Flying Saucer to the Center of Your Mind: Selected Writings of John A. Keel

by Keel, John A.

  Doctors working with alcoholics and schizophrenics have discovered that vitamin deficiencies can disturb the oxidative metabolism of the brain. It is possible that a similar chemical imbalance is present in the brains of the UFO percipients.

  One of the most common symptoms of the contactee syndrome is the involuntary, unconscious, convulsive seizure that produces muscular soreness and migraines, sometimes lasting for weeks after the experience. Victims of hallucinosis can suffer repeated attacks after each new hallucinictims. Specific areas of the brain are affected. These seizures, and all the accompanying effects, are well known to medical science. It is apparent that most – if not all – contactees undergo dramatic changes in the forepart of the brain, possibly induced by electromagnetic waves from an exterior source.

  Recently, we were involved in a case in Forest Hills, NY, in which a 12-yr. old girl began to experience hallucinosis followed by mental blackouts and many of the common symptoms of “Jacksonian” seizures. She underwent extensive medical and psychiatric examinations, and the attending doctors discovered she often blacked out when in the presence of fluorescent lighting.

  Their rather far-out conclusion was that the girl’s brain was “tuned” to the same wavelength as such lights, and their radiation directly interfered with her mental processes. The girl frequently saw, and conversed with, beings that she described as resembling Native Americans. She saw these apparitions in the family kitchen and in school. Fluorescent lighting was used in both places. Interestingly enough, her mother also saw these apparitions on a number of occasions, but claimed they were diminutive (the girl said they were of normal size and form). The family has now moved, convinced that their old home was “haunted.” The girl’s seizures have diminished since she now avoids rooms with fluorescent illumination.

  We first became aware of the pseudo-epileptic effect during our investigation into the peculiar events around Cherry Hill, NJ in 1966. In that case, the principal witness, a healthy young karate instructor with no history of convulsive seizures, suddenly collapsed. It was while he was being returned from the hospital that he and three others saw a gigantic object hovering above an RCA factory in Cherry Hill. We have dealt with many similar cases since.

  Often witnesses to low-level UFO activity later complain of muscular soreness. They recall being transfixed or paralyzed, but they rarely recall any period of unconsciousness. Careful interrogation, however, usually indicates that they suffered a mental blackout ranging from a few seconds to several hours. This produces the well-known “time lapse” effect. Cryptomnesia (when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original) is another frequent result.

  Flying Saucer Review (vol. 16) recently discussed an intriguing event in Finland in which two young men suffered these classic medical effects, together with actinic ray burns. Numerous other cases have been discussed superficially in the UFO literature. Unfortunately, thorough medical examinations and investigations have been rare, and few researchers have made any effort to study the available medical literature.

  For many years now, parapsychologists have been studying the pineal gland’s relationship to hallucinosis and psychic manifestations. It is probable that the same “source” or electromagnetic influence that generates some psychic-type apparitions also produces most of the UFO contactee experiences. Those sections of the brain that produce the classic UFO/psychic effects are also the sections that control visual and audio perception.

  The meaning is obvious. Images, sounds, and other sensory impressions could conceivably be introduced into the brain by an electromagnetic wave that bypasses the normal channels. The remembered experience would not, therefore, be “real” in the usual sense of the term. An overcharge of this EM wave could produce a deleterious effect and might even lead to a cellular breakdown – a possible explanation for the death by brain tumor of British contactee Arthur Bryant.

  Percipients in religious miracles and visions traditionally suffer this pseudo-epileptic effect. The trance state followed by muscular soreness, etc., is common in all frames of reference. It would seem that the purest form of this type of mental reconditioning is found in the cases of “mystical illumination” or “cosmic consciousness” (see the works of Dr. Bucke for details on this). More destructive variations occur in demonopathy. Schizophrenia is often induced in some percipients. A variety of chemical and emotional problems could be responsible for some cases.

  In earlier times, many learned men devoted a large part of their lives to studying and documenting the fairy and/or elemental manifestations. The late sax Rohmer, the creator of Fu Manchu, was also a demonologist. His book, The Romance of Sorcery, has been reprinted in paperback. In that work, he quotes extensively from a book published in 1801 that described and defined the basic elemental manifestations (pages 43-50) and included obvious descriptions of what we now regard as UFO occupants. The materializations of strange, unearthly animals are also described in much of this early literature.

  We have frequently observed that the UFO occupants employ variations of nouns from ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Many of the nonsensical names brandished in the UFO contactee literature are clearly derivative and, in many cases, based upon sources so obscure that the reporting contactees could not have possibly been aware of their origin or meaning. All of this constitutes a slight twist on the well-known fairy “name games” of earlier epochs.

  In Beyond Condon, we discussed the contact claim of Maris DeLong of Glendale, CA (1967). Mrs. DeLong allegedly met members of a race from the planet “Kronin.” This was apparently a variation of Kronos (also spelled Cronus), the youngest of the Titans, son of Uranus and Gaea.

  Other ufonauts names stem from old demonological terms. One that baffled us for some time was “skow.” Contactee Truman Bethurum claimed that the little men who first approached him in 1952 termed their vehicle a “skow.” Now we have located a literary reference. Sir Walter Scott was a learned demonologist. In 1830, a collection of his letters on demonology was published, called Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft. On page 98 we find: “The actors in these disturbances [are said to be] the Skow, or Biergen-Trold, i.e., the spirits of the woods and mountains, sometimes called ‘subterranean’ people, which appeared in deep caverns and among horrid rocks…”

  Many nonfiction books describe UFO contactee-like experiences completely outside the limits of the UFO frame of reference. One of the most fascinating is The Ultimate Frontier by Eklal Kueshana. This is purportedly the biography of a young man who began to have experiences with “elementals” at the age of 12. UFOs are not mentioned at all, but the myth of the planet “klarian” is presented on page 32. Researchers who have been involved in personal studies of contactees will recognize the many contactee-type experiences outlined.

  The elementals that appeared before the young man did not pose as spacemen, but represented themselves as members of a “powerful, ultra-secret brotherhood.” Much of the information in the book is identical to the information usually passed along to contactees. Just as the fairies of the Middle Ages represented the “secret Commonwealth,” the modern “brothers” have posed variously as the “Illuminati” or as representatives of some super-civilization in the sky.

  In Ultimate Frontier, this “X-group” is referred to as “The Black Mentalists.” This is fairly well-defined in the book. The Black Mentalists are another variation of the “Mind patrol” so popular in whispered UFO lore.

  The contactee syndrome has not been adequately studied by qualified medical researchers. There is no clinical precedent for these manifestations within psychiatry. Yet there seem to be many thousands of “silent contactees” in the U.S. alone. Some of these people have been living in a secret hell for years. We have outlined some of the major symptoms here. An intelligent, properly organized study of these people can give us important insights into the real nature of the overall phenomenon. The stories from the non-events can provide
no basis for study. We must examine the people themselves in-depth, and systematically…

  In studying subjects working in the vicinity of an electromagnetic field of low radio frequency (0.5KHZ to 30MHZ), Russian observers found: changes in the EEG, glycemic curve, increase in gamma globulin, deviations of the brain nerves, pyramidal symptoms (motion disorders), slight enlargement of the thyroid gland, increases in leukocyte (white bloodcell) count, and slight shifts in the protein composition of the blood, along with headaches, insomnia, irritability, and fatigue.

  A study of two groups of mice irradiated with an electromagnetic field (operating at 27.2 MHz at room temperature, and in the cold) respectively demonstrated that the same field strength of electromagnetic waves that killed the mice at room temperature had little effect on the mice in the cold environment. As might be expected, mice irradiated in the cold environment seemed perfectly content. In contrast, mice not irradiated exhibited a behavior of misery, shivering, failing respiration, and indifference to other physical stimuli.

  Headaches, chills, mental confusion and disorientation, and amnesia – all common UFO symptoms – can be induced by these waves and rays.

  Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that many of the physical effects and symptoms suffered by UFO percipients can be duplicated by exposing test animals to low-frequency radiowaves. This is a clear indication that powerful low-frequency waves accompany UFO manifestations. In some cases, we have reason to suspect that these low-frequency waves produced a condition that generated hallucinations in the subjects. When we first realized this in 1966-67, we were inclined to attribute these waves to a mechanical or technological source. Further study, as outlined in Operation Trojan Horse and Our Haunted Planet, has led us to discard this enchanting hypothesis. These same symptoms and effects are also common in various forms of psychic and religious phenomena, indicating that all paranormal manifestations may have a common cause. This cause may be beams of electromagnetic energy on the lower frequencies. These beams are not necessarily broadcast by some technological instrument, but may be generated by some unknown force in the cosmos. This force may not be physical at all. The source may be diffuse.

  SEX AND THE SINGLE SAUCERER

  Hans Lauritzen let another cat out of the bag when Ray Palmer published his long letter regarding his emotional and sexual responses to UFO contact. We have been quietly studying sexual effects of UFO contact since 1966, and have a number of detailed, unpublished reports in our files. The best-known case of this sort, Brazil’s Antonio Villas-Boas, is only a minor example. In 1966-67, we uncovered a number of “sexual encounter” incidents in several states, concentrated around college campuses. Some cases were referred to local psychiatrists.

  Since 1967, we have approached a number of magazines about doing a documented article on these cases. Every editor rejected the suggestion, even the editor of Male magazine. And, of course, the ufologists themselves tend to ignore or suppress such reports. APRO received Dr. Fontes’ detailed medical report of the Villas-Boas case in the late 1950s, but did not release it until 1966, after Dr. Buhler accidentally stumbled across Boas and published an inaccurate report.

  Essentially, these sexual encounters follow the patterns of the well-known incubus-succubus phenomenon found in religious and psychic lore. The same patterns are prevalent in the fairy lore. We discussed this briefly in our various books. Brad Steiger devoted a chapter of his book, Haunted Lover, to other cases he had independently uncovered.

  Others, such as Dr. Berthold Schwarz, have studied cases in which the witnesses’ genitalia were somehow affected after a UFO experience. Barney Hill developed a ring of warts around his sex organ. Other percipients have come down with the symptoms of venereal disease. Usually these symptoms persist for a day or two, and then disappear.

  A large number of scientific studies have been quietly carried out in recent years, particularly in the Soviet Union, to understand the effects of electromagnetic waves more fully. It is known that radiations in the higher frequencies (100 to 3000 MHz) produce a thermal effect (cause organs to heat), and primarily affect the eyes and testes. Below 30 MHz, however, no resonant heating occurs, and the RF (radio frequency) energy completely penetrates the body, exposing all organs.

  Obviously sex and the sexual system play a mysterious role in these manifestations. We have been conducting our own studies into this aspect quietly, hoping to develop a rational hypothesis before bringing such a delicate matter into the open. At this point, our studies seem to confirm our general contention that hallucination and confabulation play vital parts in all contactee reports.

  SYMPTOMS OF HALLUCINATION

  Sudden flashes of light frequently occur at the beginning of UFO contact experiences. These flashes are usually described as resembling a photo flashbulb. In a number of instances, the witness has been led to believe that he has, in fact, been photographed in some manner. John Reeves, the Florida contactee, thought the UFO entity had raised a camera-like box and taken a picture of him. In the Galli case (described in Operation Trojan Horse), the witness claimed he was flash-photographed after stepping into a craft. Innumerable other witnesses, such as police officer Schirmer of Nebraska, have reported seeing brilliant flashes of light at the outset of their contact experiences.

  In one case widely publicized by APRO, the witness reported seeing bright lights moving towards him. The next thing he knew, he was sitting on a high tree limb. Under hypnosis, he recalled a group of strange beings surrounding the tree, while a mechanical object floated towards him and gassed him. This was, most likely, a case of confabulation in which a false memory was implanted in the witness’ mind to explain things he noted; sensory impression registered too deeply to be erased.

  The case of Betty and Barney Hill began not with a flash of light but with the common (in psychic lore) impression of hypnotic eyes floating bodiless in front of the witnesses. Here, too, the medical explanation would be confabulation. The remembered experience was merely a fiction implanted into the mind to explain the physical evidence of their actual experience. The Hill case was completely mishandled by the attending (Army) psychiatrist, Dr. Simon, who was not versed in UFO lore and who directed the course of the confabulation. It has been proven that patients under hypnosis can produce elaborate, realistic fantasies with total conviction.

  When complete details of a contact experience are collected, it is usually found that the witness either observed a flash of light or a bodiless eye at the outset. This is also extremely common in religious lore, particularly in those cases in which angels and entities have appeared. The hypnotic, bodiless eye is usually translated into the “eye of god.” These flashes of light occurred at Fatima, and are described in many other accounts of “miracles.”

  Psychic “flashes” are so common that they are rarely recorded in modern psychic literature. Light flashes are a universal phenomenon in haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, and the like. Persons with psychic ability frequently see such flashes, usually in the corner of their eye. These flashes sometimes precede some important event or change in their lives.

  These flashes can take other, more unusual forms. In several Men in Black reports, the witnesses claimed the MIB took their picture with a flash camera. In a few known cases, these “photography” sessions were elaborately staged. The MIB arrived at the witnesses’ homes in the usual black Cadillacs, set up a tripod on their front lawns, and seemingly photographed the whole house. In other cases reported to us, the MIB fired flashguns from passing automobiles.

  The events surrounding these flash experiences were probably hallucinatory, set in a frame of reference understandable to the witness. John Reeves and others fully believed they were being photographed by space entities. The action made sense to them. In actuality, however, the flash of light probably was a response in the brain to the unknown mechanism that produces paranormal events. There was not an actual flash of light, except in the witness’ mind. The flash was produced by the nervous system. It
was not something seen by the eyes and transmitted to the brain; rather, it was a response of the brain to a wave of electromagnetic energy transmitted directly to it.

  The affected mind then translates this extraordinary and unfamiliar experience into something more acceptable. An analogy can be drawn between a typical contactee and a person sleeping and dreaming. If you are sleeping, and an insect should bite you on the arm, you are likely to have a dream in which you translate the pain of the insect bite to the context of the dream. You might dream that a hypodermic needle is being driven into you arm. Your mind might even construct a very complicated dream around this sensory experience. You might have a nightmare in which a group of longhaired hippies are attacking you with hypodermic needles.

  This same process is evident in much of the fairy and witchcraft lore, as Dr. Vallee noted in his book Passport of Magonia. Betty Hill recalled under hypnosis that the alien space people drove a long needle into her abdomen. This puncturing aspect is common in fairy and witchcraft stories. It is likely that these experiences merely produce a pain in certain nerves, and that the mind translates this pain into the “dream” or overall hallucinatory experience, just as the normal sleeper turns an insect bite into a hypodermic injection in his nightmare.

  The phantom photographers who abound in UFO lore (we even uncovered one case in the West Virginia “Mothman” fracas) probably fit this category. The witnesses saw a flash of light at the beginning of their experience, and later remembered this falsely as being the product of a flash camera.

  It is well known that U.S. astronauts in space have observed bright flashes of light, even when their eyes were closed. Various theories for this phenomenon have been offered, the most popular being that the flashes are caused by cosmic rays passing through the eyeballs. It is improbable that ground-level witnesses would be suffering from this cosmic ray effect, however.