Do UFO's cause human injury?

[Trajanus]

Please point me to others as I've been looking for more cases where people are close enough to either hear dialogue amongst the operators of unknown crafts (most of these come from airship times), get up close enough to document the ship's exterior, or even get a peek inside.

There have been a number of cases, not contactee, in which people were able to see, through some window or porthole, various things inside a UFO. Witnesses in the US and elsewhere saw something like a steering wheel inside craft. More often, dials, buttons or control panels were seen. Maceiras reported that in '73. So did a teenage girl in the US and Argentine kids in '63. Most reports of alien devices, however, come from those who say they were taken inside a craft, hence may be considered contactees.

 

[Burnt State]

There have been a number of cases, not contactee, in which people were able to see, through some window or porthole, various things inside a UFO. Witnesses in the US and elsewhere saw something like a steering wheel inside craft. More often, dials, buttons or control panels were seen. Maceiras reported that in '73. So did a teenage girl in the US and Argentine kids in '63. Most reports of alien devices, however, come from those who say they were taken inside a craft, hence may be considered contactees.

Thanks, Trajanus. Already the first case you cited yielded some exceptional details that I will pick up on a new thread regarding details in the craft.

 

[Sentry]

Now that the physical injuries have been discussed, let's talk about some emotional cases. I'll start with my favorite, how Colby Landrum was afraid to go outside and was terrified at the sound or sight of helicopters. I've not seen it diagnosed as such, but it sounds like a case of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

I guess its hard to talk about this angle without getting into the abduction claims, and I'm far less familiar with them. One that springs right to mind though, is the Hickson/Parker abduction from 1973. One of the things that convinced Dr. Hynek that the case was genuine was the emotional ordeal of the witnesses. After being interrogated by police officers, they were left alone and continued to talk to each other about what they'd been through, not realizing they were being observed. Phonies more likely would have just relaxed after a performance, or if careless, joked
about it.

 

[Randall]

Now that the physical injuries have been discussed, let's talk about some emotional cases. I'll start with my favorite, how Colby Landrum was afraid to go outside and was terrified at the sound or sight of helicopters ...

I just checked the Blue Blurry Lines link in your signature line. That is an absolutely excellent article.

 

[Trajanus]

One of the things that convinced Dr. Hynek that the case was genuine was the emotional ordeal of the witnesses.

I remember that. He said they were "either telling the truth or they should be in Hollywood."

After being interrogated by police officers, they were left alone and continued to talk to each other about what they'd been through,

"...paralyzed, like I'd stepped on a damn rattlesnake...."

not realizing they were being observed. Phonies more likely would have just relaxed after a performance, or if careless, joked
about it.

Right.

 

[Burnt State]

Now that the physical injuries have been discussed, let's talk about some emotional cases. I'll start with my favorite, how Colby Landrum was afraid to go outside and was terrified at the sound or sight of helicopters. I've not seen it diagnosed as such, but it sounds like a case of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

I guess its hard to talk about this angle without getting into the abduction claims, and I'm far less familiar with them. One that springs right to mind though, is the Hickson/Parker abduction from 1973. One of the things that convinced Dr. Hynek that the case was genuine was the emotional ordeal of the witnesses. After being interrogated by police officers, they were left alone and continued to talk to each other about what they'd been through, not realizing they were being observed. Phonies more likely would have just relaxed after a performance, or if careless, joked
about it.

Well this gets back to Boomerang's contention and interest regarding the psycho-emotional fallout for witnesses - it messes with their heads. I've been reviewing a number of the Jerome Clark narratives and am very interested in the role mental health plays in the stories of contactees and the impact on witness mental health, like Colby's experience.

In the stories where there is a resultant trauma there is a validation of the intensity of the experience. We need to pay attention to these narratives, not because they tell us about UFO's but that a real event of consequence took place and these merit further, more detailed investigation.

Do you want to start a thread on the emotional fallout for witnesses?

 

[Sentry]

While the psychological fallout is fascinating to me, the subject is so broad that is overwhelming. There's just too many intangibles, and also, I'm not sure that any of the problems are unique to UFOs.

The fallout is interesting, though. Some witnesses experience something like a spiritual awakening, and the sighting acts as a life-changing event. Sometimes, this can be brought on by seeing what becomes a IFO, an object later identified as something like a plane or a meteor. Maybe the key element is what the sighter believes about what they are seeing.

Another of the many psychological angles is the anguish caused by the witnesses not being believed. Again, this is not unique to UFOs or even the paranormal, but it plays an important role. Fear of being ridiculed and called a liar comes into play in many cases, and causes witnesses to delay in reporting the case. There's another side to that coin, dealing with the unwanted celebrity of being a witness, and having to deal with the pressure of the public and the media.

 

[Randall]

Another of the many psychological angles is the anguish caused by the witnesses not being believed. Again, this is not unique to UFOs or even the paranormal, but it plays an important role. Fear of being ridiculed and called a liar comes into play in many cases, and causes witnesses to delay in reporting the case. There's another side to that coin, dealing with the unwanted celebrity of being a witness, and having to deal with the pressure of the public and the media.

An excellent and often underappreciated point. I think that we who have been immersed in the field for a long time have learned how to cope with the emotional stress that goes along with it, and we forget how much it can affect someone who is new. Young impressionable people are often drawn to these topics out of a personal interest or unexplained experience, and those who use cyberbullying as a tactic to convince them that what they think is wrong, can be hurtful and damaging. That's not to deny that it can get frustrating getting through to people who have imprinted onto some belief system or another, and that a splash of the cold truth isn't sometimes justifiable, but going beyond that to make remarks that are intended to embarrass or demean isn't likely to win any converts.

 

[Sentry]

I think that we who have been immersed in the field for a long time have learned how to cope with the emotional stress that goes along with it, and we forget how much it can affect someone who is new.

That reminds me of a tangental issue, not of witnesses, but of anyone tying to learn about the field. If you don't have a high tolerance for ambiguity and conflicting data, your head may explode!

I recommend anyone studying the topic to have another hobby, one that allows for the periodic satisfaction of actually finishing a project, offering a sense completion!