Below is an edited CHAT room conversation with myself, Whitley Strieber and his wife Anne. This is from Feb. 2008. It's posted on the UNKNOWN COUNTRY subscriber's site. I thought it was relevant to this thread.
The reference to "John" is John Lerma, the doctor that tried to remove a supposed implant from Whitley's ear.
* mikec:
Dr. Lerma (and Whtley) - - - I've been trying to deal with my personal history of odd experiences. Presently, I feel like I am ready (and open) to actually looking into it.
I worked Budd Hopkins, and he asked if I had any unknown scars. At the time I said "nope." But, a day later, I realized that I did have a small (approx 5mm), very straight scar just inside my nostril. It just showed up one day, about 2001, not sure. It was sore and inflamed when I first noticed it, as it healed, all that was left was a short razor-like scar. Honestly, I feel like it's nothing, but Budd sure seemed curious. And his interest actually makes me feel like I should be concerned.
I feel like I want an answer, but how do I ask my local doctor about it - without him thinking I'm a paranoid weirdo? How should I proceed? Any insights?
* whitley_strieber:
If I were you, I'd just tell him that it bothers you sometimes, and have him examine it. That's the way I approached Dr. Lerma. But since he'd already read Communion, he was a bit suspicious. I told him it became irritated when I slept on it, and he initially diagnosed it as a cyst.
Just tell him it's an injury, you don't know how you got it, and it becomes irritated sometimes and bothers you.
* Anne_Strieber
Mike, about your nose, I wouldn't bother going to a doctor about that, but I wouldn't take any "medical advice" from a UFO investigator either! These folks cross into areas where they do not have expertise--hypnosis is one main example. Be careful.
* mikec
Anne - Budd was actually pretty good about the whole scar thing. I am going into this - into my own experiences - with a very skeptical attitude. I am trying to be as self-aware as I can be. I have tried hypnosis, and it's been uneventful.
* Anne_Strieber
Mike, I guess what I mean is that Budd has his mind made up about what that scar is--he's not open to other interpretations and does not have any medical information. This could even mean that you neglect getting some treatment that you need to get.
* mikec:
Anne, I agree. I sensed that in Budd. I feel like (at this point in my life) I am strong enough to recognize that in his outlook, and not end up overly influenced by his reaction. Whitley's advice to just go in and tell my doctor it bother's me seems like a good way to start.
* Anne_Strieber
I'm sure John, as a physician, would agree with that! What bothers me so much about the UFO investigators who do hypnosis is that memories can actually be DESTROYED this way.
* MikeC
Whitley - Thanks. I gotta add, that there is a very real level of fear associated with this little scar on my nose. I had a girlfriend ask me what it was. I answered, "It's an ingrown hair." And she said, "No it isn't!" And I got so scared when she said that, it was overwhelming. I didn't understand my reaction.
* whitley_strieber
This fear that we all have is very complex in its origin. First, the visitors assemble reality differently from the way we do, and this creates a fear of annihilation that is deeper than the fear of death, and that is very hard to bear. You can learn to handle it, though. When I discovered that they feel it, too, and it is not actually a real concern, I still felt it, but I could live with it.
The fear you are not going to be able to control is the one that arises when we see that we might get too much knowledge. This is related to the fear of death, because the body filters out knowledge so that the essence can be free to act out of its being, not its knowledge. This is what life is--the discovery of who we really are. We cannot do this if we have too much knowledge, and we will do ANYTHING to protect our innocence.
So when the visitors approach us with those life-in-death eyes of theirs, we are terrified.
