In 1987 I found myself reevaluating my view of reality and asking a lot of unusual questions: Why am I looking for aliens in my backyard? Am I crazy? Why do I have all of these unusual memories? What am I going to do? Who can I possibly tell?

Although I had had conscious memories of alien abduction since I was six years old, I simply had no place to put the information. Aliens don't exist, so obviously, the only other person who could be paralyzing me, floating me outside my house and communicating with me telepathically was God.

That explanation worked through my childhood, but when I was sixteen years old and had a sighting of three hamburger-shaped craft with yellow, red and blue lights around their midsections, everything changed. As I looked at those three craft, I felt strong feelings of confirmation and familiarity. I knew who they were - I had always known about them.

I told several of my friends in school the next day about what I had seen the night before and was reminded that you just didn't talk about such things. I didn't speak about my sighting for another decade - until I had to - for my own sanity. When you accumulate enough conscious memories of being visited by alien Beings, there comes a time when the proverbial pot begins to bubble over. I had to release what I had been keeping inside of me for my entire life: They are here.

In 1993 I self-published my life story and my journals in The Alien Jigsaw. Like so many others who have interacted with non-human Beings, I reached the point where I felt compelled to share my information with the world. I realized that one way I could turn this into something positive was to share my information and educate the public about these Beings and hopefully help other people who were going through this.

The reason for writing this guide is that I often think back to how I felt in 1987 and about the resources that were available to me. When I think about all of the people going through their own awakening, and remembering what I went through in 1987, I find myself asking new questions: What if you can't work with an experienced abduction researcher? What if you don't have a MUFON organization in your city, or perhaps you do, but they are not active or do not support abductees? What if you are alone and you do not have anyone you can talk to about your experiences? What do you do then?

Keep A Journal

If you do only one thing to help yourself get through this, keep a journal. In The Alien Jigsaw I described my journal as "my silent and therefore most trusted companion." Writing in my journal helped me in so many ways. I quickly discovered that it helped me to release a lot of the memories and pent-up emotions relating to my unusual experiences and recurring dreams. At that time I had no idea how important my journal would become. It turned out that I was able to document specific details about my abduction experiences that I would not have remembered over the course of time. It was also helpful to write in my journal immediately after the encounter occurred. Other abductees have told me they find it helpful to keep their journal next to their bed or in their kitchen where they can locate it immediately after an encounter has occurred. I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to write down everything that you remember, even if at the time it does not make sense to you.

A Creative Outlet

I discovered that it was not only important for me to write down what I remembered after each encounter or recurring dream, but it also helped me to recreate what I remembered. Since I hadn't tried to draw since my childhood, I never considered the possibility that I could draw. I quickly discovered that illustrating what I remembered was very helpful. In many ways, it was relaxing for me. I experienced both a sense of relief and closure when I was able to get the image out of my mind and onto a sheet of paper. I am in no way an artist, but I still continue to draw what I remember the best I can.

Even if you don't think you have artistic abilities, you should try to illustrate, paint, sketch or sculpt what you remember. You will probably be surprised with your results. And, there may come a time when you will want to share your information with others. If you illustrate your memories while they are still fresh in your mind, you will remember many more details than you ever thought possible.

Hypnosis

The decision to undergo hypnosis should not be taken lightly. It is neither wise nor recommended to look in the yellow pages for a hypnotherapist who will regress you for the purposes of uncovering possible memories of alien abduction. There are several things you will want to consider.

Hypnosis is often described as a state of relaxation during which you retain a certain amount of control. However, what the hypnotist or therapist says to you and how they say it can have long-lasting effects on you. People can be led to answer questions in a particular manner while under hypnosis. Because of this, you will want to make certain that the person you choose to hypnotize you has been through training specifically for hypnosis and is knowledgeable about the alien abduction phenomenon. You should also try to speak with other people who have worked with the hypnotist you are considering.

Another thing you will want to seriously think about is your support system. After you begin hypnosis you will have many new memories to assimilate. You should ask yourself the following questions: Will I have someone I can talk to about my memories? Do I have a friend or a spouse who will support me while I pursue this type of investigation? If you are experiencing family problems or difficulties at work, the last thing you need to deal with are a flood of memories about alien Beings who have abducted you.

A third point to consider is your answer to the question: Am I having enough memories and serious enough problems with my memories to warrant undergoing hypnosis? As the saying goes, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." You should not undergo hypnosis simply because you are curious about being an alien abductee. If you are not having problems or disturbing memories, then I recommend that you do not undergo hypnosis.

Finally, when exploring lost or partial memories involving alien abduction, you should remember that hypnosis is not a "cure." You will no doubt have many questions after hypnosis, the first of which will be, "Was it real?" And, no one can answer this question except you.

Remember to obtain a professional referral before undergoing regressive hypnosis. Treat the health of your mind the same way you would treat the health of your body.

Medical Evaluations

It was important for me to seek out healthcare specialists for two reasons: Since I was eighteen I had experienced migraine headaches and none of the doctors I had seen could tell me why. In addition, I also began to suspect that what I was remembering were real events. In light of these two recurring events in my life, I believed both psychological and medical evaluations were important in my personal investigation of my abduction experiences.

In addition to being administered several tests during a rigorous psychological evaluation by two different psychologists, I have also undergone the following physiological tests: A CAT scan of my brain, two MRIs of my brain, one x-ray of my spinal column, a CAT scan of my sinuses, a cardiac ultrasound and three neurological evaluations by three different neurologists practicing in different parts of the country. Fortunately, nothing has ever been shown to be abnormal except for an uneven spacing between two of my vertebrae, a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and migraine headaches. My psychological diagnosis was PTSD: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Having given my opinion and recommendations concerning hypnosis, you should know that the scientific and medical communities are still closed-minded when it comes to considering the reality of the alien abduction phenomenon. The most popular explanations for memories of alien abduction are False Memory Syndrome, Sleep Paralysis and Fantasy Prone Personality.

It is important to understand how limited and inaccurate the above syndromes are when used to describe and "diagnose" what an alien abductee actually experiences throughout their lifetime. The closest diagnosis that meets the symptomatology of alien abduction is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The Diagnostic criteria for PTSD as described by the American Psychiatric Association in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is located in my Notes at the end of this guide.

Symptomatology of PTSD

"In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the stressor is uncommon. This means it is outside the realm of typical human experience and it is psychologically traumatic."(1)

For alien abductees, the stressor or stressors are certainly associated with events that are uncommon. Even the most benign encounter with an alien Being can be considered uncommon and psychologically traumatic.

"The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced: the individual may have intrusive, recurring thoughts or distressing dreams."(2)

One example of something that I have distressing dreams about (as well as many abductees who have contacted me over the years) is experiencing recurring dreams about having to save our children or our pets from being taken by the aliens.

"The individual persistently avoids stimuli associated with the trauma. For example, he or she tries to avoid activities related to the incident or blocks out the memory of certain aspects of the experience."(3)

Imagine driving miles out of your way everyday because you are terrified of a specific stretch of road or cannot drive across bridges because somewhere at some time, something terrible occurred there. Imagine not ever having children because you are terrified of the idea, but do not know why.

"The individual may experience persistent symptoms of increased arousal. For example, staying awake at night or having difficulty concentrating."(4)

Alien abductees will often wake up at the same time each night for an unknown reason. The time most often reported to me is between two o'clock and three-thirty in the morning. Staying awake at night has been described to me by abductees as a way to "postpone the inevitable." They sense they are going to be abducted and it seems to be the only way they can fight back. However, they are quick to add that eventually the aliens will win because they (the abductees) have to sleep at some time.

On the other hand, there have been many instances of abduction that occurred during daylight hours. Nighttime is not the only time people are abducted. I know some people who, no matter how tired they are during the day, will not dare allow themselves to take a nap for fear of something happening.

"The individual experiences the symptoms for at least one month."(5)

What we have learned about abductions is that they normally continue to occur throughout the lifetime of the abductee. The feelings, memories and/or symptoms do not go away because the abductee is not, at present, on board a craft being examined, experimented on or in the presence of alien Beings.

Abductees Helping Abductees

Sometimes abductees reach a point where they take the initiative to help other abductees. Oftentimes they begin by meeting individually with one another or will host small support groups. If you feel the need to move in this direction I advise you to move slowly and cautiously.

There is no need to "reinvent the wheel," so it might be best to begin within the established UFO community. You will want to find out if there are any organized groups already meeting in your area and network with them and find out what their focus is. Believe me, if you do this and sincerely want to help others, people will find you.

Networking

Something that I found helpful while I was working through my experiences and my "change of reality" was to network with other abductees as well as with people who had an interest in the abduction phenomenon. One way you can do this is to attend UFO meetings and conferences. I quickly discovered that many of the people who attend these meetings, lectures and symposia have either seen a UFO themselves, are an abductee or have a family member or someone close to them who is an abductee. In most cases, you will meet people who share a desire to learn all they can about the subject. In addition, there are also several organizations, journals and magazines that are aiding in the networking and educational process, not to mention all of the information and people that are now available by using the Internet.

Going Public

Although there are different levels of going public, this is still a complicated and difficult decision to make. You can choose to use a pseudonym, have your face shaded on camera, use written media only (with no photo release of your image), speak only at UFO conferences outside of the city you live or work in, write articles about your experiences or share them on message boards, blogs, or in an Internet chat room.

You may also choose to share your information with other researchers, which I recommend, if they are legitimate researchers. These days, there are many people calling themselves "abduction researchers" who in fact know very little about alien abductions. Some of these individuals have gone so far as to use abductees' information as a way to attempt to "debunk" the whole UFO phenomenon, so be certain to do your homework first. If the person is a legitimate abduction researcher, you will be able to locate their publications and/or Web sites via an Internet search.

I believe it was a good decision for me to go public. I felt an overwhelming need to share my information and doing so was cathartic for me. I realized I had abduction encounters that fit the known "abduction scenario" if you will, but I also had many experiences that did not. I also realized that a book like The Alien Jigsaw had not been written yet and was needed. In the end, it was my experiences involving seeing military and government personnel working with the aliens that made me take the risk and go public. I knew I had to share this information with others because, at that time, it was obvious other researchers were not going to do it for me.(6)

If you have information that has not been made public and you feel safe in doing so, I urge you to come forward and share what you know and what you have experienced. If you have experienced phenomena that have appeared in the published literature, but are not considered common, then I encourage you to contact the authors of those publications. It is important for people to understand and learn what types of experiences are often reported, what types of experiences are sometimes reported, and what types of experiences are indeed rare.

Stages We Go Through

There are many important decisions you will have to make during an investigation of your personal abduction experiences. There are also different stages you will go through: The initial shock when you realize that abductions are a part of your life, what the late Dr. John Mack called "ontological shock," and the working through and assimilation of new and sometimes painful memories.(7)

Oftentimes, the next stage will be fear, followed by anger because the abductions normally continue. Sadly, many people get caught up in this stage and will spend years viewing themselves as victims. If you find yourself in a support group viewing yourself as a victim year after year, then you are obviously not getting the information you require to move forward. Support groups are temporary and should be supportive, not addictive.

There isn't anything wrong with viewing yourself as a victim as long as it is a temporary stage. This is a natural way for people to feel when they have been violated or forced to do something they didn't want to do or felt was against their beliefs. However, having been there and back, I want everyone who reads this to know that had I remained in the stage where I felt I was a victim, I never would have been able to learn and grow from my experiences. And, importantly, the type of book written from that perspective would not have been very helpful to anyone.

I began meeting with other abductees on an individual basis. I then began hosting support groups and later changed the format to discussion groups. After a year or so of hosting discussion groups, I changed the format to networking luncheons, which by the way, is an excellent way to expose the general population of waiters and waitresses to the phenomenon. At least a few people can see that we're just normal, everyday people who just happen to be discussing our "otherworldly" experiences.

Being an abductee isn't easy to say the least, but there comes a time when we all have to move forward. Staying focused solely on one aspect of abductions can be misleading and in the long run, not very helpful. The phenomenon itself is changing and progressing and so is what we are learning about it. It is important to stay focused on the overall picture: good, bad, funny, strange, enlightening, terrifying, believable and unbelievable. There are many different Beings involved and they have been described as appearing as light Beings, Greys, Tans, Blondes or Nordics, Wrinkled or Pudgy Beings, Mantis Beings, Reptilian Beings, Amphibious Beings, Alien-Human Hybrids of all types - and yes - even military or government personnel.(8)

While my intention in writing this guide is to help and offer solutions, it is important not to let me or any other researcher define your experiences for you. You have made it this far because you are strong and you have drawn upon your unique skills to pull you through.

Although we have learned much since the young Brazilian farmer named Antonio Villas Boas reported the first modern-day alien abduction in 1957, the aliens continue to operate in secret and use an array of deceptive techniques when interacting with us.(9) They continue to make it as difficult as possible for us to determine exactly what they want from us and where this is all leading, but we have made great progress. To proceed forward and to continue to gain knowledge about why these Beings are here and what they are doing to us, we are going to have to remain vigilant and be patient and honest with ourselves and with one another - and continue contributing our own unique "pieces to the puzzle." © 1994, Expanded Version © 2008

NOTES

(1) Robert C. Carson, James N. Butcher, James C. Coleman, Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company) pp 150-153.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibid.

(5) Ibid.

(6) The term MILABS is an acronym that refers to "military abductions" or abductions during which military personnel are seen, sometimes working alone and sometimes working alongside of alien beings. There are divergent opinions about these types of abductions. Some researchers believe they are perpetrated by aliens alone or alien-human hybrids dressed in military uniforms. Other researchers believe they are a highly secret group of specially trained humans using alien technology who are working with one or more groups of aliens. Still others claim this is all an illusion perpetrated by "mind control" agents and these events are created via technology such as neural implants, holographs and wave technology that create virtual reality scenarios.

MILABS are extremely controversial and MILAB abductees are viewed by some researchers and organizations as "The Black Sheep" of the abduction phenomenon. In other words, being abducted by aliens is one thing, but to be abducted by one's own military or government is quite a different subject. MILABS or military abductions are perceived as somehow being more unbelievable than alien abductions. Perhaps we can "forgive" the aliens for not knowing better, but our own kind? How and why would they do this to us? What I've learned from studying MILABS is, one of the main reasons the perpetrators abduct abductees is because they are trying to learn everything they can about the aliens' motives and activities.

It is important to understand that both the way the abductee is abducted and the location of the interaction are key in determining who and what we are really dealing with when we talk about MILABS. Some of the questions to ask when studying these cases are: Do the abductors come into the abductee's home? Do they use drugs? Does the abductee report seeing the abductors wearing military uniforms or terrestrial clothing such as medical attire? Is the abductee taken out of their house or automobile and loaded into an awaiting helicopter, or suddenly find himself or herself onboard another type of aircraft or in an unknown automobile? Does the abductee find himself or herself inside an abandoned building, hospital or military base? Are aliens or hybrids present with the human abductors?

(7) Ontological Shock: "Undoing denial in abductees" (pg. 481). Ontology: "Not culturally accepted" (pg. 466). And, "...politics of ontology determines reality." (pg. 19) From, Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference held at MIT, Cambridge, MA. Edited by David E. Pritchard and John E. Mack. North Cambridge Press, Cambridge, MA., 1994; John E. Mack, Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens (New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons) pg. 44.

(8) MILABS or "Military Abductions:" For in-depth information about MILABS see:  http://www.alienjigsaw.com/Milabs/milabs.html)

(9) The abduction of Antonio Villas Boas was the earliest, most widely reported modern-day alien abduction. However, I was able to find references to other early abduction cases. One occurred in Szuhapatak, Hungary as early as 1903 and three others occurred in the 1940s (1940 in Montana, 1942 in England, and 1946 in Spain). In addition, six abductions were documented during the 1950s as referenced in UFO-Related Human Physiological Effects by John F. Schuessler. P.O. Box 58485, Houston, TX, 77258-8485, 1996; pp.17-34.

Abduction Researchers & Support Sites

Women In Ufology  "Brilliant, active Women in Ufology available to serve the UFO community. Women are deeply engaged in solving the mystery of UFOs—the greatest question of our time."

OPUS: Organization for Paranormal Understanding and Support http://www.opus-net.org

CERO - Close Encounter Research Organization: Yvonne Smith, C.Ht.  (abduction researcher) http://www.ysmith.com  P.O. Box 131, Verdugo City, CA 91046

John Carpenter, MSW, LCSW (Former director of abduction research for MUFON). Click here to read his excellent Abduction Notes.

Eve Lorgen, B.S., M.A. (psychology) and The Alien Love Bite http://www.alienlovebite.com/

Alien Enigma (Joe and Linda Montaldo)  (abduction researchers) http://alienenigma.homestead.com

Alienscalpel (Implant Removal) 253 Lombard Street, Suite B, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91360 (Dr. Roger K. Leir - Director) http://www.alienscalpel.com

Budd Hopkins' Intruders Foundation (abduction researcher) http://www.intrudersfoundation.org

David Jacobs, Ph.D. (abduction researcher) ICAR http://www.ufoabduction.com

ICAR - International Community for Alien Research (Joe and Linda Montaldo)

PTSD: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Diagnostic criteria for 309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as described by the American Psychiatric Association in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following
were present:

(1) the person experienced witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events
that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the
physical integrity of others

(2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In
children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.

B. The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) of the
following ways:

(1) recurrent and distressing recollections of the event, including images,
thoughts, or perceptions. Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur
in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.

(2) Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children, there may be
frightening dreams without recognizable content.

(3) acting or feeling if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of
reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback
episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated).
Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.

(4) Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that
symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

(5) Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that
symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general
responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three or more of
the following:

(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the
trauma

(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the
trauma

(3) inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma

(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities

(5) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

(6) restricted range of affect. (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)

(7) Sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career,
marriage, children, or a normal life span)

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as
indicated by two (or more) of the following:

(1) difficulty falling or staying asleep

(2) irritability or outbursts of anger

(3) difficulty concentrating

(4) hypervigilance

(5) exaggerated startle response

E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than one
month.

F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three months.
Chronic: if duration of symptoms is three months or more
Specify if:
With Delayed Onset: if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the Stressor