Articles by Other Researchers

June 15, 1931 – August 21, 2011

I’m very sad to announce that Budd Hopkins died today, August 21, at 1:35 pm. Budd had been under hospice care for about three weeks, at his home in New York. The combination of liver cancer and pneumonia led to his death. His daughter Grace Hopkins-Lisle and I were with him almost continuously during these past weeks. He was not in any pain throughout any of the process, and he received the best possible care and loving support from those closest to him. Today he gradually slipped away, and simply quietly stopped breathing. He died peacefully and without any struggle, with Grace, Grace’s husband Andrew, and me by his side.

Thanks to all of you for being such strong supporters of this extraordinary man, who has contributed so much to our lives, in so many different ways. 

– Leslie Kean

Budd Hopkins' Memorial: October 8, 2011
by Robert Morningstar

Includes Photographs

Budd Hopkins' Memorial: October 8, 2011

 by David Biedny

Original Article and Comments by Kay Wilson:

People who have never experienced an abduction by alien or interdimensional Beings will never understand what it truly feels like. Even after decades of understanding what has been happening to me, and having retained many conscious memories of my experiences for most of my life, there are still times when the experience elicits an instinctive, almost visceral fear. On the other end of the spectrum are positive experiences that cause eustress or extremely heightened pleasant emotions. These experiences are unlike anything else involving the human condition. The one feeling that never goes away - no matter how much we remember and no matter how much we integrate these experiences and come to terms with them - is the feeling that we are different and separate from people who are living "normal" lives. Budd Hopkins is one of  the few researchers who I believe came very close to understanding what it was really like to be an alien abductee.

Everyone who knows of Budd Hopkins can Google his name and read all about his life's work, the many works of art he has created, the books he has published and the myriad of articles he has written during his life; therefore, I will not repeat all of that here. What I do want to do is remind people, not of a few misjudgments he may have made along the way, but of how much he has helped people like me. Over the past 20 plus years that I have been actively involved in the field of abduction discovery and research, I have been told the following phrases time and time and time again: "If not for Budd Hopkins, I would not be here today." "Budd literally saved my life." "I owe so much to Budd Hopkins."

I began keeping a dream journal on the advice of my grandmother. My earliest recall of what has come to be referred to today as an abduction experience was in 1967, and the memory of that event has remained with me ever since. This was my memory and it was remembered consciously. It was quite vivid and I knew that whatever happened to me, it had happened several times by that point in my life. Because I kept a journal of my dreams and memories from my childhood, as well as drawings I created as a child, I have a pretty good understanding of what has happened to me.

The following excerpts are taken from my first book titled The Alien Jigsaw, which was published in 1993. In light of recent events that have occurred within the ufological field of abduction research, I feel it is important to share this particular excerpt with you. I am doing this because I believe Budd Hopkins, who has often correctly been referred to as a "pioneer of abduction research," deserves better treatment than what I have read in recent Internet publications.

It is a straightforward narrative. It is not written in a fancy manner designed to elicit juicy details or anything special from anyone. It is simply the truth written by someone who knew the man, and I still feel the way I did when I wrote this:

From The Alien Jigsaw:

"I purchased the November-December 1987 issue of Omni magazine because there was a questionnaire in it about UFOs and alien abductions. I filled out the interview titled, Hidden Memories: Are You an Abductee? It sat around the house for a while, and finally my fiancé [now my husband of over 20 years] insisted that I mail it."

"Filling out something such as this and mailing it are two very different things. I eventually mailed the questionnaire directly to Budd Hopkins because I thought the fewer people who read it, the better...I ended up sending him pages of answers. I didn't realize how desperate I was to have somebody to talk to about this. I waited in dread for 'the men in the white coats' to arrive because I thought Budd was going to send a couple of shrinks to my house to have me committed to a mental institution."

"I wrote to Budd Hopkins on November 29, 1987. He telephoned me shortly thereafter and told me he would be in [my hometown] in April and asked if he could meet with me when he was in town. Now, I thought, this wasn't the way this was supposed to work out. The 'men in the white coats' never showed up to take me away, and here was this stranger actually telephoning me? [During our phone conversation] I found Budd to be extremely kind and sincerely interested in talking to me. It didn't make sense. It was too good to be true."

"On April 24, 1988, I met Budd Hopkins. He interviewed me for over two hours. I remember trying to read every expression on his face when I would answer his questions. I wanted to know if he believed me or if he thought I was crazy, but it was impossible. Budd didn't volunteer any information to me, and he never showed any reaction to my answers other than being sincerely interested in what I had to say. I didn't know whether I was answering the questions 'right' or 'wrong,' and this made me very nervous."

"Later, after the interview, Erik came home and I introduced him to Budd. He asked me if I would be interested in trying hypnosis, and the three of us agreed to meet later that evening. I didn't do a lot of talking during the hypnosis session and Budd was very patient. We looked into the time I was supposed to go to my Brownie meeting. The following day during [the second] hypnosis session, we looked into the abduction experience that occurred on 9-12-87. The main thing we learned during the second session was there was a blue-skinned baby and a blue-skinned Being. Again, although we didn't uncover anything astonishing, my memories were very salient."

"After my first hypnotic regression with Budd, Erik and I ended up going to bed around one o'clock in the morning. I kept waking up periodically during the night only to find that I had been crying. I was actually crying in my sleep, but it was a good kind of crying. I remember feeling an enormous relief. It was as if twenty-eight years of pain and confusion were being released from my unconscious mind. It is almost impossible to find the words to describe the feelings I was experiencing. For the first time in my life, I was releasing this, and I knew I was going to be okay."

"I continued to keep the journal I began in 1983. I recorded what happened that weekend and my feelings about it. I felt extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity. It was a very positive experience, and Budd was very kind and sensitive. I owe much to him. He reached out to me, a stranger, and offered to listen. I believe my life would be very different today had he, and my husband Erik, not been there to help me through this final stage of my awakening."

"Budd told me he had recently met a woman who lived nearby who was having experiences similar to mine. He felt it was important for me to have someone I could talk to if Erik were ever out of town. He also told me about a woman who was a MUFON investigator..."

"The protective wall around my alien encounters had been breached, and it was time for the memories to tumble out. Over the next several months, I would experience the drain spontaneous memories can have on the mind and body. I would also experience more abductions. Today, I firmly believe the aliens gave me a posthypnotic suggestion which acted like a mental block, and inhibited my ability to completely remember my past abduction experiences. After my hypnosis sessions with Budd, I felt a feeling I can only describe as an enormous release, coupled with a feeling of peacefulness."

I underwent very little hypnosis during my investigation, but my work with Budd was instrumental in my healing process. I was also very fortunate to have the love and companionship of my husband Erik along the way. In a world where the establishment still refuses to admit to the reality of otherworldly or interdimensional Beings, people like Budd Hopkins are one of the few choices we have to find support and understanding. Budd has done an enormous amount of good for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of individuals experiencing alien contact. He never once told me that what I was experiencing was good or bad. He never once told me what I should think about one particular aspect of this phenomenon or another. He was just there. He listened, and he learned. We all learned because of Budd and because of other researchers who built upon his basic findings.

Abduction research - Experiencer research - whatever you wish to call it - is still in its infancy. There are few set and firm guidelines for conducting this type of research. Everyone who has ever been involved in this field has stumbled or misjudged at least one witness or some aspect of the phenomenon along the way. Everyone has. There are, understandably, an increasing number of people who have spent years of their lives investigating these elusive Beings who are growing weary. They are growing weary because, as many of them say, "...nothing new has been learned...it's the same old story." So, a few of these frustrated people leave the field of abduction research, and some of them - nonabductee and abductee alike - have ended up attacking those they left behind. They search for faults because they are obviously there. After all, they didn't find the answers they were searching for. Why should anyone else?

To those who take a different path, I ask that you not take your personal frustrations out on those who choose to keep searching for the truth - and fighting for the truth. Your fellow human beings who are being abducted do not have the luxury of walking away. Budd never forgot that about us. He never forgot about the bigger picture and he always knew that it was much larger than he was. In time, people will realize that Budd gave much more of himself than they could have ever fathomed. He gave those of us who had no voice, a chance to be heard - if only for a brief moment in time.

-- Kay Wilson, January 2011

 A Special Thank You From Budd Hopkins
 

I'm writing these words to show all of you who sent messages of support to me via Kay Wilson's website, just how unbelievably heartwarming your words were to me. Because of health and age, I have never before had such a need to receive this kind of generous and articulate confirmation of the value of my years of work in the UFO field. All of this was especially gratifying since the greatest proportion of those messages of support were issued in response to a published attack on me, days and weeks before I wrote and published my rebuttal.

Reading what you wrote, I smiled, I wiped away tears, I nodded and I shook my head many times as if to say this is too much, I don’t deserve it.

For Kay Wilson and Peter Robbins, no words can express my gratitude. What they have done, at this precarious time of my life, seems almost miraculous. Maybe Kay and Peter and all of these many supportive contributors have added a few months -- or years -- to my earthly existence.
No matter if that’s true, my heart reaches out to you now in friendship and profound thanks.

-- Budd Hopkins, Feb. 21, 2011

Colleagues and Abductees Give Thanks and Pay Tribute to

Budd Hopkins
 

Please scroll down the page for the latest additions
of thanks and support for Budd Hopkins.
 

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who has responded so positively and graciously to my request for their tributes and comments for Budd. I especially want to thank Peter Robbins, Mary Kerfoot, Dave Haith, Errol Bruce-Knapp, Jim Weiner, Kathleen Marden, Harold Egeln, Larry Bryant and The Anomalist, for helping me get the word out about my request for tributes and thanks to Budd. I also wish to thank my other friends and colleagues who have provided links to this article. Your kindness and efforts will always be deeply appreciated. -- Kay Wilson
 

September 8, 2011

Thank you very much for the information about Mr. Budd Hopkins. We are very sad to know he passed away, however it is good to know he died in peace and that his daughter and friend Leslie were with him. Jun said he was thinking about Mr. Hopkins a few days ago and I was also thinking of him last week. Anyway, we lost a big and important man. We will praise his great achievement forever and will pray for him.  -- Jun and Yuko Kato, Directors of OUR-J - Tokyo

September 8, 2011

I had a wonderful opportunity to get to know Budd a little bit in California a few years ago. During the symposium in the hotel restaurant, I was seated waiting to order dinner and noticed Budd waiting for a table. It very busy and I invited him to join us at our table. He had dinner with us and we talked for about two hours. He told us all about how he got started in abduction research, which was an incredible story. He was a really great guy and his work is invaluable to this research.
-- Richard Lang

September 8, 2011

Budd Hopkins was a great mind, an artist and careful thinker/researcher. Many of you know that I was closer to John Mack by physical proximity and University affiliation, but Budd was first and faced enormous challenges. He was brave and steadfast, and his contribution played a leading role in advancing our civilization. Both together have importantly altered my professional research direction, and I will forever be thankful and will freely acknowledge the significance of their work to us all. --  Rudy Schild, Ph.D.

September 2, 2011 (received via USPS)

I was so sorry to learn of Budd's death. He was a wonderful man and did great work. He will certainly be missed. I would have loved to have told him how much he meant to so many people, but I didn't know how to put it on the computer. I will always thank him for introducing us when he was in Biloxi. We have become dear friends. I'll always thank him. I hope you are coping with this. I'm thinking of you in this time of sorrow. -- Love, your friend Dona

August 30, 2011

This hurts. Lots of us have no one else to turn to when scared or overwhelmed with a new experience. We never learned to trust as a child, too scared and alone -- until we found this kind and caring man who was there for us with an arm around our shaking shoulders or gentle words to help us stop crying.

What do we do now?

If there is anything to the paranormal being a part of the abduction area, just maybe, Budd will be on the next ship helping us through the experience? Wouldn't that be nice. --  G. D. Taylor

August 30, 2011

I got to know Budd fairly well over the last few years, he was gracious enough to invite me into his home repeatedly, as a friend and colleague, and I will forever treasure our deep conversations about love, art, his life experiences and times as part of the New York abstract art scene, and of course, the UFO enigma. Over the last half dozen years, I've met more than one person who felt a sense of relief and comfort after opening their hearts to this brave pioneer, and that's more than many of us can say, in terms of how we leave this Earth after our tenure. I hope he now has some of the answers he so diligently sought. Safe travels, sweet prince. You will be missed. -- David B.

August 30, 2011

To read Harold Egeln's Tribute along with others click here

August 24, 2011

Click below to read

Budd Hopkins' Obituary from The New York Times

August 23, 2011

My sincere condolences go out to Grace, her husband, little GiGi, David Jacobs, Peter Robbins, and Leslie Kean.

All I can say of Budd Hopkins is that Budd loved life, and life loved him back.

I'm going to miss the way he walked, the things he said, the happiness he expressed when an abductee bounced back to an almost normal life simply because he or she knew him. Most of all, I'm going to miss my protector. He guarded the "Witnessed" case, and me to the very end.

I'll never forget the excitement he felt whenever he learned something new which was most of the time. Budd was a kind and gentle scholar. He let go, and slipped away -- leaving his precious knowledge behind for us to build on for the future.

I wish to extend my sympathies to all of you who have cared, and supported Budd when the "human stains" tried to pepper his life at a vulnerable time -- with their jealousy, and moronic lies. You helped him to live longer. And for this, I'm thankful.

With all my gratitude,

-- Linda Cortile

August 23, 2011

It is hard to imagine a world without Budd Hopkins. He fought for, and defended, both the welfare and dignity of alien abductees until the very end of his unique and monumental life. He takes the reins with him in his passing and leaves behind a legacy of work and progress in a field that many still refuse to acknowledge. I will miss his kindness, gentle good humour and his selfless compassion for the millions detrimentally affected by the UFO and Alien Abduction phenomenon. My sincerest condolences to Leslie, Grace and Linda who were all important people in Budd's life. I am glad that he is no longer in pain or that his free spirit isn't caged in an ailing body. I will miss him dearly.

-- Sean F. Meers

August 23, 2011

The publisher and editor of UFO Digest join with Kay Wilson and many others with deep sympathy and sincere condolences for the family, friends and students of Budd Hopkins on his passing. Budd Hopkins was a dedicated investigator who worked throughout his life to shed light on the dark doings and hidden agenda of both ET & MILAB "Intruders" while revealing many mysteries of the human mind in drawing back the dark curtains of "missing time." We mourn his loss and we shall miss his kindness, his concern for the well-being and suffering of others, his wisdom and his insights.

-- Dirk Vander Ploeg, Publisher of UFO Digest

-- Robert D. Morningstar, Editor of UFO Digest

August 23, 2011

Budd Hopkins was a friend and mentor to me. I joined the intruders Foundation as a member of IF’s Advisory Committee and to help with investigations, the newsletter, and to update and try to improve the IF website. The years since have passed by too quickly but I have learned so much from him. I have read many accolades about the man over the last few days since his death and my own thoughts have taken some time to come to me. 

One thing that I would like to mention about Budd was his bravery. He was brave to even get into this aspect of UFO research to begin with. He was brave to keep asking the questions when no one else would. He was brave to defend the abductees when few would, even those established Ufologists who had been working in the field for years. He was brave to hold his ground and although flexible and always willing to listen to new theories and hypotheses, stood firm that abductions were indeed really happening to people and that it should, no, must be investigated by a government that has been sworn to protect us. He was brave to answer his detractors and critics with his unique intellect and wit. Indeed they seemed to have no bravery at all.

His bravery was only overshadowed by his kindness and his sincere desire to help the many people affected by this elusive phenomenon. He loved good humor, good people, and good times within all the seriousness of the UFO and abduction subject. He was a people person and that contributed to his great success. Take good care Budd. I love you my friend, and will miss you greatly.

-- John W. Horton, IF Advisory Committee

August 23, 2011

Budd Hopkins has passed away. This is the message I got at 5 AM this morning. At first I thought I was just not fully awake and had misread it.  No, I was not mistaken. That is what it actually said. I knew this day would come. I knew he was very ill and had been for quite some time. And I know that he has been blessed to have lived a long, full 80 years. But still, all that just never really makes it NOT hurt any less. I could tell you about how he single handedly changed the face of Ufology with his cutting edge research.  I could tell you how his work set the bar for all those who have come after him. I could tell you how brave he was to have put forth his ideas and theories about UFOs and the possibility of alien contact, WAY before it was acceptable. I'm guessing you already probably know this if you are reading this. But now I need to get personal for a minute. I hope you'll understand... -- Debbie Jordan-Kauble continue reading here

August 22, 2011

I find this very difficult to write. A full appreciation is going to have to wait for another time.  Budd Hopkins was one of the finest people I have ever known, warm, compassionate, and fun. He was also brilliant as hell. I still remember the little notebook he carried with him for years, with this very small handwriting, all about UFO abductions. Budd was a true scientist, but he disguised his scientific abilities because -- in addition to being a highly creative artist -- he wrote extremely well. He was objective, he was curious, he knew how to put evidence together, and he knew how analyze facts. I fondly remember him arriving at some post-MUFON gathering with a bottle of scotch, but also with numerous trenchant insights. He and Dave Jacobs put abduction research on the map. It is hard to appreciate now how radical the change was that he produced in UFO research. He didn't seem like an iconoclast, but he was. He had empathy, he had understanding, he had courage and he wrote and spoke what he knew and believed. Few persons have produced, though, so big a change. The world does not include many people like Budd Hopkins.

It was an honor to be associated with him (and Dave Jacobs) in the pamphlet Unusual Personal Experiences, a much-criticized but highly pioneering attempt to estimate the prevalence of UFO abductions.  It was an honor to be taken into Budd Hopkins' confidence. It was a pleasure to read what he wrote, always on target, always cutting to the chase, always introducing new data, always raising new issues, and always exciting new respect. Thank God we had Budd Hopkins. What a shame he is gone.

--  Ron Westrum, Ph.D,  Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Eastern Michigan University

August 22, 2011

I had the pleasure of meeting Budd at a book signing that took place between sessions at a UFO conference in Leeds, England several years ago. He was so patient and kind when I tried to say how much I was interested  in the UFO/Abduction phenomenon and how much I admired his work in those areas. I have a doctorate in atmospheric physics but never had the courage to get as involved in UFO research as Budd did; however, he encouraged me to try and I will never forget his words of advice on that very hectic day. We who met him briefly or knew him well will miss Budd for his warmth, kindness and sincerity and, of course, the body of sound research into the UFO enigma. God bless you Budd.

--  Dr Les Nelson Mezerville Aude France

August 22, 2011

One of the brightest beacons in our field has passed. He has set the pace and the bar for the rest of us. He will be missed. I became a researcher because of Budd's work back in the early 80's. By the early 90's, I had some very interesting cases. One in particular I wanted to show to Budd Hopkins and get his opinion. At that point in time, Budd Hopkins was my hero. I wanted to take the next step and see if he was real.

A now, very dear friend of mine, Mr. Peter Robbins, did then and still does live not far from me in upstate NY. I contacted Peter and showed him my case and explained that I wanted to show it to Budd and could he help set it up. To my delight, then next thing I know, the subject of my case and myself are going to Budd's home in Manhattan to explore the case.
 
Budd is a warm comforting soul. He gladly took this hayseed unknown researcher from upstate NY into his home and shared his wealth of knowledge. He shared his regression room with me and allowed me to quietly watch as he showed me proper questioning technique. You could never read anything into his face or his questions except for the fact that he cared.
 
I later was ask to join the Intruders Foundation board and was also liaison between IF and MUFON, where I served as an Assistant State Director for MUFON for ten plus years. Because I lived 5 hours away from NYC, I never got to spend as much time as I would have liked with Budd, but the times I spent at his home were indeed rich. I loved to listen to his wit and wisdom. Under that tall lanky stature was a mind as sharp as any finely honed razor. I will miss his anecdotes. I will miss him.

--  Bob Long, Abduction Researcher

August 21, 2011

The world is a better place because of Budd. He will be remembered as one of the most important UFO researchers in the history of the subject. He will be sorely missed by all.

R.I.P.

-- Bruce Maccabee

August 21, 2011

Budd's first two first books, Missing Time (1981) and Intruders (1987) revealed important, new aspects at the heart of the abduction question. He was the one who convinced Dr. Mack to get involved. I met Budd Hopkins during conferences in several countries, and I found him to be a very serious and gentle person at the same time. He was a good artist as well. He deserves to remain as a highly respected figure, in spite of some recent, bitter polemics against him. It often seems that the more important you become, the more polemics you get in the process.

-- Gildas Bourdais, French Ufologist and Author

August 21, 2011

Farewell to a true giant of UFO research.

-- Dave Haith

August 21, 2011

Budd Hopkins was a good friend and a guiding light to us ALL in a controversial, highly-charged, darkened field. With this event, Budd will now find the answers to many -- if not all -- of the profound, thought-provoking questions he helped us formulate, research and ponder.

--  Bob Reid, FL, and Victor Martinez, CA

August 21, 2011

I'd like to thank Budd on behalf of all the people in the ARUFON Net (the Amateur Radio UFO Net). Over the years Budd's name has been synonymous with abduction research as one of the original people who approached this complex and sometimes frustrating subject with honesty, dignity and without any preconceived notions. His tireless efforts will be appreciated worldwide by ufologists for decades to come. No matter what the future holds for ufology, Budd Hopkins' name will always be remembered as one of the very first pioneers who treated the subject of abduction with respect and objectivity.

Please know you will always be missed Budd...Thank you again.

--  Rich Vitello - W1RV on behalf of the Amateur Radio UFO Net

August 21, 2011

The Light for so many has passed on to eternity. Please take a moment and remember this man...a man that has given himself to so many. Bless him, his family and to Leslie Kean for all her love and support.

--  Cyndi Hall, Researcher

August 21, 2011

I last saw and talked over coffee with Budd on a chance meeting with him
at a Chelsea cafe in June. He asked me if some of the events he described in his biography Art, Life and UFOs: A Memoir made me laugh. I said "yes." He then smiled broadly and chuckled, saying, "I'm glad of that!"

Budd, a good friend to us and a supportive colleague, was a guest at two of our S.P.A.C.E. support gatherings, in 1993 and 1995, and I was an invited guest at some of his support group meetings in the late 1990s. Because of his books Missing Time and Intruders, they helped start my own exploration that eventually led to the start of S.P.A.C.E., with the encouragement of others.

On the IF website Budd is quoted as saying, "An extraordinary phenomenon demands an extraordinary investigation."

It can rightly be said of Budd himself, "An extraordinary phenomenon demands an extraordinary investigator." We had that in Budd Hopkins, who opened windows into the challenging close encounter enigma to help others cope and discover their own pathways in searching for what lies outside and beyond those opened windows into the unknown.

--  Harold Egeln, S.P.A.C.E. founder & professional journalist

August 21, 2011

There are not many in this field or any other who cared to help people as Budd has for a lot of years. He will certainly be missed, and soon. It's always the good ones.

--  Carol Buckallew
 

July 28, 2011

I have known about Budd Hopkins ever since April of 1988, which is when I first saw Missing Time on the bookshelves... He's a great individual and we owe a lot to him. It is thanks to the efforts of men like him that we have a better grasp of the UFO/Alien Abduction phenomenon. He has shown great amounts of courage and I salute him for that. I admire him so much. I summed up his life's research in a four minute YouTube video.  I am proud to have created this video tribute because Budd is such a great inspiration to so many of us. -- Edward Muller, Investigator, and Tercer Milenio with Jaime Maussan The YouTube Video Tribute was removed due to complaints by Budd's ex-wife Carol Rainey.

July 21, 2011

Budd - I want to thank you for helping me and my family years ago in Minnesota with our experiences and the emotional traumas we experienced. You truly helped unlocked a life-time mystery for me, which has brought me some peace over the years. I know that when you came to visit us on the farm, that you came with a great commitment to help us and you did this with great dignity and gentleness. I want you to know that while we know our experiences have not ended, we are able to put this part of our lives into perspective and not let it rule us. Thank you for your dedication to make this subject one that more and more people can openly discuss their experiences with less or no ridicule! You are a true pioneer! --Becky

Thank you Kay, for this excellent homage to Budd Hopkins. I have great respect for Budd, whom I met several times, in Brazil, France and Italy. I am sure that his research is, and will remain, very important, and this is an occasion to thank him warmly for that.

His book Art, Life and UFOs, which I have just read, also confirm to me his qualities, as a man and as a talented artist. I see the article of Carol Rainey as a very regrettable mistake which, hopefully, will be soon forgotten. -- Gildas Bourdais, French Ufologist and Author
 

I would like to join with many of my colleagues in defense of Budd (and Dr. David Jacobs as well), a man without whom we would still be in the dark ages when it comes to abduction research. Has he made a few mistakes? Who among us hasn't? This is to be expected in such a complex and metamorphic area as Ufology and the truly challenging field of abduction research.

I would rather have Budd doing his extraordinary research and making a few mistakes than have anyone else doing what he has devoted his life to, and very bravely to say the least. In fact, we all owe Budd our gratitude for the knowledge about abductions that was not available anywhere before he began his research. I had no problem trusting him to hypnotize me some 10-12 years ago.

On a personal note regarding Carol Rainey's article that was published in Paratopia: I met Carol with Budd on several occasions in conferences around the globe, and quite frankly, it was an enormous surprise to me to read what she wrote because every time we met, Carol appeared to be very happy to be part of those occasions and to be side-by-side with Budd in his research. I wish you peace Carol, to your mind and heart. -- A. J. Gevaerd, Brazilian Center for Flying Saucer Research (CPDV)

It has been my pleasure to know Budd Hopkins for almost 30 years. I first met Budd in 1981 at the second CUFOS conference in Chicago where we were introduced by Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Dr. Hynek and Mark Rodeghier of CUFOS were investigating my abduction case at the time and arranged for an interview with Budd. Budd's easygoing, down-to-earth manner immediately put me at ease and relieved much of the apprehension I was experiencing then.

In the years following that initial meeting, Budd conducted several hypnotic regressions. These sessions enabled me to incorporate my abduction experiences into my normal life. In my opinion, Budd's investigative skills have made him the preeminent researcher in the abduction phenomenon. His contribution to expanding the knowledge of abduction research cannot be overemphasized.  The UFO community should applaud Budd's efforts for shedding light on this important aspect of ufology. Thank you so much, Budd. -- Bob Laurence, Aerospace Engineer and Abductee

I have met with Budd on a number of occasions. I have observed him regressing a few abductees. There was never a time where there was the slightest hint of him not being a consummate professional. He is ultra sensitive to psychological pain, confusion, trauma and goes out of his way to be kind, unconditionally accepting, and adhere to the highest of ethical standards.

Budd never tried to lead the abductee into an abduction scenario; in fact Budd both told and showed me how he would purposely introduce fantasy "facts" that if validated by the abductee would suggest they are responding to his leading inquiry. When he did this I observed no confirmation of his purposefully misleading statements. -- Gibbs Williams, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

Budd has been one of the pioneer researchers in pressing for mainstream acceptance of a phenomenon that was once far less recognized than it has become. I thank him for the progress he has helped to achieve and for his effective participation in the constructive debate he has inspired.
-- Travis Walton, Abductee and Subject of the Book and Movie Fire In The Sky

There are only a few people on Earth who have earned my respect as top-notch ET abduction investigators, and Budd Hopkins is one of them. He is also one of only two people with hypnotic regression skills and expertise who I consider professional and completely trust. His years of tireless commitment to understand and bring to public awareness the ET abduction phenomenon, and to provide genuine, caring support to abductees, is matched by few in the field. His considerable degree of artistic vision brings a level of insight to his investigations that one can only describe as brilliance. He is that very rare investigator who is not just respected and admired by his fellow researchers, but truly loved by the community of abductees he has personally worked with or touched through his published works. It is both an honor and a heart-felt pleasure to know Budd as a brilliant abduction researcher, an immensely gifted Artist, a compassionate Human Being - and a damned-good Backgammon player. -- Jim Weiner Abductee, Allagash Four case, 1976

I first came across the alien abduction mystery whilst working for the British Government, at the Ministry of Defense.  In 1991 I had been assigned to the MoD's UFO project, the scope of which mirrored the now-defunct USAF study, Project Blue Book. Alien abductions were not formally within our terms of reference, but we could hardly ignore them, given the perceived link with the UFO phenomenon. 

It was during my time on the UFO project that I first became familiar with the research and investigation undertaken by Budd Hopkins. Subsequently, after I left the UFO project in 1994, but while I was still working for the MoD, I met Budd Hopkins on several occasions, in my capacity as someone who now writes and broadcasts about mysteries and unexplained phenomena.

While he is best-known for his work on the alien abduction mystery, Budd is an accomplished artist who has had his work exhibited in the world-famous Guggenheim Museum. His passion for and knowledge of art is phenomenal. I recall having difficulty keeping up with him during a trip to the National Gallery in London, as he navigated the labyrinthine building from memory, effortlessly locating individual paintings from memory.

Budd is a highly intelligent, compassionate and empathetic person. Whilst not a trained therapist or psychologist (as his critics point out) his work with abductees has found favor with several highly-respected figures in these fields, who have observed his investigations firsthand. If the definitive history of the alien abduction phenomenon is ever written, Budd's name will loom large, as someone who perhaps more than anyone else has given so much time and energy to researching and investigating one of the World's greatest mysteries. -- Nick Pope, Author, Journalist and Researcher

Thank you for this article Kay, and your support of Budd Hopkins. He has contributed greatly to the field as one of the pioneers. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. -- Ann Eller, RN, NP
 

Budd Hopkins is recognized as a pioneer in UFO abduction research and investigation. His work, which focused upon an extensive investigation of suspected abductees and his collaboration with mental health professionals in recovering events for which victims had only partial conscious memories must be commended.

His participation in the very important academic study on "Alien Symbols" reportedly observed by abductees with Stuart Appelle (SUNY Brockport), and Tamara Lagrandeur/Don Donderi (McGill) demonstrates that he has carefully collected evidence from suspected abductees that could be evaluated scientifically. The multi-dimensional analysis clearly demonstrated that the experimental group's findings were significantly different than that of the control group. The team concluded that the consistency of symbols seen inside alien craft could possibly mean that the reports are true.

Those interested in the UFO abduction field are constantly pressuring researchers for fresh information and bemoaning the fact that our understanding of alien abduction isn't moving forward fast enough. They are often reluctant to tolerate the meticulous, in-depth forensic and scientific study of an alleged abduction. Those who bow to pressure sometimes err.

Thousands of individuals clamor for support. Hundreds persuasively plead for investigation through regressive hypnosis. An investigator has to make the tough decision to deny assistance to all but a few or to attempt to ameliorate the emotional trauma that often accompanies the post abduction or serial abduction experience.

Evidence has been brought forth that Budd was duped at least once or twice, perhaps more. However, this revelation doesn't nullify the good investigative work that Budd accomplished when his investigation was thorough. Anyone in any profession can fall victim to this sort of thing.

My personal experience with Budd has been fruitful. In 2009, I visited his home and had the opportunity to experience his hypnotic induction and memory retrieval techniques. I am a certified hypnotherapist, abduction investigator and researcher, and generally don't employ hypnotic regression in the absence of substantial evidence; however, I was interested in learning more about Budd's technique. I was satisfied that he is not only compassionate and caring, but very careful not to ask leading questions.

Budd, without significant remuneration, has dedicated his life to assisting others, while attempting to understand the many complexities of the alien abduction experience. In the autumn of Budd's life we should be raising a cup in tribute to his significant contribution. -- Kathleen Marden, UFO & Abduction Researcher, Author and Lecturer

"Nothing in my then nearly forty years of familiarity with the field of psychiatry prepared me for what Hopkins had to say. I was impressed with his warmth, sincerity, intelligence, and caring for the people with whom he had been working. But more important than that were the stories he told me from people all over the United States who had come forth to tell him about their experiences after reading one of his books or articles or hearing him on television....I have a great debt and profound respect for the pioneers in this field, like Budd Hopkins, who have had the courage to investigate and report information that runs in the face of our culture's consensus reality..."
-- (The Late) John E. Mack, M.D., Pulitzer Prize Winner: From Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens (1994)

I have been so impressed over the years with Budd's enormous contribution to ufology and his dedication to promoting the credibility of the encounter phenomenon. Especially  important is the help he has given those who struggle in coming to terms with their experiences. In my conversations with Budd, I have found that he cares deeply for all those involved in these truly ineffable events.  He has provided validation and insight to those most in need of help and has offered encouragement indirectly to thousands of other experiencers who have read his articulate and detailed abduction accounts.

I especially appreciate the broad spectrum of Budd's writings which range from what has become the classic abduction scenario to cases of invisibility. For me the invisibility component has been one of the most fascinating aspects of the encounter phenomenon.  I have for some time intended to send Budd the following link to an article on space-time invisibility because it reminds me so much of his Australia case. I hope he'll be able to read it here.  

Although not often evident in his writings, I have found that Budd is fully aware of and appreciates the transformative aspect of contact with otherworldly beings.                 

Budd's articles, books, and public appearances have made a huge difference in getting the word out. His work has contributed significantly to raising the level of public awareness, and to some degree acceptance, of the possibility of alien encounters. I found much curiosity and interest in the subject while promoting UFO awareness in my local community. I also met a surprising number of people who have seen or experienced anomalous things which have been on their minds for years who have only recently felt comfortable talking about them. This nascent openness to the possibility of alien contact I attribute directly to Budd's work.

Budd has encountered his fair share of skeptics and detractors over his career but has always managed to respond with characteristic grace and civility, commodities in scarce supply these days.  I often think about the clarity of his Open Letter to Carl Sagan and his insistence that we all use correct spelling and proper grammar and sentence construction in our writing. This presents a more professional image to the world outside ourselves and enhances the credibility of what we have to say. Thank you, Budd, for all you have given us! -- Mary Kerfoot, BS, MS experimental psychology, BS mathematics, experiencer and facilitator for the Chicago Area Center for Encounter Support

Thank you for this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to Budd Hopkins, a true friend and pioneer in a field of research that nobody knew how to approach. As a mental health professional I respect and appreciate his involving and working closely with psychiatric professionals like John Mack and myself. We could see how deeply he felt about the emotions and mental health of every client.

He showed intense empathy and compassion for every affected participant, helping support groups to form, newsletters and information networks to develop. The overwhelming data he collected led him to certain opinions and conclusions -- which not everybody might agree with. But then, nobody actually KNOWS what the answers are in this mystery. We all have our best guesses and educated opinions -- and everybody must therefore remain open-minded and consider what every researcher feels is going on.

Personally, Budd shared many clever, insightful, and very helpful techniques and ideas that jumpstarted my research in a wise direction. He was very careful to not reveal info that could bias, contaminate, or suggest certain responses. In fact, he and I often discussed paradoxical questioning that would try to lead subjects toward logical responses to see if they could be swayed or led. The amazing thing is that subjects would stick adamantly to bizarre and irrational details -- like floating through a solid wall -- rather than led by us toward realistic answers -- like leaving through a doorway.

I utilized one of his clever questions frequently -- in which I asked what the subject notices in any of the corners of the new room he/she finds himself in. This again is a logical but leading question to see if confabulation or imagination could be triggered. NOT ONCE has any subject reported what he sees in any corner --- simply because the room appears to be round -- no room on board a UFO ever seems to have corners! In other words, logical questions could not influence a witness toward logical answers because they are determined to report what they have experienced no matter how bizarre it seems. So these are good examples of the clever research wisdom that Budd shared as he tried to carve some kind of sane path through understanding and approaching a totally bizarre field of weird yet consistent data -- coming from sincere yet traumatized people.

Critics always find it easy to find fault but they never seem to lead the way with any better ideas. Critics always seem to "know better" but rarely do they get their hands dirty and prove anything they claim. No matter what anyone thinks of Budd Hopkins or his opinions, I can tell you that he is one of the most caring, helpful, intelligent, and inspiring researchers I have ever known. I learned many useful ideas from him that helped me to be a much better researcher in more clever ways. He had a passion for helping people first and finding answers later. He was cautious, ethical, considerate, and humble. Let's try to focus on the hundreds of great things he accomplished by helping people --  rather than taint his image from a few unhappy people's remarks. I have been in the trenches with him and faced the critics also. And I would not want anybody different to ever be with me in those research trenches other than Budd Hopkins!

We owe him respect, appreciation, gratitude, and many thanks. If you step back and look at the "big picture", you should realize how little we would know about abductions without his pioneering work and genuine leadership.

Attacking others is so easy. Try doing this research and helping these people and you will not have time to attack anyone. -- John S. Carpenter MSW, LCSW, Psychiatric Hypnotherapist and UFO Abductions Researcher
 

I had the opportunity to meet Budd Hopkins several years ago. It is because of his research that we are able to understand a different side of the ET presence. The abduction subject is complex, but also is part of our reality. To incorporate a new or different reality into our perceived reality takes challenges and requires a deep look into our belief system. It is not an easy task. There are few people who are up to such commitments and Mr. Hopkins is one of those few, rare individuals who welcomed what destiny offered him. Budd Hopkins is a man with a mission and his work has helped me to understand a parallel reality that we are part of. Thank you Budd, for allowing me to learn. -- Renato Longato, Researcher
 

Budd Hopkins brings to the study of UFOs and abductions the imagination of an artist, the skill of a writer and the empathy of a good human being. Being interested in life's anomalies, he took his own UFO sighting on Cape Cod seriously. While in the midst of a successful and creative artistic career he did not pursue that sighting, but in 1975 his introduction to a new close encounter witness re-awakened his interest. Budd wrote the George O'Barski story in the Village Voice and the rest is history. When New Yorkers learned about his interest other people told him about their experiences and he responded by beginning a parallel career of abduction researcher and sympathetic advocate.

In the absence of any professional recognition of the abduction phenomenon, Budd was among the first competent people to investigate abductions and among the first to organize what amount to support groups for abductees. Budd took it upon himself to report what was happening to abductees and to listen sympathetically to the abductees themselves. He sought professional expertise for the difficult job of interviewing abductees and then developed his own interviewing skills because there were so few credentialed experts who could fit abduction cases into their professional lives. His sympathetic imagination, openness, common sense and literary proficiency have made him a leader in the field. Budd is not on a pedestal of his own or anyone else's making: He is a direct, warm, interested and interesting person, and I am happy to have enjoyed his generous and open friendship for many years.  -- Don Donderi, Ph.D. Psychology

Budd Hopkins dared to engage an issue few if any licensed psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors would touch. He helped people who had nowhere else to turn to understand what was happening to them. He did this at considerable personal sacrifice. Even now the truth embargo prevents licensed practitioners from addressing the contact reality. I doubt few people have the slightest idea the challenges he faced in the early days of his work. Budd Hopkins is a pioneering legend. His critics will soon be forgotten. -- Stephen Bassett, Paradigm Research Group
 

The day I met Budd Hopkins, 25 years ago at a lecture he was giving in Pasadena, California was a day that changed my life. His presentation caused me to care about victims suffering post traumatic stress and the benefits of hypnotherapy for such subjects. Having decided to proceed in that direction, and then receiving so many referrals from health care professionals who believed I could assist their patients who attributed their PTSD to close encounters, I am grateful to Budd for his willingness to share his knowledge in mentoring me to become the hypnotherapist and researcher I am today. And, I appreciate his encouragement as well. For decades, he has assisted individuals who are suffering from the sometimes painful contact experience. His guidance has been valuable, and the times we have co-lectured in the United States, South America and Europe, or made television appearances together, created wonderful never-to-be forgotten memories. -- Yvonne Smith, C.Ht. Director of Close Encounter Resource Organization (CERO)

I commend to the attention of everyone who has an interest in UFO abduction reports, the article by Budd Hopkins titled John Mack: UFO Abductions And Transformative Experiences. The article appears in Intruders Foundation Special Report No. 8, February 2006. He has captured my outlook perfectly and expressed it much more eloquently than I have been able to do...

As I have said before, Budd (the artist) has acted much more scientifically than many or most scientists when it comes to application of scientific method to UFOs. His comparison and contrast of his own background and intellectual outlook with that of Mack is extremely interesting. Hopefully someone will be able to post the article on UFO Updates. -- (The late) Richard Hall, Author, Ufologist, Artist and Civil War Historian  [Permission to publish has been granted by Errol Bruce-Knapp, moderator of UFO Updates]

Budd Hopkins has made a name for himself over many years by listening to people who needed to talk about incredibly traumatic events in their lives, and who had nowhere else to turn. Mainstream counselors and therapists were no help, ironically, because they thought the topic of alien abduction was crazy. It is bizarre, but it's happening. As Budd said himself, there were too many people from too many different parts of the world, describing too many of the same detailed events happening to them, for this to be a hoax or delusion. It simply had to mean something.
 
In light of the trauma they were experiencing, the damage to their lives, and the unwillingness of mainstream society to offer any help, he felt that something had to be done, and he stepped in. In the beginning, he had no credentials, no training, no experience. What he had was human kindness and compassion, and a strong desire to do what he could to help. And he did help. For even one person to say, "He saved my life," is huge. How many hundreds of people has Budd worked with, personally and through his Intruders Foundation, over the years? These people are all grateful that someone was there for them when they most needed it.
 
We could do with a great deal more compassion and desire to help today. In no way can we consider that our work is done, that we've found all the answers, and can now stop researching and spend our time attacking each others' research methods. I certainly don't have all the answers, and I don't think anyone else does either. There's plenty more to do, plenty of people still dealing with this trauma in their lives, and they deserve better than this. They deserve more of what Budd has always tried to give them: someone to listen, someone to reassure them that they aren't imagining things, to help them learn to cope with the strain and get on with their lives. -- Karyn Dolan, Radio Host, Researcher and Blogger

The MUFON people in Western New York remember with great fondness and pride the day and evening Budd Hopkins spent with us at Niagara County Community College. Budd's graciousness, friendliness and willingness to share his studies with us as colleagues meant a great deal to all of us. Budd, you are an irreplaceable asset to UFO studies, a strong voice for those who cannot publicly speak for themselves, and a model of hard work and dedication all of us should aspire to. Thank you always for leading the way. -- Dr. Phil Haseley and MUFON Western New York

Budd Hopkins has been a valued friend of mine since the 1980s. Because I live far from New York City, others are better qualified to assess what goes on between Budd and abductees than I am.

What I can say is that I once attended a meeting of his abduction group. I have spoken with medical professionals whom Budd brought into his researches. They supported his efforts even if not all agreed with Budd's conclusions about the overall meaning of the phenomenon. No abductee with whom Budd worked has come to me with allegations of misconduct. Complaints from abductees with whom he's worked have been relatively few, and even these generally muted. At the risk of being called names, I will simply state (as a divorced man myself) that ex-spouses' claims about the character of their ex-spouses need to be read with due caution.

It also bears mentioning that most of Budd's fiercest critics have never met him. The more excitable among them seem to believe that Budd in some sense "invented" the phenomenon. He didn't, of course, and as I know from my experience investigating and interacting with abductees in the 1970s (before I knew what a "Budd Hopkins" might be), he didn't invent the phenomenology of the experience. Eddie Bullard's empirical analyses of the data have shown as much.

I do know that as a kind and compassionate man, Budd early on was moved by the suffering of abductees, shunned and ridiculed by others to whom they recounted their experiences. Just by listening to them and respecting their testimony, Budd did them a service. As I can testify from my own conversations with him, he also gave a lot of thought to the proper use of hypnosis.

Like all of us, including his critics, Budd is imperfect. When he entered the abduction arena, he could have had no idea what he was getting into. In time he was overwhelmed, not only by strange accounts, but by the human suffering associated with them. He was also prey (and hardly alone in that) to the occasional psychopath who wandered through the door.

My own view of the phenomenon parted from his in the wake of the Roper poll in the early 1990s. Ufology's abduction era ended when it became apparent that theory had exceeded evidence by a considerable margin. (That's also true, by the way, of Budd's critics, who are nothing if not determined theoreticians.) I no longer consider abductions to be event phenomena, even as the phenomenon solely from an experience angle remains deeply puzzling, resistant to any explanation -- prosaic or extraordinary -- that makes much sense. It would do us all good, in my opinion, if we would just stand back, take a deep breath, and acknowledge the obvious: a conclusive solution remains elusive. Not exciting, I know, but surely the only demonstrable reality at this stage.

Still, perhaps if I were in Budd's shoes, I would not have done things much differently from the way he did them. It's the easiest thing in the world to judge coolly from a perspective outside the hothouse. I am certain that history will offer this judgment of Budd Hopkins's work: he did the best he could under the circumstances. Because of him, we know more about one curious, often frightening and bewildering variety of human experience than we would have otherwise.

Finally, reading the often unwarranted, sometimes sickening attacks on this good man, I make this plea to whatever basic decency remains in ufology. Budd Hopkins is gravely ill, now involved with a personal crisis each one of us without exception will confront one day. Let us hope that when this happens, people who hate us and seek to discredit us are not out there frothing at the mouth and howling our name at the moon. Agree or disagree with him, he has worked hard. He has given and sacrificed much. For now, basic decency (if it still exists in this field) requires, at the least, a lowered polemical volume. -- Jerry Clark, UFO Historian and Author [Permission to publish has been granted by Errol Bruce-Knapp, moderator of UFO Updates]

Having known and observed Budd for a few decades, I can attest that if he ever has harmed any of his abductee subjects, he's done so with no intention whatsoever. This kind, sensitive, compassionate soul wouldn't have become so successful today had he been harboring self-indulgent aims and/or methodology. His work in ferreting out abductionology truth-and-consequences deserves all our praise for its pioneering spirit, public service, and creative problem-solving; it remains a monument to what one dedicated man can do with his keen talent, drive, and focus in a field fraught with infighting, egocentricity, and a form of intellectual road rage.

Now, as we witness the twilight of Budd's current lifetime on Planet Earth, we have his published work and the testimony of his grateful subjects to help us move forward with a bit more confidence toward solving the UFO-abduction problem. -- Larry W. Bryant, FOIA Expert
 

Thank you Budd, for your courageous, pioneering Abduction research, and the assistance you have provided to abductees. You truly are a voice of reason, never sweeping inconvenient facts under the rug, and always sympathetic to the plight of the abductees. Your work has encouraged other researchers to pursue the truth wherever it is found. Your books and very interesting cases have helped us all in our pursuits of our personal, always evolving understanding of this phenomenon.

The universe, the multi-verse, and our existence and destiny in it, is much more complex and stranger than we imagine. Close encounters are part of the human experience. You have played a very prominent role in helping us all to acknowledge and accept the reality of abduction and other close encounter experiences.

Many thanks for your dedicated work! A long time admirer -- Alan Holt
 

In 1989, when I first began to research and write about the alien abduction phenomenon, Budd Hopkins was the first person I spoke to. He quickly became a kind of mentor to me as a young journalist, and helped me to see that the subject was far more complicated and morally complex than I had first believed. Budd was willing to put up with my frequent phone calls and was always there to listen to my views and ideas. He gave of his time so generously that I still marvel at his kindness today.

It is difficult to believe that so many years later he finds himself embattled by his ex-wife and other critics who are apparently blind to the reality of something many of us live with every day. To those who have literally experienced them, the bizarre twists and turns of the abduction experience are so grounded in fact that we cannot doubt the truth and import of what has happened to us, and no amount of debunking or slanderous attacks can ever change that. It is due to the courage of people like Budd Hopkins and his colleague David Jacobs that we can face the phenomenon bravely and with the kind of optimism required to continue our personal journeys into the greatest mystery of our time. -- Sean Casteel, Journalist and Author

Amid all this vitriol and hysteria regarding Hopkins and Jacobs, can we back-up a little and summarise where we seem to be? Following the "Woods" matter with Jacobs and the Carol Rainey exposure of Hopkins, suddenly it seems the total alien abduction scene is out-of-favour.

Most especially the use of hypnosis with abductees is particularly taboo because, without any doubt according to the critics, any information obtained that way is suspect because the experiencer was "led" and encouraged to relate a fantasy based on the hypnotists' scenario and desires.

Of course this criticism of hypnosis is nothing new and was often leveled at Jacobs, Hopkins and Mack, who if I recall correctly, had their denials and retorts which often included arguments that the initial stories of the abductees were recalled in detail long prior to any hypnosis sessions.
 
Here, for instance, is a quote taken from David Jacobs' website, which illustrates his caution about accepting accounts under hypnosis as irrefutable truth. Jacobs writes:
 
"I try to stay as close to the evidence as I can. However, there is no possibility that I have avoided error. The majority of evidence for the alien abduction phenomenon is from human memory, derived from hypnosis administered by amateurs. It is difficult to imagine a weaker form of evidence. But it is evidence and we have a great deal of it. Still, readers must be skeptical of what I say and of what all others say in this tangled arena of alien abductions, hypnosis, popular culture, and memory.  Abduction researchers are mainly amateurs doing their best to get to the truth knowing that objective reality may elude them."

A few brave souls including abductee Kay Wilson on this site, have spoken out refusing to hang, draw and quarter Hopkins -- maybe feeling as I do that as in most controversies, they would at least like to hear some of the accused come forward and defend themselves -- and this will come in due time.

Meanwhile I'd like to ask: Are we really going down the path of denying the massive amount of alien abduction data because a couple of researchers may have got a little carried away with lurid tales told by two or three abductees?

As convenient as the skeptics would like it to be that Hopkins and company invented the whole "little greys" scenario and we can now tuck it away for good along with with the loony contactees, well, I'm sorry - it ain't gonna happen!

For instance, I only have to watch the faces of the children from the Zimbabwe school in this documentary tell John Mack -- and make drawings of the beings they encountered, without any suggestion of hypnosis -- to satisfy myself that there is something other than "false memories" going on. -- Dave Haith, Retired Journalist, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK [Permission to publish has been granted by Errol Bruce-Knapp, moderator of UFO Updates]

I have known Budd since 1991, a year after I had the encounter that changed my life and not because I wanted it changed. Budd has been someone who has been there for me. There are few places to go when you have an experience that is so out of the ordinary. I fully support Budd for having the courage to say, "There is something going on here." For having the courage to stand outside the status quo of denial and fear of even looking into these bizarre happenings. When everyone else gets up to speed, Budd will go down in history as being one of the first to spend so much time, personal energy, and resources helping those who have been through these encounters. His research has helped to shed light when no one else was even looking. I will be forever grateful for having somewhere to go and someone who understood that this was not just happening to me. Every moment is special and I do not take for granted the time I have been able to spend with Budd. I wish him the best and send my love and appreciation for all that he has and continues to do. -- Randy
 

Budd, you opened the door for so many -- including me. I remember telling you way back in 1988 or 89 that I believed in life elsewhere, but surely that alien abduction didn't include me. Shortly thereafter I discovered I was dead wrong. Not only did it include me, but generations of other family members. I now am a dedicated alien abduction researcher who carries on work that both the late Dr. Kandy Turner and my dear friend the late Barbara Bartholic did. Some of us must not let this valuable knowledge die! Thank you so much! -- Colleen Johnston, Abduction Researcher
 

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Budd Hopkins on my radio show, We Are Not Alone in December of 2007. Our conversation before, during and after the interview helped to confirm my opinion that Budd is a sincere and honest individual and a relentless researcher. The recent attacks on his research and character on the Internet suggests that he has been on to something all the while. It seems as though no one pays much attention to those who offer mere anecdotal evidence; however, let someone offer something more substantial and the critics come out of the woodwork.

Given the sheer volume of cases Budd has under his belt, it is highly unlikely that he hasn't fallen victim to a hoax on occasion. What researcher in this field hasn't? That fact does not invalidate the lion's share of cases that he has taken on over the years.

Some of his work has been the victim of "omission" as well. During our interview he told me that he was the technical adviser for the TV version of Intruders. When certain details of the script were incorrect, Budd would make it known to the director who replied, "All right. Thank you Mr. Hopkins," then promptly proceeded to ignore his corrections. That's Hollywood!

When Budd was interviewed for a TV documentary on alien abduction, he was prepared for the "sleep paralysis" excuse with the fact that a large percentage of his cases were abductions while the victim was awake, at work or driving a car. He made sure this fact was stated on camera. Of course, these comments ended up on the cutting room floor. Such has always been media bias.

It has been said that those who profess to that which runs contrary to conventional wisdom are called "fanatics," but once their assertions have been vindicated they are called "visionaries."  Budd Hopkins is the ultimate visionary and the field of Ufology has been much enhanced by his tireless efforts. -- David E. Twichell, Author and Radio Host
 

It may not have been providential, but Budd Hopkins and I had one thing in common: we got up early for breakfast. On those occasions when Budd and I were speakers at a MUFON symposium, we would find we were the only ones in the hotel dining room for breakfast. And Budd would graciously welcome me to join him. If there is one word I think captures Budd, it is graciousness. My views and his did not mix well. Budd thought my arguments that UFOs carry the angels of God to be -- absurd, although he said it nicer than that. And I found it troubling that his aliens seemed to be so -- scientific. My own views have been shaped by his research, along with John Mack. Mack of course saw a spiritual dimension in abductions, which Budd was not so quick to confirm. What is beginning to emerge is the possibility that the aliens do not so much need our DNA is that the aliens may be our creators, they have made us what we are. This kind of thinking is both a scientific and religious revolution. It contradicts Darwin as much as Genesis. I do not know where all this is going to end up, but I will always be thankful for Budd's pioneering work, his gracious spirit, and the respect he showed toward me in spite of our widely differing views of how to interpret the UFO reality. -- Reverend Barry H. Downing, MUFON Consultant in Theology

There are certain people throughout history whom have made great contributions to humanity and how we see the world we all ride on. Those folks have names that long outlive them and when are spoken are synonymous with the cause they championed. Names like, Pasture, Einstein, the Wright brothers and many others fill the halls of history because of a personal passion. Each of them was an "Outsider" to their fields in one form or another, but yet the shiniest stars.

There is a man whom I have had the pleasure to know for almost 20 years, and is in my humble opinion, a true pioneer in a greatly maligned and misunderstood subject known as "Alien Abductions". This man had two decades of first rate research under his belt before I even met him, and is the mentor to almost every serious person who has looked at the topic with an open mind as well as heart. Just like the other pioneers I have mentioned, Budd has had and still has his detractors, and just like those brave souls who stood for their beliefs, his name will be the one remembered by the future as I doubt anyone can recall the names of the ones who said all those pioneers had been wrong. Empty minds may make the most noise as they are only able to be echoes of each other, and like echoes, the noise fades into the nothing from whence it came, only to be thankfully forgotten.

Truth, like that which is spoken by sages such as Budd, is the whisper of wisdom that is carried from ear to ear throughout time to come. We will only understand something we do not have all the answers for, once we allow those with the passion for finding the truth to continue unfettered, rather than listening to those who would rather manufacture their own "truth" out of convenience, despite what the evidence shows.  No matter what -- time is the one who will wend forth truth -- and we are the ones who will reap its benefits. -- Matt Moniz, Analytical Chemist, Author, and Soil Analyst for the Intruders Foundation
 

Budd Hopkins is one of the original inspirations for my own work as a hypnotherapist. I have followed his work since the beginning. In my eyes, he is a sterling example of personal integrity, healer's kindness and explorer's curiosity. His work has broken new ground every step of the way. Yesterday and today, Budd Hopkins is an inspiration. -- Craig R. Lang, MS CHt, Anomaly Researcher, MN MUFON ASD, MUFON Abduction Response Team and Author

When I reflect back to the beginning of abduction research, one had to present the most credible types of cases and then stick to these same types of findings to be reproducible, even though it may not be representative of what is happening. Fear of not being believed if you tell the "too weird" aspects of the totality of the person's experience, as if it's not an issue connected with the phenomenon. The alien abduction phenomenon is not limited to the encounters themselves, I believe.

I am reminded by what Barbara Bartholic told me, "Just lay it all out on the table". But that is hard to do when one constantly worries about not being seen as credible amid the constant criticism. Human folly exists and as one gets more famous, the more "fakes" and mean disruptors will get thrown one's way. I do feel sad for Budd and also for Linda because, for the most part, they are just doing the best they can to try to understand and communicate what they believe is true.

We must do our own research and, in the process, know how valuable it is to practice kindness and compassion, discernment and also to treat people with dignity. But when the psychopaths enter the scene -- beware. I know, because I've had to deal with a few and they can fool even the non vulnerable "normal" people so to speak. Psychopaths themselves work by deception and manipulation and they know it well. Many people who have been abused are more vulnerable to this type of toxic behavior, but people from "normal" family histories can be taken for a ride and hurt badly. So, being able to recognize psychopathology is a good thing.

We may never get the scientific evidence we want. In my opinion, it's not the lack of scientific evidence that is really the problem. It's the spiritual integrity, wisdom, discernment and resilience of us fully knowing ourselves that is needed. It is only then that we may effectively deal with this alien presence. It seems to know us better than we know ourselves and, it is possible that it even uses us to betray one another through various misperceptions, hurt feelings, and relationships. -- Eve Lorgen, MA, CHt, Abduction Researcher and Author

Controversy has been a persistent feature of Hopkins' career in alien abduction and UFO studies. While few seem to doubt  Hopkins' motives or sincerity, critics charge that Hopkins is out of his element when he uses hypnosis, thereby aiding his subjects in confabulation: the blending of fact and fantasy. However, Hopkins insists such criticism is specious. [Via Wikipedia] Budd Hopkins states:

"I have often frequently invited interested therapists, journalists and academics to observe hypnosis sessions. Theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, who has held  teaching positions at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities,  and psychiatrist Donald. F. Klein, director of research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and professor of psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, are but two of those who have observed my work firsthand. None of these visitors... have reported anything that suggested I was attempting to lead the subjects."
-- Dave Haith, Retired Journalist, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
 

I met Budd Hopkins twice and at the time, he appeared genuine, caring, and serious about his work. With the exception of one individual, I have not communicated with any of the abductees he has seen. I have only read about them in his books.

I think Budd is a courageous soul by taking a huge risk in helping people who have been abducted. Very, very few people would be willing to stick out their neck like that and I commend Budd for his bravery. You don't have to be credentialed to show compassion toward another human being. Plus there aren't any set credentials to help abductees. If there were, mental health professionals would have known about it from their training and it would be in the DSM-IV-TR.
 
Some mental health professionals are aware of this phenomenon and I wonder why these professionals are not more involved with helping abductees? Probably because of the ridicule they would face and more importantly, they want to keep their job.
 
So if there aren't any mental health professionals who are willing to help, who can an abductee turn to? Answer: The very few researchers who are knowledgeable in this topic. Budd has years of experience in this field and has helped many people. If the experiencer feels they have been helped, does it matter? Consider the alternative: medication distribution or worse. -- Anonymous

Thank you for this great opportunity to express some thoughts about Budd Hopkins: the pioneer and path maker. He took this role as a volunteer and turned it into a craft of extraordinary competence. In doing so, he founded a new professional expertise.

Those who live in dark rooms and refuse to open their eyes are in a poor position to criticize the paths hacked out of a hostile jungle by such explorers as Budd Hopkins. His detractors have not earned the right to even polish his well worn investigative shoes.

Abductees who have felt the pain and are lonely without appeal; who are often tortured, physically drained, insulted, humiliated, used, and then tossed aside when the genome quota has been met and age intervenes - these are the names of honor.

What have the skeptics done but to not listen, ridicule, and so pour salt on wounds while being amused?

The pioneers who are in the midst of a hostile culture have written a guide to this tough frontier, mostly on their own dime, from a blank sheet of paper. They sacrificed their reputations and the comfort of a "normal" career and life. Budd Hopkins is such an explorer.

Did Budd make mistakes? Of course. When one creates a new expertise and learns to navigate a new tough terrain, one is learning, and learning implies errors.

What have the critics learned? Most have learned nothing. They have flunked the alien IQ test - the physicality and reality of the Taken, and the evidence that minds and bodies have been tampered with. ETs are here now and they are "genome farming" us. This is a human rights issue.

There will be a UFO Hall of Courage on some future, post disclosure awakened day. Budd will be prominent there and many unknown names will be listed alongside his.

Again, I express my admiration, respect and honor for a duty well discharged. I say these things without reservation, even in the face of disagreements on some issues. I am ethically bound to seek our larger, common moral imperatives. Well Done Budd Hopkins. -- Vince White

Budd Hopkins was one of the first people to take claims of abduction by non-human beings seriously, try to help the people experiencing that, and try to figure out what was going on.

I have no experience with abduction, but I do have friends that have been clients of Budd Hopkins and feel that he helped them greatly. They are the ones who would know and are the true testimony of Hopkins' work. -- Lesley Gunter
 

With all the posts about Budd Hopkins, I would like to say the following in his defense. Budd worked with me about 7 years ago. We had lengthy phone discussions on several occasions in the years before I went to New York to meet with him. I had been hypnotized by the State Police in order to help in an investigation back in the 1960s, and Budd used similar methods. At no time did Budd try to influence me, plant ideas or lead the session in any direction. He was always very careful in the questions he asked and everything was recorded and notes were taken (including the phone conversations) prior to our meeting several years before.

As stated elsewhere, there are certain things learned during the session that Budd never made public in regard to writings and symbols that were seen on these craft. It is unfortunately that this important research control is in the public domain because of Budd's former wife releasing a video of these writings. I had never seen them before my own experience. They were identical to the drawings made by other people.

I was very young when I saw these "Grays" and had no idea what they were or where they came from. I was missing and the police had a search out for me. I recall walking into a wooded area behind our backyard and ending up miles away in seconds. I had not recalled seeing these beings again until years later when I saw a story about Travis Walton. That was when I realized that the beings Travis had seen where the same beings I had seen while awake and completely lucid at the time.

Budd had a heavy caseload and tried very hard to help everyone he could. It's a shame that someone who has been respected for so many years has to face all this now. I'm sure others have their opinions, but having experienced a hypnosis session with Budd, I have nothing but great respect for him. -- John Kubish
 

As a member of the Western NY MUFON group, I was so excited and thankful for your visit to our area. It was an honor to meet you. I would like to say thank you for your very public and fearless voice. Your books and your research have shed a light on the magnitude of these events. You have helped take thousands of people from a sense of isolation and aloneness to knowing they have a dedicated and wise advocate. Thank you Budd. We love you. -- Isabel Beehler 
 

Budd Hopkins is a man of conscience, courage and and common sense. He was there to listen to people reporting UFO abductions in a time when few others would. Our knowledge of these experiences would not be where it is today if not for him. -- David W. Chace, Artist and Author
 

Budd, to me, bears a striking resemblance to some of the images I've seen of Thomas Jefferson. At one time, I thought Alan Alda could portray Budd if ever he were to have been depicted in film. I have described Budd as "Ufology's Carl Sagan."  This is both a compliment and an insult. Budd, you see, has all the human flaws of all the great individuals throughout human history who have advanced and inspired our species at great personal sacrifice. Copernicus, Michelangelo, Jefferson, Lincoln, Pierre & Marie Curie, Einstein, Orson Welles, Benazir Bhutto, Obama, Hopkins... People with whom I've had disagreements, in whom I've felt disappointments, and with whom I've shared disappointments. People whose transcending vision, strengths, conviction, courage, clarity of thought and the facility to give both written and extemporaneous expression to their thoughts, I envy more than I myself have the power to express. To those whose eyes will roll and lips may smirk and breaths will cough autonomously from their throats at this observation, I say directly to you -- and you can choose to write this off as the impulse of an increasingly cranky, tactless, bitter, out-of-touch old man -- you can go frickin screw yourselves. -- Sal Amendola, Intruders Foundation Advisory Board

I commend Budd for not only being a pioneer, but for his compassion. He has indeed helped many, when they absolutely had nowhere to go. Aside from pioneering such discoveries such as the missing time phenomenon, Budd had commendably avoided having tunnel vision and remains open-minded, as well as truly caring about the people he helps. Kudos to Budd!! -- Laurel Oplatka

It was only after reading some of the experiences of Budd Hopkins' abductee clients that I felt that I, too, might not be crazy. I began to explore my experiences and to write them down. He gave me the courage to contact MUFON and to publicly share my experiences with others. Budd, we are all so grateful to you for your years of service toward helping experiencers -- Ronni Fox, Buffalo NY

I visited with Budd the first week in February 2011, in New York and found him to be his entertaining, amusing brilliant self, despite whatever physical adversities he might have recently encountered. I reminded him of how many people he has helped over the years, especially those who questioned their own sanity, and were relieved to discover, with Budd's help, what was actually challenging them. Budd is an extremely kind gentleman who always has a listening ear for those who wish to share details of any experiences they have had. I think he is one of the World's top ET/Abduction investigators. I consider myself very lucky to count him as my friend.  Sincerely -- Anne Ramsey Cuvelier

I've known of Budd Hopkins since 1975 when a magazine in New England had a feature cover article on UFOs and mentioned a MUFON investigator by the name of Budd Hopkins and from his feature story in early 1976 in The Village Voice about his investigation of a UFO sighting and landing in New Jersey. I still have both articles.

Reading Missing Time in the early 1980s aroused my curiosity about my own experiences. When his book titled Intruders came out in 1987, I wrote Budd about them. Being a fellow New Yorker, I approached Budd at a couple events afterwards and in mid-1988 I was referred by him to Dr. Jean Mundy, a NYC psychologist and hypnotherapist who was working with Budd. My two dozen sessions with her opened up my own explorations and helped lead me into finding my own experiencer-run group, S.P.A.C.E. - the Search Project for Aspects of Close Encounters in March of 1992. Budd was a guest at two of our monthly support group meetings in 1993 and in 1995.

I've had dinner with Budd a few times over the years and was a guest on a few occasions at his support meetings. I was also invited to sit in on two hypnosis sessions with friends who requested I do so, and was able to observe firsthand how Budd conducts a session.

I am forever grateful of his posting a link to S.P.A.C.E. on his Intruders Foundation web site. I am very aware of the questions, problems and missteps of UFO alien abduction research and the challenges it presents to both researchers and experiencers.

Budd has made a real difference in shaping ufology, and no matter what happens, he has the respect of countless people that will endure however the questions of contact are ultimately answered, if that time actually ever comes. -- Harold Egeln, S.P.A.C.E. Founder and Facilitator

Thank God for the help and enlightenment that Budd Hopkins has provided the world about the extremely important subject of alien abductions. This man has made it possible for mankind to understand how people have been victimized by beings that are not acting in the best interest of humanity. He is a hero and he deserves a medal for meritorious service. -- Maurice Osborn

Having only recently come to terms with my own experiences, I reached a point in my life where I felt it was right to explore hypnotic regression. Though I wasn't able to work with Budd, I know exactly what so many people around the world have felt while exploring these events.

The number one thing that I found to be difficult was fighting my own mind. The logical, rational side of myself kept trying to stop myself from saying certain things. I felt, I saw, I touched, etc.; seemed perfectly acceptable ways to describe what was found both during conscious recollection and through hypnosis. That side of me kept wanting to alter those statements as I said them, since there's no possible way that what I was describing actually happened, but all signs point towards them being a reality.

Researchers such as Budd are truly invaluable, given that this subject matter is still laughed at and dismissed by the mainstream media and the majority of the scientific community. It's only through tight knit support and discussion groups that many of us can find help and support. So, when people have said that Budd saved their life, I believe it. -- Chris Augustin Alien / UFO Paranormal Investigator

Twenty-three years ago my life, and my family's life, changed forever. At that time, I was a non-believer in the idea of extraterrestrial life existing outside the limits of our Earth. I suddenly realized that life for my family and me was changing. The experiences we were having were so unacceptable and unbelievable. These ungodly creatures, who were abducting us, turned my life upside down. The aftereffects of these abductions involved waking up and finding unusual scars, bruising and other marks on my body. I felt I was completely insane as more time passed and being forced to live alone with this family secret. I was ready to be committed to a mental health hospital when I approached Michael Lindemann in 1994.

After hearing my plea, Mr. Lindemann immediately put me in contact with a researcher who works in the field of alien abductions. His name was Budd Hopkins. At first, I thought this man I was speaking to would not believe the words that were spilling out from my mouth and soul as the cries and tears came pouring out. Budd, however, listened intently and compassionately. From that first phone call, he did not leave my side. He was there on a weekly basis for me when I needed to talk to someone.

I was fortunate to travel to New York to meet Budd Hopkins, a warm and loving man who cared for my family and me. He worked with me for two weeks and later, he came to Albuquerque and worked with me there. Following that, he introduced me to one of his assistants for further counseling in the city I was living in at the time. Budd also introduced me to a new community of other people who were experiencing the same types of encounters I was experiencing. The positive life changing events to follow and the acceptance that came for me was because of the care that Budd showed to me. And because of him, I was finally able to accept what was occurring in my life. If it had not been for Budd, it is unknown where my family and I would be today.  Because of Budd, I have grown stronger and I am now at the point where I am able to help other people deal with these unusual multifaceted abductions. I do this work using hypnotherapy, and love and understanding, because this is what I learned from Budd.

Thank you Mr. Hopkins for being you. Thank you for being involved in this phenomenon and giving your love, compassion, understanding and knowledge to us -- the abductees. I honor your work in this life greatly. Thank you for being there for me. -- Gloria Hawker, Author and Abductee

I wanted to add to the huge turn out of tributes to Budd in regards to his life's work. I saw Budd talk many years ago on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and was impressed enough to purchase a few of his books and follow his research on the TV programs. I want to thank Budd so very much for giving us all those years of research and results that helps expose the truth. -- Sub-Chief, Paul J. Bunnell, UE, Genealogist & Author

Who knows how many years away or what form it will take, but there will come a day that the reality of the abduction phenomenon will be proven beyond any reasonable doubt to the public. When this long-awaited day arrives, people will look back at those who were earnestly investigating these encounters in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries and realize that these brave investigators were standing on the right side of history. It will be then that the name Budd Hopkins will be revered in public as it is now within the UFO community.

When disclosure day comes and the public asks: "Why didn't anyone tell us about the abduction phenomenon?"...they will then come to realize how much Budd has. When the public asks: "If this is real, why was no one there to support these abductees through their trauma?"...they will then come to understand how much Budd has. In fact, it may be even more accurate to say that words cannot fully express the stunning degree of intelligent, insightful, and compassionate work Budd Hopkins has done in the field of abduction research. Thank you Budd for everything you do today and the foundation you have set for understanding on the day of future abduction disclosure. -- William J. Konkolesky, State Director Michigan MUFON

I am grateful for Budd's role in my search for answers to heal my life, a journey that started out about 10 years before I encountered him. While what we uncovered in my session made life very difficult for me in new ways afterwards, today I would not change anything. It was the way it was, and it was this way because of cover-ups and so very many of us experiencers having little to no resources for real help in dealing with our experiences. 
 
My experience with Budd demonstrated that he conducted himself in a professional manner with me and he was kind. During my session with him, he just allowed what I was experiencing to surface. There were times he purposely tried to suggest other things to lead me away from what I was experiencing and recounting to him, but in each case, I returned to what I was re-experiencing under the hypnosis. He said he did this as a truth test - if I was somehow fabricating what was coming I might have followed his suggestions. I was not susceptible to suggestions trying to lead me away from what I was remembering and recounting. 

After having the session with him, health issues such heart palpitations began to subside. Episodic depression that had appeared to have no basis also dissolved. From my professional position, I feel this is due to the root causes of those problems being uncovered at last. On the down side, while it cleared some problems, it created more by prying open the traumatic events, and left me with no support system to examine them therapeutically and heal. I grant that Budd was not equipped to provide therapeutic support. My case, and I'm sure others, underscore the need for a therapeutic support network to be part of the process of hypnotic regression of ET or MILAB-related cases. However, in this area of study, so far outside what the mainstream public views as "normal," we only had pioneers like Budd to pursue such study, as best they could.
 
I remain grateful to Budd for helping to uncover things going on in my life that I really needed to open to and understand, whether I agree with all his ideas and opinions on this subject or not. While I've covered my personal pros and cons, I do think he made invaluable contributions to this area of study. -- Niara Terela Isley, ET Experiencer, Blogger and Author

My impression of Budd Hopkins had always been that of a kind and caring individual who not only supported those who confided in him; but would have gone out of his way, and give the shirt off his back, to preserve the trust of those who gave him their own. And, this was before I worked with Budd personally.

After having had the opportunity to work with Budd, I am only more impressed with the man that Budd Hopkins really is. Budd is entirely dedicated to the truth about the abduction phenomenon, as well as the protection of the witnesses. He is also dedicated to helping the witnesses return to a normal lifestyle; a chance that might have been denied to these individuals for their entire lives.

My hat is off to you Budd. Thank you for your many years of service. My prayers, along with all of the members of New England MUFON, are with you. -- Steve Firmani, Director, New England MUFON

I am no expert in the field of abduction. I don't know Budd Hopkins well enough to pass on a real judgment of the man. My impressions? He struck me as a nice guy, helpful, and I believe he was sincere in the work that he did. He spent a considerable fortune researching the abduction phenomenon. He was one of the first to get involved and I believe that much of what is being said about his research is opportune hindsight. I believe that he should be remembered for the work that he has done and that he was one of the pioneers of the abduction research field. Did he make mistakes during regressions? Probably; but it must be remembered that there were no guideposts to follow; science wasn't interested for the most part. We learn from hindsight, but it is of no use to an area where there were no experts to begin with. I think Budd deserves better than the trashing he has be subject to recently. -- Don Ledger, Author and Researcher

I find it interesting how hostile skeptics attack part of the UFO problem, claiming to have destroyed its credibility totally as a subject, but when you look at the whole set of experiences people go through, joining the dots of their answers, you find that there is not one, single cohesive answer for all the various fragments they claim to have made sense of - no holistic theory for everything, to explain the different facets of the phenomenon.

If you say that you've been contacted telepathically, you are called a fantasist. If you see bedroom visitors, you are told that this is hypnagogic imagery produced by the brain because you are half asleep and still dreaming, despite also having daylight visions, when fully conscious. When UFO abductions were first talked of, scoffers said that there was no proof that they had anything to do with UFOs. All in all, they try to isolate events, destroy the credibility of the witness, create doubt in them that they ever experienced anything and try to destroy their morale through attacks aimed at isolating the experiencer from anybody else that might believe them or befriend them (Division and Conquest).

The hostile skeptics are not trying to get at the truth or understand the events, but rather bury them and silence witnesses. Their reactions show that they are as scared of the phenomenon as anyone brave enough to face it. I normally would have the pro-life attitude of live and let live. What I’ve seen occurring to people in this field is a psychic assassination of witnesses and researchers, by trying to destroy their standing in society and in the field of this research. --  Tony Sandy, Author, Researcher and Artist

Thoughts On Budd Hopkins

by Peter Robbins

"...I began working for Budd in the early 1980s. My assignments changed from visit to visit depending on what needed attention and included straightening up in the studio, fielding calls, taking messages and running errands, filing and logging in recorded interviews as well as the endless audiocassettes he continues to employ in recording every hypnotic regression he has conducted. My responsibilities expanded to ultimately include fact checking, proof reading, investigation, reading and responding to letters, meeting and interviewing possible abductees, attending most support group meetings and witnessing hypnotic regressions.

I've begun this tract in the manner I have because I think that the reader is entitled to know about this part of my background prior to hearing anything I may have to say about the recent multipronged allegations leveled against Budd by his former wife Carol Rainey. Some may feel my experience has given me a particularly unique insight into Budd's work, professional ethics, and the man himself. Others may hold that, given my open respect and admiration for him, I am subject to a bias in his favor, or worse, that I might be more concerned with my own place and standing in this matter and as such seek to make the facts conform to a kinder or more idealized characterization then is necessarily true. To such people I can only say that over the thirty plus years I've been involved in this field as an investigator, researcher, writer, public speaker and author, I have prided myself on working without an agenda from case to case and have always put the truth of what I've been able to uncover or establish before anything else. I have never lied in my work and writing or knowingly misrepresented the work of anyone else and have no intention of beginning to do so now, for Budd Hopkins or for anyone else.

The comments which Carol has leveled against Budd call into serious question his character, objectivity, motives, and methodology as well as the validity of the UFO abduction phenomenon itself. She has also chosen to use this opportunity to attack the credibility and motivations of
Linda Cortile, an abductee who was the subject of one of Budd's most significant investigations..." Click Here To Continue Reading this Enlightening Article...

Early in my career as a therapist and hypnotherapist, I began working with abductees and experiencers of all kinds. My interest came from my own early childhood and adult UFO experiences. There were very few people to mentor those of us willing to step into this "unusual" field of investigation at that time. I was introduced to Budd and had the privilege of attending two training classes he was presenting, working with abductees in California. I was struck by his down to earth approach to the subject and his calm and steady presence in a field filled with projection and make-wrong. His hands-on methods allowed me to take home skills that I could immediately put into action. His dedication to honesty, clarity and simplicity gave me a strong background on which to build my own values and methods of exploration. I will be forever grateful for his early guidance and the ongoing information and instruction received from his books. Thank you Kay, for bringing Budd’s contributions forward and giving those of us whose lives he touched, a chance to express our gratitude and appreciation. -- June R. Steiner, PhD, ChT., President of OPUS, Organization for Paranormal Understanding and Support

We join in the homage paid to Budd Hopkins. We had the opportunity to meet Budd, and we know that his research was, and is, a very important contribution in cases of alien abductions. We honor his memory and value his work. -- Andrea y Silvia Pérez Simondini, Vision Ovni
Argentina

Unfortunately in a world with so many angst, sodden, sad people who make it their business to leap before they look in this world, someone as precious as Budd is very likely to be treated in the way he has been. Sadly, so much acrimony comes in-house so to speak, from our own families. Budd Hopkins is without a shadow of a doubt, a man full of the highest integrity and I am entirely convinced that his research has been carefully set with the highest levels of objectivity and scientific rigor that can be applied to witness testimony of any kind. This has been verified by qualified clinical psychologists. He is a man worthy of the highest praise for his enlightening and erudite revelations of the disturbing phenomenon of alien abduction. He has simply followed the dots logically and enlightened us all to something the whole world should be made aware of. Alas, this world seems to praise the scoundrel and vilify the saint. I for one will always hold him in great esteem and be very thankful for what he has done for each and every one of us human beings in revealing what might be the ultimate threat to us all. -- Nigel Kerner, Author and Researcher

Thank you, Budd, for taking the time to give a detailed account of your side of the story. Your years spent probing this phenomenon has added much to our understanding of a "greater reality" many of us know exists. -- Robert E. (Bob) Reid, Colonel, USAF (ret.)

Budd, I have learned from your careful methodology and wisdom and gentleness. You have long been a light in the darkness of disbelief and scorn, and I am forever grateful for all you have done for the truth. -- Paul Schroeder

What a terrible and way too common situation. 

I seriously feel for Budd, not just because I like him and have spent many hours in many distant places in his company and seen close up his integrity and his professionalism, but I personally know how such attacks can effect one.  More importantly, they can and are intended to influence how others see you; and the more negatively the better for those holding the Axe. 

I have a lot of respect for Budd and want to check in again and tell him so. Writing off someone's life long work to satisfy a personal grudge is unacceptable, but it is a common forum used by those who hold such hatred in their hearts for what ever reason. It's a human failing and one we have to try and grow beyond. We don't have time for personal conflict in such challenging times.

I send healing thoughts and support for his health issues and hope that he knows that many like me acknowledge his dedication to a subject which is complex and often almost impossible to comprehend, and as such, requires courageous application. The path of transition between the ages require special people, Budd Hopkins is one of them. Thanks Budd -- Colin Andrews
 

Budd Hopkins is a true pioneer in the field of alien abduction research. He was the first researcher to put his reputation on the line in the search for the truth behind this phenomenon, and one of the first to believe that there were real experiences behind the accounts, and the trauma, of the abductees. Many people in this field today, myself included, became interested in UFOs and alien contact as a result of exposure to Budd's ground-breaking books on the subject.

Through his research, we were also made aware that these experiences take a real physical and psychological toll on most people involved in the abduction phenomenon, and that people's lives, health, and relationships have suffered greatly as a result.

Budd's research resulted in a greatly increased interest in the field of UFO/alien contact, and opened many people's minds to the possibility that alien beings are perhaps not always safely many light-years away, as mainstream thought said, but may be too close for the comfort zone of most people to accept.

Budd revealed that aliens are contacting people in their bedrooms in the dead of night -- or even while driving in their vehicles -- manipulating their minds, and memories, and even conducting medical and breeding experiments, in a large-scale program of activity that may be influencing the future of the human race; possibly even altering our genetic makeup.

The entire UFO Community, and all people who are in search of the truth, owe Budd Hopkins a profound debt of gratitude for opening our eyes to the reality of this phenomenon. -- Steve Colbern, Materials Scientist and UFO/Abduction Researcher

I have been deeply shocked by Carol Rainey's article and don't want to review it here in detail; however, what I can say is that I am an old friend of Budd's (since 1992). I have witnessed his work and I have been impressed by his behaviour, and I know that he is very careful when he works with abductees. This is not just a compliment from a friend: I have had the opportunity to validate this in many cases. I also say this as someone who has spent seven years studying at Paris University and who has also spent many years studying this disturbing phenomenon.

Budd not only spent hours and hours discussing the subject with me, but he also allowed me to join him in his support group. He showed me videos of  his regression sessions and I was able to see - firsthand -- how he carefully avoided leading questions. He also allowed me to speak directly with some of his abductees without being present so they were able to feel comfortable in their conversations with me.

Budd is a very dedicated person whose aim is not to make money! I always saw him giving his time generously without ever asking for any payment. His goal was, and always has been, to understand the phenomenon and to try to help people.

Budd had the courage to open this Pandora's box, and I am among those who want this important work continue. -- Marie-Therese de Brosses, Author and Investigative Journalist
 

I probably owe Budd my very life. It was beyond surreal coming to terms with my lifetime of terror created by my experiences with whatever these aliens might be, but Budd was there as a friend, a lighthouse in the storm of fear and depression and for what? Nothing more than kindness and compassion from an individual who glimpsed the pain in the eyes of hundreds of us who had nowhere else to go.

I tried to return that kindness last year when I allowed him to gently convince me to do the Paracast show on December 27, 2009. Why? Because this kind -- unbelievably giving man -- thought my story might help others suffering alone.

Thank you Budd. Doing that show has lifted the fear from other family members who are now able to finally open up and share what they experienced with me going back 50 years. No hypnosis used, no hypnosis needed -- as it is with most of us lifers.

To all those so called researchers who think criticizing Budd's work will make them look more serious in this field -- shame on you. Jealousy is so obvious and so childish. -- Doug
 

Although I am not an abductee and I have ever met Budd Hopkins in person, I would still like to extend to him my deepest gratitude for his very courageous dedication to helping reveal the alien abduction phenomenon. I wonder how many people are truly aware of this man's great contribution to humanity, by trying to alert us to the threat posed by the clandestine presence of non-human entities on our world - entities that are clearly using, abusing and causing serious physical and psychological trauma and chaos in the lives our fellow human beings.

When I was a small child, I witnessed three low flying UFOs, along with approximately 20 other townspeople, including two local police officers and the fire chief of the town. Although just a child, my father and mother understood the significance of this event, and thanks to them, through the years, so did I. We never could grasp how our government and the media could downplay and outright ridicule such a momentous thing happening in our world. I became very interested in following the phenomenon by watching news reports and reading credible books written by serious researchers. It became very obvious to me that there had to be some significant interest of the occupants of these craft, in earth's life forms - as demonstrated in the Betty and Barney Hill case, for example.

Well, along came Budd Hopkins with his Village Voice article and his first book, Missing Time, and I finally had a clearly thought-out, and thoroughly researched answer to what was most probably the reason for the UFO occupants' presence on our world. Since that time, I have read every one of Budd Hopkins' books - more than once - and I have seen and heard many of his interviews. Each book, and each interview and presentation by this man, has convinced me of his high level of intelligence. I am also convinced of Budd’s strong reasoning abilities and his highest of ethical standards, along with his compassion and concern for the abductees and for the fate of the world in general. These attributes and the contents of his research, and his many significant insights into the motivations of the aliens, has placed Budd Hopkins undisputedly into the category of one of humanity's bravest pioneers.

As to the issue of hypnosis and its use in abduction research, it is abundantly clear that Budd Hopkins never undertook this technique without proper professional guidance. It is made very clear that Mr. Hopkins worked in conjunction with psychiatrists and trained psychotherapists when performing regressions until he was clearly fully apprenticed and deemed ready by them. He still continues to work with mental health professionals to review his hypnosis recordings and to evaluate abductees.

Finally, a word about myself: I am a Columbia University educated Nurse who is married to a Physician (Internist/Endocrinologist) and I have also completed 2 semesters of Master's Degree work in Counseling. Both my husband and I have been made aware of the merits of hypnosis and its proper use during our medical/nursing education. Most of the criticisms leveled over the use of hypnosis in the context of abduction research are fraught with serious errors and misdirection. Of course, hypnosis, used improperly, could be harmful, but who says Mr. Hopkins ever used hypnosis improperly? It is apparently the individuals who are out to muddy the waters of the legitimacy of alien abduction research who are making this false claim.

There are many, many corroborating pieces of evidence for the alien presence on our world. I'm referring to the military, astronauts, commercial pilots and other credible witnesses to their craft as well as the evidence of radar returns and ground traces. There are also many compelling incidences that validate what abductees are reporting. If someone is truly informed about this issue, they will realize that abduction memory recall is very often accomplished without hypnosis and that often hypnosis is employed just to "flesh out" the details of specific abductions.

As far as Carol Rainey's part in this: I find it interesting that while she was still married to Budd Hopkins, she was a co-author, with her now ex-husband on - of all things - a book that explicitly dealt with the high strangeness aspects of alien abduction!! Most people will remember the title of that book: It was Sight Unseen. Now, it appears that Carol expects educated and informed people to believe that she has come to the conclusion - after her divorce, of course - that abduction reports are "afloat with hoaxes."

Generally speaking, divorced spouses are never very reliable sources when it comes to the character and motivations of their ex-spouses. The personal venom Carol Rainey has displayed toward Mr. Hopkins, by belittling his fame as an accomplished and critically recognized artist - which had no place in a discussion about his abduction research in the first place - should immediately raise serious concerns about Rainey's ethics. My father worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the 1960's through the 1980's, and Budd Hopkins work was not only known to him, but also admired by him.

So, a very heartfelt thank you, Mr. Budd Hopkins, for your courage, compassion, intelligence and concern for the beings of this earth. I only wish that more people had heeded your warning to wake up to the gravity of the alien abduction situation. I wish you the very best, along with this word of nursing advice: I might suggest, if you haven't done so already, investigate the use of Vitamin D in treating lymphomas, along with the use of acupuncture to help alleviate the weakness caused by the disease, and the side effects of chemotherapy. Again, Sir - Many Thanks. -- Diane Sposili, Long Island, New York

I would like to say that Budd Hopkins is one of the most caring, compassionate, and sincere people my family has had the pleasure to meet. It surprised us that he came to our part of the country and stayed a couple of days when we contacted him for help. He helped us try to understand what was happening to my 5 year old grandson and then to our family. We have always had strange events in our family and Budd helped us to understand that we were going to be all right and that our grandson was not going to disappear. He is very professional in his research and makes one feel comfortable when talking about experiences. If not for him, we would still be whispering to ourselves about things that "go bump in the night." In our part of the country it is still a taboo to talk about such things! Budd was a lifesaver for us. We will be forever grateful to him as should everyone he has helped. It is a shame that someone would want to attack him now, of all times. Budd Hopkins certainly does not deserve that! Thank you Budd Hopkins for helping our family to realize we are not crazy!! -- A Teacher in The Midwest
 

I would, again, like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who has responded so positively and graciously to my request for their tributes and comments for Budd. I especially want to thank Peter Robbins, Mary Kerfoot, Dave Haith, Errol Bruce-Knapp, Jim Weiner, Kathleen Marden, Harold Egeln, Larry Bryant and The Anomalist for helping me get the word out about my request for tributes and thanks to Budd. I also wish to thank my other friends and colleagues who have provided links to this article. Your kindness and efforts will always be deeply appreciated.
-- Kay Wilson
 

If you would like your Thanks or Tribute to Budd Hopkins to be included in this article, please email me at:

alienjigsawupdates@(remove this before emailing)alienjigsaw.com
 

To read more Thanks to Budd Hopkins
from Prominent Authors, Researchers and Ufologists, click here:

Jerome Clark, Elaine Douglass, Bill Chalker, Don Schmitt, Stanton Friedman, Robert Salas, Edgar Mitchell, John Schuessler, Tim Binnall, Philip Mantle, Peter Davenport, Bruce Maccabee