• NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!

    Subscribe to The Paracast Newsletter!

Has anyone read Abduction by John Mack


I have, but very long ago. I would say John Mack is regarded as one of the better sources on the subject of the abduction phenomenon.
 
I read it, but that was many years ago. It was, as you might expect, well written and very insiteful. I keep it handy on my bookshelf as one of my "go to" abduction references, right along side Dr. Jacobs' fine books.
 
I got it at a used book store but have not started it. Other than Communion I have not read any abduction books

It's an excellent book for any ufology collection. Before you read it. Check out this video as it will give you a much better context on some of the content:

September 16th, 1994
Ariel School in Ruwa South Africa
Multiple Witness UFO Sighting & Alien Encounter

 
Last edited:
Video Featuring John Mack and His Work


September 16th, 1994
Ariel School in Ruwa South Africa
Multiple Witness UFO Sighting & Alien Encounter


From his obit -

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/30/national/30mack.html?_r=0

"In the 1990's, Dr. Mack studied dozens of people who said they had had such contact with aliens, culminating in his book "Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens" in 1994. In it, he focused less on whether aliens were real than on the spiritual effects of perceived encounters, arguing that "the abduction phenomenon has important philosophical, spiritual and social implications" for everyone.

"The book led Harvard Medical School, where Dr. Mack had been a tenured professor for several years, to appoint a committee to review his research methods and consider censuring him. After 14 months of investigation, it released a statement saying that it "reaffirmed Dr. Mack's academic freedom to study what he wishes and to state his opinion without impediment." "

In the documentary, the description the man gives of his abduction - 8:00/10:00 - is eerily consonant with what is happening with the body when it is going to sleep (the 'beings' would be anthropomorphized forces). Using a particular model as starting point - that the person is aware at an 'etheric' level - there are some interesting studies that could be done in which subjects are induced to have an abduction experience.

I would posit that the experience itself is not objectively scary or hostile. Rather the persons' awareness is 'awake' at a juncture it is usually not - and is interpreting what it is experiencing in such a way that causes fear/trauma.

I would also agree with Mack that these 'encounters' are significant for humankind - but I think we are taking the interpretations too literally. The intellect is trying to sort a suprasensory experience - and so interprets what it experiences like in a dream.

Hasn't there been someone who conducted studies with abductees in Arizona (I think) - where they were all monitored as they slept - and it was found that abductees would report an abductee experience when they were clearly in their bed, etc. I am very fuzzy on this - did this then make people say that the abduction story was a hoax, or what? I would say that if the study actually was able to document that there was no physical abduction - then it is moving in the direction of a subtle but very valid experience.

From what I know - using a particular model of the human organization that posits a physical body and then a second body, less dense than the physical, called the etheric body - or life body - that coheres the physical substance - the two indications that the experience may be at the etheric level are: the 'honey movement' or paralysis, and the fact that the anthropomorphized beings (forces) are working on the body. What the etheric body does during sleep is repairs the body - it needs the 'aware' consciousness to exit the body in order to do the repairs - hence the interpretation of an 'aggressive' insistence for the awareness to 'go' or 'submit'.

The Ariel School event is very interesting. I do question how Mack was questioning the children - and my attention is especially drawn to the long pauses made before they answered - suggesting to me that they were trying to come up with the answer that would please Mack and stop the questioning (what children do). While I would not say that Mack was 'leading' the interviews, I do question the children's ability to answer such sophisticated questions about their feelings. Mack was consistently asking them to intellectualize their feelings - very difficult for a child to do. The event at the school was very unusual - something had taken place - and it's possible that Mack's enthusiasm shaped the situation a bit.

It is interesting that when questioned as to how he 'knew' he was being given accurate information by the children, his answer was - "I just know, I can feel it". He was working with his 'gut feelings'.

Those children are now 20 years older - in their late 20's, early 30's. Has there been any follow-up on them? That would be interesting.
 


Thank you, Heidi. Exactly what I was hoping someone was doing. Reminds me of the Australian incident at a school that I read about here a couple of months ago - can't recall where it was or when - some years back, maybe the 70's? even 60's?

Has there been done a clear analysis of the incident at the Ariel School? Has someone collated all the information and come up with a distillation of the event?
 
I do question how Mack was questioning the children - and my attention is especially drawn to the long pauses made before they answered - suggesting to me that they were trying to come up with the answer that would please Mack and stop the questioning (what children do). While I would not say that Mack was 'leading' the interviews, I do question the children's ability to answer such sophisticated questions about their feelings. Mack was consistently asking them to intellectualize their feelings - very difficult for a child to do. The event at the school was very unusual - something had taken place - and it's possible that Mack's enthusiasm shaped the situation a bit.

A real concern. This is always a dicey business and we are left to rely on Mack's assessments. Corroboration by other child psychologists would be helpful.
 
Back
Top