Debate on the abduction/contact experience between Budd Hopkins and Dr John E. Mack

Published by UFOTV The Disclosure Network on October 11, 2011: "The Alien Abduction Experience - Budd Hopkins and Dr. John E. Mack". Duration: 1:03:20.

From UFOTV®, accept no imitations. EBE Award Winner! Feature Length - In loving memory of Budd Hopkins 1931 - 2011, and John E. Mack, M.D. 1929 - 2004, and their contribution to Alien Abduction and Extreme Experience Research. 

Legendary Alien Abduction Researchers - Budd Hopkins - Author, Researcher and John Mack, M.D. - Harvard Professor of Psychiatry, come together to discuss what they believe is happening to people who report experiences of being abducted by Aliens and taken aboard their craft. Get the facts in this rare and heart felt presentation. Originally taped in 1997.

The discussion between Budd Hopkins and Dr John E. Mack about the "alien abduction experience" provides a helpful overview of different perspectives on , what I call, the "contact aspect" of the UFO-phenomena.

When I watched the dialogue from 1997 with Hopkins and Mack, I thought: Why isn't this kind of honest UFO discussion on TV today? Or even in the so-called alternative media?

Around the 38 minutes mark, the audience gets to ask questions to Hopkins and Mack. Most of them very good questions that triggers interesting and respectful debate between Hopkins and Mack.

I respect both of the gentlemen, Hopkins and Mack, for their work and contribution to the study of the contact aspect of the UFO-phenomena. In particular, I respect Dr John E. Mack's courage to risk his reputation as a clinician and his academic standing when he listened to people's stories about their extraordinary experiences.

In this debate, I mostly agree with Dr John E. Mack's perspective on the "alien abduction experience."  But I can also see and understand where Budd Hopkins is coming from.

My interpretation of Mack's perspective is that he does not want to make the contact aspect a question of "good" or "bad" "aliens". He suspects we will never get the full answers to the contact/abduction phenomenon.

Instead, Mack urges us to go from a literal interpretation of the phenomenon to a more ontological one. What does the phenomenon say about our perception of reality, ourselves and the planet we are living on?

The contact aspect of the UFO-phenomenon is complex, to say the least. It is up to each individual to make up their own mind about the contact/abduction aspect. But in order to do so, we at least have to give the research and material a fair chance. 

We cannot dismiss the contact aspect of the UFO-phenomena without first looking at the material with both an open and a skeptical mind. If we have given the research a fair chance, then it is ok to disagree with parts of it or dismiss it as a whole. 

"Curiosity didn't kill the cat. Ignorance did." - Unknown

Take care!