Are people being regularly abducted and experimented upon by extraterrestrial beings, as is claimed by many UFO researchers? From looking at the reams of case-file data gathered by these researchers, one thins is very clear: there are many people who honestly believe that they have been, and are continuing to be, abducted by aliens. But what is the evidence for these claims to be true events? 

First, one must look at the nature of the claims themselves. I see little need to go into a detailed description of the "typical" alien abduction scenario, because I am sure that most, if not all, of the readers of this article are quite familiar with the claims (a point I will return to later). While some abductees have conscious memory and recall of their experiences, many have no recall until something causes them to remember. It is believed that their alien abductors have created a form of "mental block" to hide the experience from conscious recollection. 

For those who do not have conscious recollection of their experiences, there are some typical factors used to determine who might have been abducted. Some of the criteria are:

1. A period of missing time.

2. Unexplained scars/marks on the body.

3. Recurring nightmares/flashbacks concerning aliens or other beings.

4. Unreasoning anxiety.

5. Seeing a UFO. 

Often, those people reporting such things to UFOlogists are led through sessions of hypnotic regression to recover the hidden memories of the abduction event. Those with conscious memories of their abduction are spared this part of the experience, as they already know exactly what happened.  

Is there any physical evidence for the existence of the alien abduction phenomena? As of this date, none that is accepted by mainstream science. The only physical evidence that has been put forth for alien abduction are the aforementioned unexplained marks and scars, and mysterious "implants" put into the abductee’s body by the aliens. However, not one of these "implants" has proven to be anything out of the ordinary, when they can be found at all, and unexplained scars and marks are indicative of nothing but a past wound, the true source of which could have easily been forgotten. 

What of the testimony of the abductees themselves? Abduction experts claim that this testimony is more than enough, in and of itself, to make a case of r alien abduction. The fact that the stories, whether obtained through hypnosis or conscious recall is compelling enough that physical evidence is not necessary. The uncanny similarity between stories given by people with no previous contact with one another is a strong indicator that they are telling the truth. Unfortunately, as I alluded earlier, almost everyone has knowledge of what happens in a typical abduction scenario, so that is quite possibly where such similarities came from. In addition, these "similarities" are often exaggerated. Two separate descriptions of aliens that stand "between three and four feet tall," is claimed as an amazing similarity, even if that is the only part of the story even remotely the same. The existence of "Alien Abduction Support Groups" adds to the similarity between stories as well. Human memory is fallible, and past events can be shaped by the stories of those around us, often changing drastically to fit what is considered "correct." 

One must also consider the accuracy of memories "uncovered" by hypnotic regression. Hypnosis, while a useful tool at times, has never been proven to be able to expose repressed memories. Many stories of repressed memories of childhood abuse by "Satanic cults," for instance, have been shown to be completely unsupported or inaccurate. If these cases were not successful in recovering repressed memories, one must conclude that it might well be the same case in repressed memories of alien abduction. 

Abduction experts further claim that most abductees show no sign of psychological problems or defects, so their stories are not the product of a deranged mind. This is undoubtedly true. The fact is, however, delusions, false memories, hallucinations, and simple belief in things that just are not correct are not the product of psychological problems, either. 

We are urged to "keep an open mind" about controversial subjects, such as alien abduction, for the simple reason that these things have not been disproven. Unfortunately, the fact that a given hypothesis has not been, or can not be, disproven is no reason that it could be true. It has not been disproven that leprechauns hide a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow either, but that is no reason to expect gold prices to plummet because of a sudden influx of leprechaun investors. 

In the end, what we come up with is that there is no good evidence for the existence of alien kidnappers experimenting on human beings, even though many people fervently believe, and are traumatized, by the belief that they have been abducted…

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