalled contact with extrater-
restrial forces.
The twenty abductee/contactee subjects who were select-
ed to participate in this research project were located in the
following way. Preliminary packets were sent to prospective
abductee/contactee subjects who had either (1) respond-
ed to a letter I sent to members of a national UFO organi-
zation, or (2) volunteered to tell me their stories when I
attended an East Coast UFO conference. This preliminary
packet included a data sheet requesting information about
the individual's age, occupation, and history of extraterres-
trial contacts.
In order to be a part of the research study, abductee/con-
tactees needed to meet some of the criteria set forth in Tables
I and 2. Packets of questionnaires were then sent to select-
ed subjects who met the abduction/contactee criteria. Each
testing packet contained (I) a questionnaire investigating
the subject's abduction account; (2) a copy of the 49-item
MMPI
traumatic Stress Disorder (Keane, Malloy, & Fairbank, 1984) ;
and (3) the Perceptual Alteration Scale, hereafter referred
to as the PAS (Sanders, 1986).
All subjects in the abductee/contactee group in this study
are individuals who claim to have had close encounters with
aliens. Twelve of the twenty subjects allege that they were
involuntarily abducted from a natural environment, taken
aboard spacecraft or some other-worldly place, and then
returned to " Earth." The other eight subjects report that
they had direct contact with extraterrestrials.
TABLE 1
Abduction Narative Sequence Adapted
from Bullard (1987)
1. Capture
2. Examination
3. Conference
4. Tour
5. Otherworldly Journal
6. Theophany
7. Return
8. Aftermath
TABLE 2
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Categories
Adapted from Bloecher (1980)
Type A
Entity is observed inside object only (the true
occupant), through doors, ports, etc. Association
explicit.
Type B
Entity is observed getting into and/or out of
object (or the "egressed" occupant). Association
is explicit.
Type C
Entity is seen only in vicinity of object, not entering
or leaving it. Association is implicit.
Type D
Entity is observed only, although there is general
UFO activity in the area at the time. Association is
circumstantial.
Type E
Entity is observed independent of object and there
is no record of UFO activity at that time.
Association is negative.
Type F
A close encounter with an object, but no entity
seen; however, voices are heard or messages
received. Association is implicit.
Type G
ABDUCTION or "on board" experience by witness,
with entities usually present. If not, their presence
is implicit.
45
LIISSOC!ATM S, Vol. VII. No. 1, March 1994
DISSOCIATION IN ALLEGED EXTRATERRESTRIAL ABDUCTEES
The MMPI Subscale for PTSD and the PAS measuring dis-
sociative tendencies were also administered to two other groups
of subjects: (1) twenty " sightees, " that is, people who report
witnessing unidentified flying objects (UFOs) but do not recall
extraterrestrial abduction or contact experiences, and (2)
twenty individuals who report good recall of early childhood
sexual abuse experiences which involve penetration. The
members of this second group were people who are cur-
rently in therapy and who do not recall any extraterrestrial
contact. The sightees were included to function as a control
group, since previous research has indicated that persons
who report witnessing unidentified flying objects (UFOs),
without reporting any subsequent abduction or contact with
extraterrestrials, tend to produce normal scores on psycho-
logical tests (Davis, 1988). The sexually abused group was
included to determine whether there were any similarities
between the scores of alleged abduc tees and persons report-
ing sexual abuse.
Members of the two comparative subject groups were
located in a variety of ways. The sightee group was composed
of individuals who volunteered to tell their stories to me
when I attended an East Coast "UFO" conference, respon-
dents to an ad I placed in a UFO newsletter, and individuals
referred to me by therapists. All twenty subjects in the group
composed of sexually abused individuals were people referred
to me by clinicians.
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
MMPI Subscale for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
A primary objective of this research was to investigate
the possibility that interventions designed to ameliorate the
distress reported by victims of post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) (Spiegel, 1986) may be appropriate initial interventions
for individuals who assert that they have been traumatized
by extraterrestrials. Of interest here is whether or not the
results of this 49-item MMPI Subscale for the Assessment of
Combat-related Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (Keane, et
al., 1984) indicated that UFO "abductees " demonstrate post-
traumatic stress disorder tendencies. Also of interest are data
yielded through comparison of abductees/contactee scores
to those of sigh tees and sexually abused individuals.
Although initial research (Keane, Malloy, & Fairbank,
1984; Koretzky & Peck, 1990) indicated that thirty was the
optimal cutting score for differentiating between PTSD and
control groups (82% accuracy), subsequent testing (Orr,
Claiborn, Altman, Forgue, de Jong, Pitman, & Herz, 1990)
indicates that the optimal cutoff score on the MMPI PTSD
scale (Keane et al., 1984) is twenty-one. This score was found
to be appropriate for samples which are not composed of
inpatients such as the subjects in this research project.
The Perceptual Alteration Scale (PAS)
The purpose of administered the Perceptual Alteration
Scale (PAS) (Sanders, 1986) was to investigate the hypothe-
sis that individuals recalling extraterrestrial abductions may
be persons who are experiencing a form of dissociation.
Sanders (1986) initially developed this instrument through
selecting items from the MMPI which matched Hilgard's (1977)
description of neo-dissociation:
1) modification of regulatory control;
2) changes in self monitoring;
3) concealment both from oneself and from others;
and
4) modifications of consciousness. (Sanders, 1986,
pp. 95-96).
In addition to items involving modifications of affect, Sanders
also included MMPI items that involved changes in sensory
and perceptual experience (Sanders, 1986, p. 96).
This research employed Sanders' (1986) PAS Scale 2, a
sixty-item form worded in the style of a self-rating Likert-
type scale with a response range from one to four. This par-
ticular scale was submitted to a Cronbach Alpha test of inter-
nal consistency which yielded an alpha score of .95
" demonstrating internal consistency " (Sanders, 1986, p. 97) .
An item analysis revealed three factors: modification of
affect, modification of control, and modification of cogni-
tion. Sanders (1986) states that these factors suggest that
dissociation "may be a broader construct than a defense mech-
anism...Dissociation may function as a personality trait, inter-
acting with various aspects of the personality" (pp. 98-99).
According to Sanders (1986), the three factors of mod-
ification of affect, control, and cognition are significantly
correlated with personality measures that suggest construct
validity:
The Control factor was found to be related to the
Rotter; the Affect factor was related to a variety of
Affect scales; and the Cognitive factor was relat-
ed to a very low Self-esteem factor. (p. 101)
Therefore, the results of the PAS (Sanders, 1986) could be
useful in investigating appropriate therapeutic strategies for
those individuals who are distressed by their memories of
extraterrestrial abductions.
RESULTS
Statistical Results of thePTSD and PAS Inventories
The scores of the PTSD subscale (Keane et al., 1984) and
the PAS (Sanders, 1986) were submitted to a one-way ANOVA.
The one-tailed testwas used because previous research (Davis,
1988) has indicated that sightees achieve low or "normal"
scores on psychological inventories whereas some persons
alleging extraterrestrial contact have demonstrated disso-
ciative symptomatology (Ring & Rosing, 1990). Therefore,
there was no reason to think that abductees would score
lower on the inventories than sightees, while there were rea-
sons to think they would score higher.
The following results were found. There were signifi-
cant differences between the groups on the PAS: F = 25.13;
46
DISSOCIATION, Vol. VII. No. 1. March 1994
POWERS
TABLE 3
Results of One-Way Analysis of Variance on the PTSD and PAS Scores of the Three Subject Groups
(PTSD Subscale, Keane et at., 1984)
PTSD PAS
Group N Mean SD Mean SD
Abductee/ 20 19.050 9.997 116.200 20.531
Contactee
Abused 20 31.200 11.386 146.050 30.732
Sightee 20 6.000 3.524 97.100 9.323
Tukey's Studentized Range (HSD) Test for Variable: PTSD
Alpha = 0.05 df = 57 MSE = 80.669
Critical Value of Studentized Range = 3.403
Minimum Significant Difference = 6.834
df = 2,57; and p = .0001. The PTSD results were similar: F =
39.38; df = 2,57; and p = .001. Table 3 presents means and
standard deviations for the three subject groups.
Although the MMPI PTSD subscale ' s optimal cut-off score
to determine post-traumatic stress syndrome tendencies in
non-inpatient populations is twenty-one (Orr et al., 1990),
this study ' s sexually abused population had a mean score of
thirty-one. This is significantly above the score of twenty-one
(p. 333) required to determine PTSD symptomatology.
The mean score of nineteen for the abductee/contactee
group is very close to the cutoff point of twenty-one. Table
4 presents the individual scores on the PTSD inventory for
all three subject groups: sexually abused, abductee/ con tactee,
and sightee. Nine of the abductee/contactee scores are twen-
ty-one or above. Therefore, according to the criteria estab-
lished by Orr et al. (1990), 45% of the abductee/contactee
subject population has test results which indicate PTSD ten-
dencies.
The abductee/contactee population mean of nineteen
is lower than the mean of twenty-five produced by Vietnam
combat veterans in the study by Orr et al. (1990) . This lower
score could reflect less severe PTSD symptomatology in the
abductee/contactee subject group.
The mean score on the PTSD inventory for the sightee
group is 6.0. This suggests the sightee group effectively func-
tioned as a control group manifesting no PTSD symptoma-
tology. This corresponds with the previous research con-
ducted by Davis (1988) which revealed that individuals alleging
UFO sightings devoid of extraterrestrial beings or commu-
nication tend to produce scores within the normal range on
psychological inventories.
The standard deviations listed in Table 3 indicate that
the most variety in scores occurred in the sexually abused
subject population (SD = 11.386). The range of scores was
from 19 to 45, and 70% of these scores indicated PTSD symp-
tomatology. The least variety in scores occurred in the sigh-
tee group which had a standard deviation of 3.524, scores
which ranged from 1 to 12, and 0.0% indications of PTSD
tendencies. The abductee/contactee group had a standard
deviation of 9.997, scores that ranged from 3 to 40, with 45%
of the subjects matching or exceeding the PTSD cut-off score.
It is important to note that neither the sexually abused nor
the abductee/contactee group is homogenous. The het-
erogeneous make-up of these groups suggests that, in sub-
sequent research projects, it would be helpful to refine the
criteria for subject selection or to establish subgroups.
The PAS (Sanders, 1986) inventory yielded results which
parallel the PTSD scores (see Tables 3, 4, and 5). The high-
est scores were produced by the sexually abused group; the
abductee/contactee scores are sufficiently high to indicate
dissociative tendencies; and the sigh tee group produced "nor-
mal " scores (Sanders, 1986).
In addition, the standard deviations also followed the
pattern established by the PTSD inventory. The highest stan-
dard deviation was produced by the scores of the sexually
abused group (SD = 30.732). Heterogeneity was also indi-
cated by the scores of the abductee/contactee group with
its standard deviation of 20.531. The scores of the sightee
group produced the lowest standard deviation of 9.323.
The mean of 146.050 for the sexually abused popula-
47
DISSOCIATION. Vol. CR. So.1 ]lard 1994
DISSOCIATION IN ALLEGED EXTRATERRESTRIAL ABDUCTEES
tion in this research project is close to the mean Sanders
(1986) determined to be indicative of multiple personality
disorder (M = 148.500, SD = .50). Severe dissociative ten-
dencies in the sexually abused group are suggested by this
finding. It is important to note that my study had a relatively
small subject population (N = 20 in the sexually abused group)
and that a larger study might present more representative
findings. The abductee/contactee mean of 116.200 is high-
er than the mean Sanders (1986) associated with eating-dis-
ordered populations with dissociative tendencies (M =
108.000, SD = 21.370). And, as a last point of comparison,
the mean for sightees, 97.100, is somewhat higher than the
mean of 89.000 (SD = 18.820) Sanders (1986) established
for normals. The findings of this test suggest that dissocia-
tive tendencies are present in some members of the sexu-
ally abused and extraterrestrial abductee/contactee popu-
lations.
Table 5 presents the PAS scores for the individuals in all
three subject groups. Applying the 108 cut-off point Sanders
(1986) established as indicative of dissociative tendencies
makes it apparent that fourteen abductee/contactee indi-
viduals (70%), all twenty abused subjects (100%), and two
sigh tees (10%) present dissociative symptoms. It would appear
that further research on the production of dissociative symp-
tomatology is warranted. The presence of PTSD and disso-
ciative symptoms in distressed persons reporting extrater-
restrial contact or abductions must be considered when these
persons seek therapy.
CONCLUSION
This study's positive findings with respect to the pres-
ence of dissociative symptomatology in purported extrater-
restrial abductees/contactees supports previous findings by
TABLE 4
Individual Scores on the PTSD Inventory of the
Three Subject Groups
Abductee/
Contactee
Sexually
Abused Sightee
L 16 19 1
2. 14 19 8
3. 3 38 3
4. 17 44 6
5. 22 20 0
6. 19 22 6
7. 8 40 4
8. 21 45 5
9. 21 21 3
10. 4 19 11
11. 15 39 6
12. 14 45 8
13. 20 21 12
14. 25 19 11
15. 40 38 7
16. 22 45 2
17. 37 19 10
18. 24 25 9
19. 33 40 2
20. 6 46 6
TABLE 5
Individual Scores on the PAS (Dissociation)
Inventory of the Three Subject Groups
Abductee/
Contactee
Sexually
Abused Sightee
1. 125 121 101
2. 118 108 110
3. 80 187 94
4. 114 172 105
5. 125 120 102
6. 129 110 104
7. 97 175 93
8. 101 165 100
9. 122 170 99
10. 95 108 101
11. 112 129 89
12. 86 168 103
13. 118 124 103
14. 129 112 97
15. 158 179 109
16. 124 169 101
17. 141 119 92
18. 121 119 84
19. 144 190 74
20. 85 176 81
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DISSOc1.1110N. Vol. cll. No. I. Mar ch 1994
POWERS
Ring and Rosing (1990). These researchers found that sub-
jects alleging extraterrestrial contact achieved elevated scores
in comparison to a "normal" control group (an unselected
sample of 270 undergraduates at the University of
Connecticut). The UFO experiencers in Ring and Rosing's
(1990) research averaged a score of 110.78 whereas the con-
trol group of undergraduates achieved an average of 91.90
(Sanders, McRoberts, & Tollefson, 1989).
In addition, research by Ring and Rosing (1990) also
indicates that persons who claim to be extraterrestrial con-
tactees often have a childhood history of physical and/or
sexual abuse. It is noteworthy then that, in this research,
100% of the dissociation scores of persons who have been
sexually abused, and 70% of the scores of persons alleging
extraterrestrial abduction/contact fall into the range that
indicates dissociation according to Sanders (1986).
These research results lead to the following question:
Why would the sexually abused population produce higher
scores on the PTSD and PAS inventories than the abductee/con-
tactee group? One possible explanation is that the abduc-
tion/contact narratives are screen memories for early child-
hood trauma such as sexual abuse. These screen memories
mayfunction as coping mechanismswhich mitigate the expe-
rience of re-lived trauma. Perhaps remembering the recon-
stituted memory (for example, in the form of an extrater-
restrial abduction) is less stressful than confronting the trauma
of childhood abuse perpetrated by relatives or family friends.
This research also indicates that further investigation of
clinical syndromes is merited, particularly into the syndromes
of fantasy-proneness, MPD, and PTSD. Fantasy-prone indi-
viduals may relive trauma in a disguised yet repetitious man-
ner akin to the reliving of trauma reported in PTSD syn-
drome (Spiegel, Hunt, & Dondershine,1988) . This "reliving"
of traumatic childhood events may be in service of ultimately
integrating information currently outside the individual's
range of consciousness. If this is the case, then fantasy-prone
individuals might be recalling extraterrestrial abductions which
are screen memories for abuse perpetrated by humans.
A better understanding of the extraterrestrial abduc-
tion/contact phenomenon might also be gained by exam-
ining etiological variables in MPD. Two factors determined
to influence the onset of MPD (Kluft, 1984) are (1) an innate
capacity to dissociate and (2) exposure to overwhelming trau-
ma. This study found that 70% of the individuals claiming
extraterrestrial abduction/contact achieved scores indicat-
ing dissociative tendencies on the dissociative scale (Sanders,
1986), and that three individuals (15%) had scores within
seven points of the mean determined to indicate MPD (148.500
is the cut-off for MPD according to Sanders, 1986). These
results support a contention made by Ganaway (1989) that
MPD may occur on a continuum of dissociative severity some-
times manifesting as accounts of Satanic cult ritual abuse
and extraterrestrial abduction.
A major purpose of this study was to explore the appro-
priateness of PTSD and dissociation therapeutic interven-
tions as useful techniques for those persons who are dis-
tressed by their recollections of extraterrestrial contact. There
is regrettably little information on how to address this par-
ticular delusion in therapy. However, due to the non-verifi-
able nature of this extraterrestrial phenomenon, it would
appear that initially those PTSD interventions which are non-
confrontational may be most helpful.
In some cases, it might be useful for therapists to begin
with interventions which do not immediately challenge delu-
sional systems (Riebel, 1985) especially for use with mildly
to moderately impaired patients. A combination of supportive
psychotherapy and judicious use of medicine has been indi-
cated to be helpful for some delusional patients (Manschreck,
1992). With respect to schizophrenia, Levin (1989) and Karon
(1988) have discussed the effectiveness of establishing a ther-
apeutic alliance through listening to the subjective experi-
ence of the patient and taking the patient's point of view.
Perhaps a similar initial approach to the alleged abductee
could be productive.
For the person claiming extraterrestrial abduction, a down-
ward spiral might be perpetuated in the following circum-
stances: first, the individual is incapacitated by horrific mem-
ories, and then he or she is further assaulted by a psychological
system which challenges the veracity of these memories.
Effective therapy is made almost impossible because the indi-
vidual feels further traumatized by the therapy itself.
In the scenario just depicted, Spiegel's (1986) therapeutic
interventions may ameliorate the distress experienced by
purported abductees/contactees in a non-confrontational
manner. The principles of these strategies are to (1) con-
front trauma, (2) condense the traumatic experience into
a manageable image, (3) support the patient's period of
confession, (4) console and provide empathy, (5) assist the
patient in making conscious previously repressed or disso-
ciated material, (6) incorporate conflicting images and work
toward patient's development of an integrated self through
concentration, (7) help the patient develop a sense of con-
trol, and (8) help the patient cognitively restructure his or
her view of the dissociated traumatic experience (pp. 128-
129).
An important aspect of these interventions is that they
do not require that the patient immediately abandon his or
her belief in the extraterrestrial abduction experience.
Therefore, they could be employed in a non-threatening
way to help the patient cope with his or her authentic expe-
rience of trauma without undermining the individual's
sense of sanity. A more productive time for the therapist to
challenge his or her belief system may be after the patient
becomes more comfortable both with the memories and in
the therapeutic setting.
Initially, non-confrontational interventions like Spiegel's
(1986) could assist the therapist in gaining the patient's trust,
providing a sanctuary from a harsh world which can demand
logic in the face of unimaginable confusion and terror, and
- perhaps most important-these interventions might lead
to the patient getting on with life. However, in some cases
the th e rapistmay determine that validating approaches could
strengthen the delusional system in destructive ways. In this
case, the therapist might begin with step one, confronting
the trauma, by challenging the origin of it (perhaps abuse
was perpetrated by a human). Then step five of Spiegel ' s
49
DISSOCP,TION. Vol. Cll. No. I. March 1994
DISSOCIATION IN ALLEGED EXTRATERRESTRIAL ABDUCTEES
interventions - making conscious repressed or dissociated
material - would be the most crucial work.
In addition to Spiegel's (1986) interventions, existen-
tial approaches to dissociation, and more specifically, the
PTSD condition, may be very beneficial. Greening (1990)
and Flannery and Harvey (1991) emphasize that therapeu-
tic interventions need to go beyond medication, catharsis,
and deconditioning. Attention to sociological and existen-
tial concerns are integral in the process of restoring mean-
ing to lives in which that meaningfulness has been stripped
away. Furthermore, educating the individual about dissoci-
ation and PTSD symptomatology may prove to be very help-
ful in the course of therapy (Ochberg, 1991).
The therapist attempting to help the distressed person
alleging traumatic extraterrestrial encounters is in a diffi-
cult position. Perhaps there is no "correct" approach to this
particular dilemma. While de-emphasizing veracity issues
may be confusing in a world that frequently demands empir-
ical evidence, therapeutic approaches utilizing interpretive
techniques may be the kindest, although not the most ruth-
lessly practical strategies. Thus, the eclectic interventions
proposed by Ochberg (1991), Spiegel (1985), Greening
(1990), and Flannery and Harvey (1991), all of which aim
to assist traumatized patients who frequently are also disso-
ciative, may be productive methods for psychotherapists to
employ in their work with persons alleging extraterrestrial
contact. 
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