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Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind
The most concrete book yet on the subject of UFOs. At the center of this serious, richly explicit, riveting work is a five-day UFO conference held at MIT, which the author attended, & from which he has recreated the accounts of close encounter experiences of many abductees, telling their stories in chilling detail. Bryan is the author of the bestselling Friendly Fire.
476 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1995
33 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
C.D.B. Bryan
24 books7 followersCourtlandt Dixon Barnes Bryan, better known as C. D. B. Bryan, was an American author and journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 27, 2017
Ever wondered if the truth really was out there?
I always have. Growing up I always had an interest in UFO sightings, alien abductions and close encounters. My mom witnessed multiple UFO sightings throughout her life and so have I; most recently I saw one while driving back to her house in the New Mexican desert just a couple of years ago. Now if what I saw was actually extraterrestrial is up for debate, but it was definitely an unidentified object!
So while I always had an interest in these topics, I didn't have a clue as to the literature out there. I wanted to learn more and to see for myself what evidence was out there. I started with this book.
Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind details, and I mean DETAILS, the five day conference at MIT which explored topics in ufology and alien abduction. The conference featured presentations and discussions between professionals (scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc) and abductees, who were really average people - teachers, government workers, farmers. The author of the book went into the conference as a skeptic (one might say an "Atheist" to abductions) and I think that benefited the book. He documented the conference very accurately (he recorded everything) and presented the information as it was. Every now and then you will read his opinion, which was worthwhile because you can see how his opinion evolves as the book carries on.
In between the conference days and even post-conference, author C.D.B. Bryan conducts MANY interviews. While I learned a lot in these interviews, the book did suffer a little because I felt that he was giving TOO much text devoted to some of these abductees, whose experiences began to sound crazier and crazier (one abductee describes her floating onto a UFO to deliver an alien-human hybrid baby). So I knocked the book down one star because of the length at which these interviews went (something like 100 pages!).
I still believe "the truth is out there" and this book has opened my eyes to the evidence that exists. The fact is, SOMETHING is happening to these people - all over the world - and whether it is a psychological phenomenon or little ETs visiting us is the question. If you want to explore this debate, then you have to read this book!
I have many more questions now, though; luckily, this book gives good ideas as to where I should look next to explore this topic further. Most particularly I appreciated the theories explored in the book, such as that "aliens" are not from another galaxy but traveling from another dimension (the multiverse theory).
The short version? Probably a must-read for anyone interested in an objective, broad discussion on alien abductions and close encounters. You'll read the evidence, the counterarguments, and the words of abductees themselves. Excellent starter book for those wanting to learn more!
(Oh, I'll give a content warning for child abuse. There are discussions on child abuse among abductees, and some detailed descriptions of abuse in some of the interviews published.)
I always have. Growing up I always had an interest in UFO sightings, alien abductions and close encounters. My mom witnessed multiple UFO sightings throughout her life and so have I; most recently I saw one while driving back to her house in the New Mexican desert just a couple of years ago. Now if what I saw was actually extraterrestrial is up for debate, but it was definitely an unidentified object!
So while I always had an interest in these topics, I didn't have a clue as to the literature out there. I wanted to learn more and to see for myself what evidence was out there. I started with this book.
Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind details, and I mean DETAILS, the five day conference at MIT which explored topics in ufology and alien abduction. The conference featured presentations and discussions between professionals (scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc) and abductees, who were really average people - teachers, government workers, farmers. The author of the book went into the conference as a skeptic (one might say an "Atheist" to abductions) and I think that benefited the book. He documented the conference very accurately (he recorded everything) and presented the information as it was. Every now and then you will read his opinion, which was worthwhile because you can see how his opinion evolves as the book carries on.
In between the conference days and even post-conference, author C.D.B. Bryan conducts MANY interviews. While I learned a lot in these interviews, the book did suffer a little because I felt that he was giving TOO much text devoted to some of these abductees, whose experiences began to sound crazier and crazier (one abductee describes her floating onto a UFO to deliver an alien-human hybrid baby). So I knocked the book down one star because of the length at which these interviews went (something like 100 pages!).
I still believe "the truth is out there" and this book has opened my eyes to the evidence that exists. The fact is, SOMETHING is happening to these people - all over the world - and whether it is a psychological phenomenon or little ETs visiting us is the question. If you want to explore this debate, then you have to read this book!
I have many more questions now, though; luckily, this book gives good ideas as to where I should look next to explore this topic further. Most particularly I appreciated the theories explored in the book, such as that "aliens" are not from another galaxy but traveling from another dimension (the multiverse theory).
The short version? Probably a must-read for anyone interested in an objective, broad discussion on alien abductions and close encounters. You'll read the evidence, the counterarguments, and the words of abductees themselves. Excellent starter book for those wanting to learn more!
(Oh, I'll give a content warning for child abuse. There are discussions on child abuse among abductees, and some detailed descriptions of abuse in some of the interviews published.)
May 20, 2017
I first read this book in the late 90s, and it had a strong effect on me. First of all, the descriptions of abductions, especially the ones under hypnosis, scared the crap out of me. (Sleeping with the lights on scared.) But mainly I was struck by the serious tone covering a topic that most people would dismiss with a snicker.
I learned on Wikipedia that CDB Bryan was John O'Hara's stepson, which helps account for why he is such a good writer. And I learned from his NYTimes obit that his bio father was Col. Joseph Bryan III, who was fascinated with UFOs. That might explain his motivation for writing this book, which was sort of a mystery to me. Also his son's blog indicated that The New Yorker sent him to the MIT conference to write a "tongue-in-cheek piece," which doesn't make sense given the tone of the book.
So after an acquaintance confided in me that he's an experiencer, I bought him a copy of this book and cracked it open to read. Then I bought it on my kindle after I gave him the hard copy.
Reading the book twenty years later feels a lot more dated, especially after the UFO/abduction world has completely petered out.
John Mack of M.I.T almost lost his position after this conference, then suddenly died after being hit by a drunk driver. Budd Hopkins's ex-wife called a lot of his research and methods into question and also questioned the motives of the Linda Cortile case, probably the most famous UFO abduction story. Richard Boylan, not super credible in this book's portrayal, lost his psychotherapy license after allegations of improper hot tub antics with female patients. And personally I think 9/11 dealt the whole X-Files/UFO zeitgeist a death blow by showing that the US government couldn't find a dozen Arab speakers and scramble a few jets let alone cover up an international flying saucer conspiracy. (At least the Truther movement hoovered up all the conspiracy minded morons.)
I believe people are still experiencing things that they can't put in a context, but no one remotely credible is studying it.
The first part of the book is Mr. Bryan at the M.I.T. conference and getting to know the major players.
Then follows a bunch of post-conference interviews of wildly varying quality and interest. Of particular interest are Carol and Alice, who run a horse ranch and seem to arrive late to events often enough that they should block out "alien abduction time" on their calendars. I still got chills when one Tall Grey told one of them: "You are changed. You will eat only cow things. Horses are changed. Cows are changed. You are changed." Some of it reads like bad Art Bell.
Eventually these interviews are like reading someone else's dream diary. But you get the idea that abductions have a similar cadence to them, or at least among this group. It seemed to me that Budd Hopkins had worked with Carol and Alice so much that he was leading them a lot during some sessions.
The last chapter is the most interesting. It's an overview of researchers and their theories, and it sure would have been handy to have earlier in the book. If I were editing this book I would have moved it to the beginning or mixed it in as background with the conference as context. I could almost recommend just buying the book for this chapter and not reading any other part of the book.
One part I don't remember reading before is the theory of child abuse memories as a screen memory for alien abductions. Not that the memory of an alien abduction is being used to mask child abuse -- the memory a child abuse is being used to mask an alien abduction. Another researcher suggests that children who have experienced trauma are more likely to perceive aliens and UFOs, due to their long experience with dissociation. Good luck getting a grant for these studies...
Recommended tentatively, even though it's like an earlier draft of the book that should have been released. Non-fiction before the Internet started threatening journalists' jobs is so much more relaxed and ponderous.
I learned on Wikipedia that CDB Bryan was John O'Hara's stepson, which helps account for why he is such a good writer. And I learned from his NYTimes obit that his bio father was Col. Joseph Bryan III, who was fascinated with UFOs. That might explain his motivation for writing this book, which was sort of a mystery to me. Also his son's blog indicated that The New Yorker sent him to the MIT conference to write a "tongue-in-cheek piece," which doesn't make sense given the tone of the book.
So after an acquaintance confided in me that he's an experiencer, I bought him a copy of this book and cracked it open to read. Then I bought it on my kindle after I gave him the hard copy.
Reading the book twenty years later feels a lot more dated, especially after the UFO/abduction world has completely petered out.
John Mack of M.I.T almost lost his position after this conference, then suddenly died after being hit by a drunk driver. Budd Hopkins's ex-wife called a lot of his research and methods into question and also questioned the motives of the Linda Cortile case, probably the most famous UFO abduction story. Richard Boylan, not super credible in this book's portrayal, lost his psychotherapy license after allegations of improper hot tub antics with female patients. And personally I think 9/11 dealt the whole X-Files/UFO zeitgeist a death blow by showing that the US government couldn't find a dozen Arab speakers and scramble a few jets let alone cover up an international flying saucer conspiracy. (At least the Truther movement hoovered up all the conspiracy minded morons.)
I believe people are still experiencing things that they can't put in a context, but no one remotely credible is studying it.
The first part of the book is Mr. Bryan at the M.I.T. conference and getting to know the major players.
Then follows a bunch of post-conference interviews of wildly varying quality and interest. Of particular interest are Carol and Alice, who run a horse ranch and seem to arrive late to events often enough that they should block out "alien abduction time" on their calendars. I still got chills when one Tall Grey told one of them: "You are changed. You will eat only cow things. Horses are changed. Cows are changed. You are changed." Some of it reads like bad Art Bell.
Eventually these interviews are like reading someone else's dream diary. But you get the idea that abductions have a similar cadence to them, or at least among this group. It seemed to me that Budd Hopkins had worked with Carol and Alice so much that he was leading them a lot during some sessions.
The last chapter is the most interesting. It's an overview of researchers and their theories, and it sure would have been handy to have earlier in the book. If I were editing this book I would have moved it to the beginning or mixed it in as background with the conference as context. I could almost recommend just buying the book for this chapter and not reading any other part of the book.
One part I don't remember reading before is the theory of child abuse memories as a screen memory for alien abductions. Not that the memory of an alien abduction is being used to mask child abuse -- the memory a child abuse is being used to mask an alien abduction. Another researcher suggests that children who have experienced trauma are more likely to perceive aliens and UFOs, due to their long experience with dissociation. Good luck getting a grant for these studies...
Recommended tentatively, even though it's like an earlier draft of the book that should have been released. Non-fiction before the Internet started threatening journalists' jobs is so much more relaxed and ponderous.
March 27, 2013
Jeepers--a whopping great read! Liked his tone of open-minded skepticism throughout. Boylan was a pud--but everybody else was pretty cool; actually the only real dinks were the scientist types with their bloated pious self-important nonsense--like the guy taking a couple pages to "explain" the Old Hag phenomenon. Also found it interesting (as a sidelight) how many different things can go wrong with pregnancy; like the bunch-of-grapes thing and all that. (I never knew.) Also like the humorous touches: the waitress asking "Who had the haddock?" in the middle of one of their cosmic conversations, or the inexperienced hypnotist saying "You're surrounded by white light!" as a safe place for one of the abductees. Zar would like that too--if he has a sense of humor. There does seem to be something going on there...whatever the hell it is.
Read
March 31, 2019Today UFO literature is just about exclusively the preserve of vanity presses, or the self published realm but not too long ago every major publisher had a little UFO library in their catalogue.
Until 9/11 put everyone’s focus on events in the Middle East and International terrorism there was a brief moment after the End of the Cold War when there wasn’t much of a “national mission” so to speak and so UFOs filled the void.
By 1998 television and film from The X-Files, to Independence Day to Fox Presents Alien Autopsy! had convinced us that first contact was imminent. Bill Clinton courted the UFO lobby in his presidential campaigns and in 1992 an impressive collection of reputable scholars organized a semi-scientific conference on alien abduction complete with psychologists, doctors, therapists, historians, writers, and of course the abductees themselves.
C.D.B. Bryan attended the conference with a high degree of skepticism that was eventually worn down to acceptance that there was some legitimacy to it all.
For myself I traveled the opposite path. In the ‘90s I was terrified of aliens and abductions (so much so I slept with the heaviest blanket I had every night completely covered), but as I grew older- and having never having been abducted myself- lost that belief. I enjoy the topic still if only because while it may be bullshit- it’s FUN bullshit to read. Obviously then Bryan’s recounting of the conference didn’t manage to convince me.
I didn’t rate this book only because I don’t know how to. I have no doubt as does Bryan that the people here certainly believe THEY were abducted or were in the presence of abductees and I can’t deny that belief. But it was also frustrating to see Bryan mention loose ends repeatedly without consideration that those loose ends are enough to unravel the whole thing. The particular loose end I’m referring to is how the alleged abductee entered the ship.
It’s fascinating that even though the victim can recall sometimes in great detail-although admittedly through the dubious method of hypnosis- the events on the ship from medical experiments, to the crew’s appearances, smells, and how they felt, to different exam rooms...there’s not a memory of a hatch/door/portal into the ship from outside and considering the importance humans place on entrances and exits I think that’s a telling omission. It doesn’t take too much of a stretch (although what IS ‘a stretch’ compared to sexually obsessive dwarves from outer space?) to argue that since there are no memories of entrance or exit recovered or otherwise that there thus was no entry or exit and that therefore during these abduction “events” the abductee didn’t actually go anywhere and that it’s far more likely that this is not a physical occurrence but is best understood as a psychosomatic occurrence.
Until 9/11 put everyone’s focus on events in the Middle East and International terrorism there was a brief moment after the End of the Cold War when there wasn’t much of a “national mission” so to speak and so UFOs filled the void.
By 1998 television and film from The X-Files, to Independence Day to Fox Presents Alien Autopsy! had convinced us that first contact was imminent. Bill Clinton courted the UFO lobby in his presidential campaigns and in 1992 an impressive collection of reputable scholars organized a semi-scientific conference on alien abduction complete with psychologists, doctors, therapists, historians, writers, and of course the abductees themselves.
C.D.B. Bryan attended the conference with a high degree of skepticism that was eventually worn down to acceptance that there was some legitimacy to it all.
For myself I traveled the opposite path. In the ‘90s I was terrified of aliens and abductions (so much so I slept with the heaviest blanket I had every night completely covered), but as I grew older- and having never having been abducted myself- lost that belief. I enjoy the topic still if only because while it may be bullshit- it’s FUN bullshit to read. Obviously then Bryan’s recounting of the conference didn’t manage to convince me.
I didn’t rate this book only because I don’t know how to. I have no doubt as does Bryan that the people here certainly believe THEY were abducted or were in the presence of abductees and I can’t deny that belief. But it was also frustrating to see Bryan mention loose ends repeatedly without consideration that those loose ends are enough to unravel the whole thing. The particular loose end I’m referring to is how the alleged abductee entered the ship.
It’s fascinating that even though the victim can recall sometimes in great detail-although admittedly through the dubious method of hypnosis- the events on the ship from medical experiments, to the crew’s appearances, smells, and how they felt, to different exam rooms...there’s not a memory of a hatch/door/portal into the ship from outside and considering the importance humans place on entrances and exits I think that’s a telling omission. It doesn’t take too much of a stretch (although what IS ‘a stretch’ compared to sexually obsessive dwarves from outer space?) to argue that since there are no memories of entrance or exit recovered or otherwise that there thus was no entry or exit and that therefore during these abduction “events” the abductee didn’t actually go anywhere and that it’s far more likely that this is not a physical occurrence but is best understood as a psychosomatic occurrence.
February 17, 2015
Michael Miley mailed me the telephone-book-sized, spiral-bound proceedings of the alien abduction conference held at MIT in 1992. I read it at the time, then, when he told me about Bryan's book about the conference, I picked it up and read it as well. All-in-all it is a fair bit of reportage, going beyond the conference itself to include matter obtained from interviewing some of the principals. Bryan does not subscribe to the aliens-from-spacecraft hypothesis, but he does take the abduction phenomenon seriously and maintains a sympathetically objective tone throughout.
May 18, 2010
Started off strong but this book really dragged at the end. Way too many accounts of hypnotherapy sessions. Still, a good resource for those interested in alien abductions.
March 3, 2020
cool nice good fun
August 19, 2023
Not quite what I expected it to be.
“held at MIT not an MIT conference.” Well that didn’t stop you from throwing it into your title now did it?
This book is kind of like a heavy hitter of theories, famous authors, and speculation into aliens on earth.
It does maintain a level of skepticism, from interviewing people that are clearly some form of mentally ill to hypnotizing others and being amazed that they all come up with such “similar stories”. Well duh when the common factor as you leading them through the fantasies of course they’re all gonna have something in common.
The first section is about the author reciting going to the conference, meeting people there and writing down the types of interviews and stories people were giving, with the final section being about hypnosis.
I did appreciate that the book brought up the “fourth kind” for people who want attention and claim aliens visited them. It kind of hurts the whole “aliens are real” thing when half the people say it was a dream but then get told that it actually happened to them by “experts” and it sends them into a spiral.
The book does paint a good story in terms of keeping track of who is talking and writing the interviews. It was originally published in 1995 and doesn’t have anything too new to offer unless you want a play by play of the conference and a few neat tidbits about abductions and the “science” behind them. Like how age is a factor with people who believe they’ve been abducted, as his location, and race (usually).
The book had a very extensive notes section, index, and bibliography.
“held at MIT not an MIT conference.” Well that didn’t stop you from throwing it into your title now did it?
This book is kind of like a heavy hitter of theories, famous authors, and speculation into aliens on earth.
It does maintain a level of skepticism, from interviewing people that are clearly some form of mentally ill to hypnotizing others and being amazed that they all come up with such “similar stories”. Well duh when the common factor as you leading them through the fantasies of course they’re all gonna have something in common.
The first section is about the author reciting going to the conference, meeting people there and writing down the types of interviews and stories people were giving, with the final section being about hypnosis.
I did appreciate that the book brought up the “fourth kind” for people who want attention and claim aliens visited them. It kind of hurts the whole “aliens are real” thing when half the people say it was a dream but then get told that it actually happened to them by “experts” and it sends them into a spiral.
The book does paint a good story in terms of keeping track of who is talking and writing the interviews. It was originally published in 1995 and doesn’t have anything too new to offer unless you want a play by play of the conference and a few neat tidbits about abductions and the “science” behind them. Like how age is a factor with people who believe they’ve been abducted, as his location, and race (usually).
The book had a very extensive notes section, index, and bibliography.
March 6, 2024
I am endlessly fascinated by the intermingling of science, psychology, and philosophy found in approaches to the UFO phenomenon. As such, this book appeals to me. C.D.B. Bryan attends the M.I.T. conference initially as a skeptic, growing more and more interested in the emotional truth behind experiencers' descriptions of what they believe happened to them at the hands of aliens. I find myself aligned with Bryan's perspective, in that the emotions of the people willing to risk their careers and places in society are so strong that something undeniably has happened to them, psychically or otherwise.
I particularly enjoyed the final chapter, which discusses different posited theories on the UFO phenomenon from various academic figures. Carol and Alice's recollections of their abductions are also illuminating, if a bit difficult to understand at times. But then again, I haven't been abducted, so I wouldn't know what is far-fetched and what is my own brain's limitation towards understanding such an experience.
From page 104, spoken by Linda Moulton Howe:
We're in the middle of it! We're literally in the chaos of redefinition of what we are as a species in relation to the universe... But until this story is accessible and has some impact on everybody's daily life, what else can you expect but indifference, if not ridicule?
I particularly enjoyed the final chapter, which discusses different posited theories on the UFO phenomenon from various academic figures. Carol and Alice's recollections of their abductions are also illuminating, if a bit difficult to understand at times. But then again, I haven't been abducted, so I wouldn't know what is far-fetched and what is my own brain's limitation towards understanding such an experience.
From page 104, spoken by Linda Moulton Howe:
We're in the middle of it! We're literally in the chaos of redefinition of what we are as a species in relation to the universe... But until this story is accessible and has some impact on everybody's daily life, what else can you expect but indifference, if not ridicule?
October 20, 2017
The description of the meetings is interesting...
I was expecting a little more of a nuts-and-bolts description of abduction scenarios, which the first part of the book tried to do, BUT the last half consisted of nothing but rambling, hard-to-follow descriptions of purported "events". The dialog among the psych doctors is nothing more than unprovable hogwash about "what IS reality". I had to wonder just what they were drinking or smoking, or snorting...
The ending chapters consist of the well known "secular humanist" (i.e., atheist) mumblings about Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, etc. being inter-dimensional astronauts, so to speak.
The chapters with the post conference interviews continued almost ad nauseum, with such inane ideas that I wished I had a "barf bucket" beside my chair. A frightening thing occurred to me and it was that if all psych doctors are this wacky, we are all doomed.
This is not to say that I don't believe UFOs exist, because I am convinced they do, because I saw a UFO myself, and it was !such more than a "nocturnal light". I do not believe I was abducted, however!
I was expecting a little more of a nuts-and-bolts description of abduction scenarios, which the first part of the book tried to do, BUT the last half consisted of nothing but rambling, hard-to-follow descriptions of purported "events". The dialog among the psych doctors is nothing more than unprovable hogwash about "what IS reality". I had to wonder just what they were drinking or smoking, or snorting...
The ending chapters consist of the well known "secular humanist" (i.e., atheist) mumblings about Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, etc. being inter-dimensional astronauts, so to speak.
The chapters with the post conference interviews continued almost ad nauseum, with such inane ideas that I wished I had a "barf bucket" beside my chair. A frightening thing occurred to me and it was that if all psych doctors are this wacky, we are all doomed.
This is not to say that I don't believe UFOs exist, because I am convinced they do, because I saw a UFO myself, and it was !such more than a "nocturnal light". I do not believe I was abducted, however!
July 11, 2020
Interesting look at the UFO abduction phenomena through a CE4 conference at MIT in the 90s. To quote Buffalo Springfield: "There's something happening here/what it is ain't exactly clear". The uniformity of the abduction experience across subjects is startling. The missing time, the physical clues, the descriptions of spacecraft/beings (the naked cowboy is an absolute favourite), the experimentation all coalesce to form a pretty solid argument of something happening. And yet, the experience appear to be a completely psychological experience with "abductions" observed while a passenger sits beside the abductee who hasn't moved. Numerous examples where abductions have ceased entirely when the abductee calls on Christ. In non-western cultures the experience is believed to be communion with ancestors or spirits. I side somewhat with Jung who believed these to be spiritual/psychological experiences - an example of the Beyond reaching out to man, who, as a modern industrial being, rationalizes it best he can - grey dudes in flying machines.
I am desperate not to become that UFO crank but more research required.
I am desperate not to become that UFO crank but more research required.
July 31, 2016
Caveat: What follows is the review of a book that I originally read in 1998 and reviewed in July, 2001. My thoughts and review of the book today, I think, would not be the same as they were 15 years ago. However, since I have no intention of re-reading the book to provide an updated review, the following will have to suffice.
The Scenario
You are driving at night, perhaps alone, or maybe with a friend. In the distant sky you see something strange, a light or a series of lights, moving in odd and bizarre patterns. Maybe your car stalls. Maybe for some reason unknown to you, perhaps overcharged curiousity, you stop the car on your own, and get out.
The next thing you know, you are driving again, and you no longer recall stopping the car, or getting out. Perhaps you have lost time, or seen animals you were not expecting. Maybe this is a little confusing, but you don't think about it much.
In fact, it isn't until much later that the memories come back to you in stark clarity, perhaps after an intense experience, or as a result from hypnosis. You recall not only getting out of the car, but actually floating up into the air, or being approached by beings that are not human. Maybe they are tall, blonde men-like creatures reminiscent of Nordic gods. Or, perhaps they are the small grays with wide oblong voids for eyes (popularized recently in our culture).
Maybe they take you somewhere, experiment on your body with various probes, insert objects into your skin or up your nose, give you information, show you hallucinatory visions, or have you hang out with various other homo sapiens as you wait to board a ship. Maybe you find that you know them, have known them since childhood. Perhaps they tell you that you are pregnant, or that some baby they let you hold is your own; or perhaps you were pregnant, and suddenly you are not. Maybe they leave scars, or take you into oblong shaped crafts, or even steal some of your Christmas cookies. Maybe one of them is wearing a Stetson hat.
The Conference
In June, 1992 a conference met at M.I.T. in order to discuss the widely reported phenomena of abductions as reported by thousands of often reluctant and reticent 'experiencers'. Present at the conference were a wide range of 'experts' who have studied the experiences for years, such as the journalist Linda Moulton Howe, Budd Hopkins, John Mack, Eddie Bullard, and several people who believe they have been victims of abduction by otherwordly, unknown beings. The conference lasted for five days, and author (as well as skeptic) C.D.B Bryan took copious, day by day notes. A newcomer to this field of study, and known for totally unrelated work, Bryan's investigation is fairly objective, and his report of the Conference comes across in style that resembles gonzo journalism.
The first two hundred pages of this volume are taken up with a chronological, day by day report on what happened at the Conference, who spoke and what they said, and Bryan's own personal thoughts and reflections on the subject matter. He takes notes during the lectures (and even admits it when he is bored and his mind strays), and tries to talk to various attendees during coffee breaks, lunch and dinner. He is an honest but open skeptic, and admits it when he thinks that others come across as totally nuts, as well as when he is impressed by the evidence. The style of writing is personal and engaging. At the end of Day Three at the Conference, Mack sits in his motel room, watching the news, which is reporting Dan Quayle's misspelling of the word "potato", when he starts to reflect on what he has heard so far:
The next 249 pages of the book deal with Bryan's post-conference interviews, particularly with Carol and Alice, two women who run a horse farm and have had numerous experiences. This is perhaps an even more stimulating read than the first half of the book, as Bryan attends a few hypnosis sessions, watches to see if those under hypnosis are "lead" to conclusions, and delves into more details of particulars stories of abduction.
Maintaining his skepticism throughout the girth of the book, Bryan nevertheless is impressed by the evidence that something is happening to these people, but he doesn't know what; in most cases, he doesn't doubt the sincerity of belief in the experiences that the experiencers have. Moreover, he offers a few guesses at describing the phenomenon, without coming to any strong or leading conclusions.
Finally, this is likely the best book written to date on the subject--one that doesn't sink to the insobriety of mockery, nor the drunkenness of mindless faith absent of discerning intelligence.
The Scenario
You are driving at night, perhaps alone, or maybe with a friend. In the distant sky you see something strange, a light or a series of lights, moving in odd and bizarre patterns. Maybe your car stalls. Maybe for some reason unknown to you, perhaps overcharged curiousity, you stop the car on your own, and get out.
The next thing you know, you are driving again, and you no longer recall stopping the car, or getting out. Perhaps you have lost time, or seen animals you were not expecting. Maybe this is a little confusing, but you don't think about it much.
In fact, it isn't until much later that the memories come back to you in stark clarity, perhaps after an intense experience, or as a result from hypnosis. You recall not only getting out of the car, but actually floating up into the air, or being approached by beings that are not human. Maybe they are tall, blonde men-like creatures reminiscent of Nordic gods. Or, perhaps they are the small grays with wide oblong voids for eyes (popularized recently in our culture).
Maybe they take you somewhere, experiment on your body with various probes, insert objects into your skin or up your nose, give you information, show you hallucinatory visions, or have you hang out with various other homo sapiens as you wait to board a ship. Maybe you find that you know them, have known them since childhood. Perhaps they tell you that you are pregnant, or that some baby they let you hold is your own; or perhaps you were pregnant, and suddenly you are not. Maybe they leave scars, or take you into oblong shaped crafts, or even steal some of your Christmas cookies. Maybe one of them is wearing a Stetson hat.
The Conference
In June, 1992 a conference met at M.I.T. in order to discuss the widely reported phenomena of abductions as reported by thousands of often reluctant and reticent 'experiencers'. Present at the conference were a wide range of 'experts' who have studied the experiences for years, such as the journalist Linda Moulton Howe, Budd Hopkins, John Mack, Eddie Bullard, and several people who believe they have been victims of abduction by otherwordly, unknown beings. The conference lasted for five days, and author (as well as skeptic) C.D.B Bryan took copious, day by day notes. A newcomer to this field of study, and known for totally unrelated work, Bryan's investigation is fairly objective, and his report of the Conference comes across in style that resembles gonzo journalism.
The first two hundred pages of this volume are taken up with a chronological, day by day report on what happened at the Conference, who spoke and what they said, and Bryan's own personal thoughts and reflections on the subject matter. He takes notes during the lectures (and even admits it when he is bored and his mind strays), and tries to talk to various attendees during coffee breaks, lunch and dinner. He is an honest but open skeptic, and admits it when he thinks that others come across as totally nuts, as well as when he is impressed by the evidence. The style of writing is personal and engaging. At the end of Day Three at the Conference, Mack sits in his motel room, watching the news, which is reporting Dan Quayle's misspelling of the word "potato", when he starts to reflect on what he has heard so far:
"I think about the abductees I have spoken with: that as off-the-wall as the young Massachusetts housewife with her stories of 'Zar' and of groups of worlds working together may have seemed, Pat, the midwestern dentist's wife who wrestled with an alien's arm, semed dead-on. I think of Carol and Alice and their image of trying to locate a parking meter in space; I am moved by their obvious confusion and distress, the terror of Carol's flashback that drove her to seek refuge in a closet....I think of Linda Moulton Howe. She is a respected journalist and documentary filmmaker, and yet she seems to believe in a government cover-up...Linda started up as skeptical as I am about this phenomenon....I realize I don't know what to believe! How does one explain the similarities in the abductee's stories--the consistency of detail, structure, scenario? What would prompt a woman to make up a story about an extraterrestrial creature trying on her high-heeled shoes? How does one explains Budd Hopkins's story of Linda Cortile being 'floated' out of her twelth-floor apartment building before two cars of witnesses who confirm her account? How does one explain John Carpenter's story of the two women abducted in Kansas who, separately and unrehearsed, tell such matching stories?"
The next 249 pages of the book deal with Bryan's post-conference interviews, particularly with Carol and Alice, two women who run a horse farm and have had numerous experiences. This is perhaps an even more stimulating read than the first half of the book, as Bryan attends a few hypnosis sessions, watches to see if those under hypnosis are "lead" to conclusions, and delves into more details of particulars stories of abduction.
Maintaining his skepticism throughout the girth of the book, Bryan nevertheless is impressed by the evidence that something is happening to these people, but he doesn't know what; in most cases, he doesn't doubt the sincerity of belief in the experiences that the experiencers have. Moreover, he offers a few guesses at describing the phenomenon, without coming to any strong or leading conclusions.
Finally, this is likely the best book written to date on the subject--one that doesn't sink to the insobriety of mockery, nor the drunkenness of mindless faith absent of discerning intelligence.
January 24, 2024
I would give 3.5 stars, but as it is impossible I will give four. The reporter wanted to do an essay on the abduction phenomena, and he had little knowledge when he started, so at the beginning of the book he writes some pretty cringe uniformed stuff, but at the end he seemed to at least had done the homework and actually read a few of the stuff, so his thoughts have some considerable improvement. A researcher may read this because there are some very good new content here, and quality interviews, but it is far from been an essential book on the abduction event, it does gives you a bird's eye view on the MIT abduction conference, which is really interesting.
March 6, 2019
I’ve never been to any ufo/ abduction conference so it was interesting to read the MIT conference part of the book. But what I most liked about the book was reading about Carol and Alice’s abduction experiences ! I can never get enough of people encounters, for they all seem to have basic repeating qualities but an even more interesting is the one off qualities of each encounter !
August 9, 2020
Interesting but not for me. Too much of the same info repeated.
June 5, 2021
This is fascinating stuff. The audiobook quality was not great and a little dry...so I'd recommend the physical book if you can. But the material is so interesting.
March 9, 2023
Worth a read
July 30, 2025
Far and away the most balanced, informative and engaging UFO books I have read, and back in the 1990's when I used to work at UFO Conventions I read em all.
November 25, 2008
I have a weakness for this stuff. This one is written with a refreshing skepticism for a book of this nature, but it focuses too much on uncharacteristically bizarre and incongruous reports when there seem to be far more interesting ones mentioned that go unexplored. There is also a lot of focus on government conspiracy nonsense that is known to be trumped up (Majestic 12, etc.) when the actual abductee experience is a far more interesting phenomenon, whether you believe it represents something real or is a particularly disturbing manifestation of the subconscious mind.
January 6, 2014
This book took me a long time to get through, simply because it was just so packed with information. I enjoyed C.D.B. Bryan's journalistic no-nonsense and analytical style of reporting and interviewing in regards to the subject matter. I enjoyed the attention to detail and the sheer scope of the possibilities of what is being presented. I will be using this book to make several notes for research, so this was an incredibly helpful book as far as information and perspective collecting goes. An excellent read for sceptics and believers alike.
January 11, 2009
Very concise. While a bit verbose I found this book to be well researched.
If you are interested empirical evidence on this subject you won't be disappointed.
One is left with little doubt that these abuctions happened and that there is absolutely
nothing we can do about it.
I was left with questions as to commonality. Why were certain people chosen?
A good if lengthy read that will ask more questions than it answers.
If you are interested empirical evidence on this subject you won't be disappointed.
One is left with little doubt that these abuctions happened and that there is absolutely
nothing we can do about it.
I was left with questions as to commonality. Why were certain people chosen?
A good if lengthy read that will ask more questions than it answers.
July 13, 2012
I'm so tempted to give this a 5! Just because it's SO interesting to me & I've read it so many times. I want to believe! ;) 4.25
September 6, 2013
Okay book, not great. Put some new ideas in my mind but nothing real mind blowing. It's a long read and boring most of the time.
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