A Light? Could It Be an Extraterrestrial Transport Vehicle Mark III?

Speaking in Tongues this week had a segment with Mary Rodwell, Australia's most famous alien abductee counsellor (she regularly features in mainstream magazines, not just the magic ghetto and is a leading light behind Australian Close Encounter Resource Network (ACERN)) who also brought along one of her acolytes. Incidentally, EoR wonders in passing if the aliens are mistakenly interested in her because they thought her name was Roswell?

This acolyte performed an aura mambo around Mr Safran, speaking in glossolaliac tongues (she was channelling 'higher frequencies' she assured us, and translating massive amounts of information) while she seemed to be alternately pulling on an invisible string holding Mr Safran's head up, and brushing invisible dandruff from his shoulders. EoR was impressed. He hasn't laughed so loudly since Second Opinion got the boot.

What really concerned EoR, however, was Ms Rodwell's proud claim that she had convinced a number of people during her counselling sessions that they had not, in fact, been sexually abused as children, but had, in fact, been abducted by aliens who then perpretrated the various intrusions into their body. So these people are being persuaded to ignore any sexual abuse that may have taken place, and any possible recovery, but are instead being offered a fantasy. EoR wonders what further counselling they will need later in life to recover from the Rodwell-programming as well as the abuse. And, of course, the real perpetrators. if any, get off without any penalty.

Ms Rodwell's 'qualifications' to perform such dangerous counselling include: being a clinical hypnotherapist, a 'professional counsellor' (where did she qualify? in what form of counselling? are her qualifications maintained?), a nurse and midwife, a 'metaphysician' (whatever that is), 'healer' and Reiki master, a 'lecturer' (fine sounding word - she is indeed a popular presenter of talks to UFO 'research' groups), a 'researcher' (another fine sounding word - with which academic institute? or does she just mean she does a bit of reading and chatting - which would make us all 'researchers'?) etc etc. EoR won't bother with all her memberships of less-than-rigourous UFO groups (again, fine sounding and impressive, but all rather pointless).

Of course, such a well qualified researcher doesn't skimp on the academic methods. She has a survey conducted by Reader's Digest on her site to support her claims. About people's beliefs about the possibility of aliens. Which, of course, makes all her wacko claims true.

Other researchers, however, take a somewhat different view of all this suggestive 'recovery' of memories:

Psychological interviews and tests conducted on the abductees reveal little evidence of mental illness, but they enjoy a rich fantasy life. When they listen to music or watch movies they often imagine they are somewhere else or part of the movie plot. The typical abductee, notes McNally, "has a longstanding interest in 'New Age' practices and beliefs such as reincarnation, astral projection, mental telepathy, alternative healing practices, energy therapies, and astrology."

He and his colleagues conclude, "a combination of pre-existing New Age beliefs, episodes of sleep paralysis, accompanied by hallucinations and hypnotic memory recovery may foster beliefs and memories that one has been abducted by space aliens."

James Gleick points out the invalid logic of the abductee 'researcher' logic:

People think they were abducted. They don't seem crazy. (And we ought to know--we're experts on mental illness.)

Therefore people were abducted.

The whole of Mr Gleick's article is worth reading. He points out the numerous absurdities of the abduction arguments (eg violative sex with dwarfs etc, always followed by a cosy chat about 'looking after the planet', aliens with
super-advanced technology but who have trouble with anaesthesia and leaving scars, and how people only 'remember' these incidents when the 'counsellor' makes suggestions under hypnosis).