Strange Arrivals

The abduction phenomenon has largely faded from public consciousness. What is the current state of abduction research? And looking back to the very beginning of this season, why is it that some people are prone to belief in the paranormal while others are prone to skepticism? Finally, how should we regard abduction stories and other extraordinary claims?

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The search for ever-more-incredible stories led to strange theories about the purpose of alien abductions and eventually to the bizarre case of Linda Cortile. Budd Hopkins considered it to be the most compelling abduction case ever investigated. But was it real?

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Three researchers, Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs, and John Mack, revolutionized the study of alien abductions in the 1980s and 90s. Their research, based on hypnotic regression of people they suspected were abductees, suggested that aliens could access anyone, anywhere, at any time.

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Betty and Barney Hill's experience established the framework for future tales of alien abduction. But the Hill story was just the jumping off point for abductee narratives that followed. Among the first abduction tales to follow the publication of An Interrupted Journey was Betty Andreasson's alleged kidnapping by friendly, spiritual aliens who took her on a journey to distant worlds; worlds that seemed a reflection of Betty's core beliefs.

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The Hills described their UFO encounter taking place over several miles, beginning with a bright light in the sky and ending with a craft hovering above a field. Nobody believes they were just making their story up. So what did they see that night as they drove through northern New Hampshire?

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Betty Hill had a series of intense dreams after her UFO encounter. How did these dreams inform the memories recovered during hypnosis sessions two years later? They way the Hills described the aliens they met changed over time, becoming less human. Why did the descriptions change and how did they finally arrive at a definitive answer to what these creatures looked like?

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Betty and Barney Hill's memories of being abducted by aliens were recovered through hypnotic regression. But does this technique uncover actual memories, or something else? How does what we know now about memory formation and hypnosis change how we look at the Hills' story of capture aboard an alien craft?

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While under hypnosis, Betty Hill told of being shown a star map by one of her alien captors. Years later, she sketched what she remembered of the map. This led a teacher named Marjorie Fish to create intricate models of the galaxy to determine the origin of the space craft, and set off a dispute about the accuracy of the map and the reality of their experience.

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UFO culture of the 1950s revolved around two competing visions; one of contact with advanced beings from within our solar system and another focusing sightings of distant flying objects in the sky. Under hypnosis, the Hills told a story that differed from both of these narratives, one of capture and examination by truly alien beings.

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More than two years after their UFO encounter in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Betty and Barney Hill underwent hypnosis therapy with renowned psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Simon. These sessions revealed that there was more to the Hill's story than they had previously remembered. This story was all the more remarkable because it was so different from the stories of the early years of America's fascination with UFOs - the 1950s.

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