Was I Abducted By Aliens?

Experts on the phenomenon of alien abduction claim that certain forms of recurring dreams and nightmares can be pointers to the possibility that the sufferer has had an extra-terrestrial experience.

Often, the dreamer finds himself in a room surrounded by strange, unearthly figures or peculiar symbolisms. Sometimes the visions are disturbing, sometimes comforting. Often, they are illuminating, revelations about themselves or the world-at-large being disclosed, the Whitley Strieber and Travis Walton incidents being the most notable cases in point.

If the dreams recur year after year (usually starting in childhood), the recipient may choose to visit a therapist, who will try to get to the bottom of the problem by using hypnosis. Hypnosis is generally regarded as being of great therapeutic value. Subjects suffering from various maladies or psychological problems can be helped during sessions conducted by trained hypnotherapists. Hypnosis can also be used to help smokers quit or as pain relief during minor operations.

Unfortunately, hypnotherapists  (such as Bud Hopkins, pictured left) are not required to undergo serious  training to obtain licenses to practise, as medical doctors are. This makes it possible for anybody to set themselves up as professional hypnotherapists. Some have been known to plant suggestive images into the minds of their 'patients' to make them believe that they are recalling an alien abduction. Thankfully, this is not the case with the vast majority of reputable hypnotherapists and we shall assume that our fictional victim has visited one of these genuine practitioners.

Where the process enters the realms of controversy is when it is used in regressive therapy. This is when the subject is placed under the influence of the hypnotist and taken back to a point in the past where memories of that time are excised. Due to the diffuse nature of memory, quite often real memories are merged with the subject's own subconscious imagination. Depending on the questions posed by the hypnotherapist, fantastic stories can be recounted. Whether these recollections are genuine or not is difficult to determine. The danger lies in the mind of the subject - ’they“ certainly believe them to be real memories.

If, during a regression, the subject recalls what he believes is an upsetting abduction experience, he can be seriously disturbed emotionally. What started out as a series of relatively harmless, recurring dreams has become definite knowledge (to him) of a terrifying alien kidnapping.

This has been known to lead to neuroses where the sufferer may be afraid to go out at night, could suffer from insomnia (as most abductions take place while the contactee slumbers) and is in mortal terror of an abduction occurring again

All this caused by a harmless dream, often occurring many years in the subject's past!

As a child, I had a recurring dream. It was neither frightening nor comforting - it just happened and I was swept along with it. The dream began with a view of the interior of a vast room or warehouse. The area was dark, but not pitch-black; girders high above could be seen, as could objects around me.

I was being led through this room, but I couldn't see by whom. I think I was dressed in my pyjamas.

Suddenly the force leading me was gone and I could move freely. I took a few seconds to survey my surroundings. Through the gloom I could see what appeared to be crates or boxes stacked all over the place.

The air was filled with whispers, a quiet cacophony of excited voices. I was of the impression that there were hundreds of people in the room with me, but I could not see any of them. Only my own sense of proximity and their hollow whisperings betraying their presence.

I began to walk forward and found myself beside a low wall or counter. It was only about waist high. I followed the wall until it ended abruptly. A strange voice came from behind the low barrier and I was unable to understand it.

I looked in the direction of the voice and its owner appeared.

A small, greyish figure (riding a tricycle!) came from around the wall. It was tiny, wrinkled and clothed in long, dark robes. It spoke to me again. The language was most peculiar and I could not understand a word of it. It was a humming, nasal form of speech (something like the sound of one's own voice if you stick your fingers in your ears) and I sensed power in its words.

Somehow, I was still completely unafraid.

Suddenly, the room was flooded with light and a mighty cheer went up from my invisible companions. Before I could get a good look at the newly-lit room, the dream ended.

I had this dream several times during my youth and it was exactly the same every time I experienced it.

A dream expert would probably say that the dream signifies a journey from darkness into light. Perhaps I was struggling with something during my childhood that eventually became resolved. If so, then I cannot remember it. I had a reasonably stable, sheltered life as a child with no major traumas that I can recall.

What would an abduction expert make of it? I don't know, as I have never told anybody about the dream until recently.

What would they make of the large, dimly-lit room? The interior of a UFO? Or some secret, government installation? That would explain the plethora of crates strewn all over the place. I would doubt that aliens would use wooden crates for the purposes of storage aboard their spacecraft, but you never know - stranger things have been known to occur in the world of ufology.

What was the invisible hand leading me? Was it a kind of tractor beam or teleportation device? Or could it have been a hypnotic suggestion implanted in my mind that compelled me to go there? Once there, the suggestion obviously evaporated and I was able to move freely once more.

From whom did the echoing whispers come? I had the feeling that there were hundreds of people with me in the room. Could they have been the same as the ugly little dwarf which spoke to me? I do not think so. I got the impression that they were humans. Fellow abductees? Perhaps. Government employees? Maybe. Human/alien hybrids working for the ETs? I get a strange feeling as I write that last question. Could that be the answer?

What did the low wall or counter represent? Beats me. Perhaps it was a representation of the hidden agenda of the aliens. As long as they remained behind their æ°wall', we would be unaware of their presence. But once they step around it...

Why did the ashen elf speak to me before revealing himself? Perhaps he was warning me not to be alarmed by his appearance. I do remember that I was not afraid, even though he was quite hideous to look at. Why was he riding a tricycle? God knows! Maybe that was my own childish psyche adding a familiar image as a sort of mental security blanket.

What about the creature itself? The room was dark, so I could not see him clearly ( I say "him", but I cannot be certain as to gender). Could he have been an alien, possibly one of the so-called Greys? The only resemblance that I could make out was that he ’was“ grey and that he was small in stature - as the Greys are said to be.

The creature was wearing long, dark robes and he was hooded. This has been recognized as a style of clothing favoured by the squat, ugly servants of the Greys, most famously depicted in Whitley Streiber's best-selling book, Communion. Remember, though, I had this dream as a young child in the early 1970s, many years before Strieber had recounted his experiences in novel form. (see my crude drawing on the right!)

What sticks most in my mind about the creature was not his appearance, but his speech. I could not understand a word of it, yet, somehow, in a way I could. His mouth opened and closed as he spoke, so it was proper speech. It was a dreary monotone, humming and nasal. Kind of like Lester Piggott with a really bad cold! What was it saying to me? I have absolutely no idea. Could it have been of importance? Immediately after it had finished speaking, the lights came on. Could this signify that I was told something illuminating? That is a bit of a stretch, I know, but it is the best explanation that I can come up with. The roaring cheer also illustrates something of import to me, but what I do not recall.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, why does the dream end here? Why am I unable to see the interior of the room properly? Could the lights and cheering represent my journey back to bed? Or are there more memories buried deep in my subconscious?

Before the hypnotherapists start calling or writing to me, I would like to say that I have no intention of undergoing hypnosis or regressive therapy. I have no wish to live out the rest of my days fearing the return of the tricycle-riding dwarf!

If aliens did snatch me from my bed when I was a child, then it did me no physical or mental harm. A hypnosis session might uncover memories that I do no want to recall. Obviously, if they are there, deep in my dusty vaults, then the aliens meant for them to stay there out of harm's way. It could be argued that this is not a positive way to reflect upon my recollections, that I have a duty to try and solve the mystery. I disagree, all the recurring dream represents is a curiosity from my past. I think that I had the dream once as an adult, but that was many years ago, and I have not had it since ( at least I don't remember it if I did).

The experts can debate it until they are blue in the face, but nobody is getting inside my head to search for answers that I definitely do not want.

© 1998 Steven Johnson