At 31:20 he answers a question from none other than Jacques Vallee.
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also...
This clip lead me to another posting by Jack Brewer at a site called The UFO Trail. It has a video clip of Dr. Mack talking about hypnosis. I check in on this site, but I find I disagree with almost everything there, less so in content, but more in tone. Anyway, there was a clip posted of Dr. Mack talking about hypnosis, and I chimed in. I ended up leaving a handful of comments, and some of these are rather long winded.
Here is what I initially wrote:
It is curious that you ignored Mack's opening statement:
"The bulk of data about the abduction phenomena does not come from hypnosis. Almost all my cases report their experiences just straight forwardly."
This rings true from my direct experience as a researcher.
I have been actively talking to people who claim the abduction experience in their lives, and almost all of them have never had any kind of hypnosis. They tell me their very strange stories, and yes there is a sense that some things are missing, as if they were subject to some sort of amnesia concerning parts of their experiences.
But, what is remembered consciously is enough for them to conclude that something very bizarre has intersected with their lives.
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link to the posting and video clip HERE
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7 comments:
Here is short clip shot by Paul Kimball in 2001 where John Mack concisely refutes the objection, often raised, that the use of hypnosis undermines the validity of abduction research.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_4M7FXp8dA
I've read Jack Brewer for nearly as long as I've been reading your blog, Mike, and while his opinion of Mack's statement may or may not be correct, he doesn't question that abductees haven't experienced something truly bizarre. He just resents those who give it a concrete label when there is no proof to do so in the first place. In other words, I read both of you because you are open to questioning. His research into a few cases does propose that questioning is valid in all aspects of experience.
But that I agree with him regarding hypnosis being iffy at best comes from my experiences rather than anything he's put into print. I was there before I found his blog because I've practiced self hypnosis as a way of relaxation on and off for many years. Once I re-enter the practice, I begin to have seemingly shamanic experiences which are bizarre though they have never included abduction scenarios. I've even had incredible hallucinations in real time, but all of what I've experienced has been uniquely personal because, in my opinion, our minds, when relaxed, are not bound by convention and/or are trapped by it as well. We are highly suggestible and any prior knowledge we have learned may or may not present itself to us under hypnosis.
While I feel it isn't a reliable tool in the instance of abduction, I do find it reliable in digging deeper into one's emotional issues, particilarly those feelings dealing with fear. I'm not negating abduction experiences because I know so little in comparison to those who experience, but the feelings generated are no different than those who experience the truly bizarre, the instances having nothing to do with abduction. I wouldn't trust being led through those under under hypnosis if I weren't conducting the session on myself.
So while I disagree with Brewer on occasion, even in this instance to some degree, I read him because he doesn't negate experience so much as he questions the labels often attached and accepted readily. You do the same. That said, your point is valid. He seemed to be ignoring Mack's opening remarks in preference to one of his pet peeves. With his background in researching some highly questionable cases, I forgave him.
Thanks so much for the John Mack clip Mike! That's a new one to me. What a treat.
-Chris Diablo
The school is in Zimbabwe, not South Africa
PS: I wonder if we'll learn more about this case next month, when the 20th anniversary takes place.
RPJ, to be among the first to hear news about the upcoming completion of the Ariel School Sighting documentary by filmmaker Randall Nickerson, produced by the John E. Mack Institute, you can join this page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ariel-School-Documentary/543246072451817
Hey Will,
Oh, thanks for the link! I didn't know there was a documentary in progress. Sounds totally fascinating :)
Alas, I'm not on Facebook, and I resist to join for a variety of reasons --on being the fact that I already spend so many hours online as it is :P
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