The Abduction Enigma: An Investigation of the Alien Abduction Phenomenon

by Kevin D. Randle, Russ Estes, William P. Cone

Book Overview

Are alien abductions real, or are the answers to this phenomenon buried in the human psyche? Do we now have the knowledge to understand the forces behind alien abduction, or are we still stumbling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312867085
• ISBN13: 9780312867089
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 8 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Not perfect, but very important

Since Randle is one of the leading proponents of the view that the Roswell incident may have indeed been the crash of an alien craft, he can hardly be accused of being a debunker. That being said, this book does present a very harsh and dismissive -- BUT EXTREMELY VALUABLE -- perspective on the "alien abduction" phenomenon. The core phenomenon (as represented by cases such as Villa-Boas, the Hills, Travis Walton and the Allagash Four) has become buried beneath so many layers of psychobabble and silliness that I had the feeling the authors were intentionally being overly harsh and dismissive in an effort to restore some semblance of balance. There is quite a bit of overlap and repetition from chapter to chapter; I feel certain that each of the chapters was written by one of the three authors and that the final product perhaps wasn't edited as carefully as it might have been. Nevertheless, the book is extremely valuable as a warning against the dangers of hypnotically recovered "memories" and researcher contamination. The authors effectively analogize the abductee phenomenon to the bogus Satanic Ritual Abuse phenomenon, which likewise relies almost entirely on hypnotically recovered "memories." The chapter on abductee "support groups" should be required reading for everyone involved in any type of "experiencer" group. The authors absolutely hit the nail on the head with their analysis of the dynamics and pitfalls of these dangerous groups, where the "support" is of a perverted type that only exacerbates the attendees' problems and fosters an unhealthy dependency on the group. Whatever flaws this book may have, it is highly readable, serves as an important counterbalance to the "abductee" fluff that dominates the market, and effectively makes its key points. (I'm not a debunker either. I've studied UFOs for nearly 40 years and had a close-up disc sighting myself -- but I'd bet everything I own that these authors' perspective on the abduction phenomenon is far more accurate than that of Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs, Whitley Streiber, et al.)

This book will anger those who believe in alien abduction.

The authors have presented a clear cut case that says that alien abduction claims are the result of a combination of problems. They examine a wide range of factors including the influences of pop culture, folklore, dreams, and the current mental health climate. They find and present good evidence that tales of alien abduction are an outgrowth of problems inside UFO studies. Those looking for abductions find it where none seem to exist.This book provides the evidence in the form of the words of the abduction researchers themselves, showing how they find the answers and then ignore them. It is this aspect of the book that I found most convincing.This book is a must for those who are interested in alien abductions whether they believe in it or not. It has to change the opinion of those who come to it with an open mind.

Reason takes on the UFO community's sacred cow

"Abduction Engima" is the referee's whistle that should call a halt to the progressively bizarre abduction stories.The stories do not reflect actual events but, as the authors convincingly show, are modern relatives of folklore, confabulations promoted by faulty hynotic techniques, sleep paralysis, a manifestation of sexual dysfuntion, and/or symptoms of mental disorders. There are more theories too, which taken singly or in the aggregate, knock some long-needed sense into this purported phenomena.Anyone who read Budd Hopkins' "Witnessed", or David Jacobs' "The Threat", or John Mack's "Abduction" and found them unbelievable and over-the-top will appreciate "Abduction Engima". It has the force of logic that may well drain away the frantic energy associated with the subject matter.Congratulations to the three authors for their excellent research and writing. A salute too for having the courage to take on this complex and controversial issue.

Someone who makes some sense out of the nonsense.

I have begun to hesitate in looking at any books about alien abduction because they are all the same. Someone is taken on the ship, examined, returned, and has no memory of it until the researcher finds the truth. No evidence of this truth, just the statements of the victim.Now there is a book that looks at all that and asks some hard questions. How can alien beings that are so smart in some areas of science be so stupid in others. They try to hide their activities by screening the memories and yet I know of no case where the researcher wasn't able to penetrate that screen. We can find out all we want even thought the aliens are supposed to be hiding all of this from us.These guys make sense of all the nonsense out there. If you read this book with an open mind, think about the evidence, you'll learn that alien abduction is really just a figment of the imagination.