Dreams or Recall on the Hill Abduction
Hypnosis Tapesxml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Copyright 2009: Kathleen Marden
The scientific investigation of the
9/19-20/1961 Betty and Barney Hill UFO encounter has been supported by the
abundance of evidence that something anomalous occurred. It is bolstered by the
professional competence of early investigators, such as Walter Webb, Robert
Hohmann, C.D. Jackson, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. James McDonald, Marjorie Fish,
Stanton T. Friedman and Dr. James Harder. However, skeptical literature is
teeming allegations that the reported alien abduction was nothing more than a
fantasy dreamed by Betty over a five night period and absorbed by Barney when
he overheard her retell the tale to Walter Webb and others.
Barney, who admitted that he had overheard
snippets of Bettys dreams, informed Dr. Simon, I just told her it was a dream
and nothing to get alarmed about
I cant believe whatever these dreams are that
she is having
I never believed her dreams.(3/21/64 hypnosis transcript) Dr. Benjamin Simon reported on the Larry
Glick Show in 1975 that he thought Betty so strongly believed her dreams that
she repeated them as fantasies during her hypnosis sessions. During the 1965
hypnosis sessions, he also expressed that Barney had unintentionally absorbed
the information in Bettys dream account.
Although he was willing to accept the
possibility that the Hills observed an unidentified flying object in the night
sky on September 19-20, 1961, (though not necessarily an extraterrestrial
craft), he stated that their abduction accounts were so nearly identical that
one had to have obtained the information from the other, particularly since in
1964, alien abduction had never been reported. He added that although anything
is possible, he felt that kidnapping by extraterrestrial aliens seemed
improbable to him. (He knew almost nothing about UFOs.)
Dr. Simon stated of the Hill account to Larry
Glick, "Barney and Betty gave the same story and this story was precisely
like the story that was written up by the NICAP investigator. There were no
differences between the three. It was the same story they gave consciously...There
was no difference. They both shared the same story all the way."
He continued, "It had me in a bind and I
was now faced with certain decisions and I couldn't make them. I was faced with
a story that was very fantastic. If this were real and true, I would have to
believe that these supposed people were from outer space...I believed in their
honesty, but this story was fantastic and unreal and had to be accepted or
rejected."
Many of you have read about the Hills close
encounter with an 80 silent, hovering craft south of Indian Head in Lincoln,
NH. Barneys conscious description of the figures on board, copied from NICAP
investigator Walter Webbs October 1961 confidential report, can be found on
page 52 in my book Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience,
co-written with nuclear physicist/scientific ufologist Stanton T. Friedman.
Overview of the Close Encounter
It has been well established through early
investigation reports that Betty and Barney consciously recalled a series of
buzzing/beeping sounds that caused their vehicle to vibrate and a tingling
sensation to pass through their bodies as the UFO hovered above their vehicle.
Later, they consciously recalled observing a
fiery orb and a roadblock on an unfamiliar stretch of road, followed by another
series of buzzing/beeping sounds approximately thirty-five miles south of the
first occurrence.
When they arrived home later than expected,
they observed and reported perplexing physical and circumstantial evidence for
which they had no prosaic explanation. There were 12-18 shiny, magnetized
circles on their cars trunk that hadn't been there the day before. Their
watches were broken. The leather
binocular strap was severed. The toes of Barneys best dress shoes were so badly
scraped that he relegated them to yard work attire. Betty's good dress was torn
in several places--the top of her zipper, the lining and the hemline. (Later,
Betty reported to investigators that her dress was coated with a pink powdery
substance.)
It was the period of missing time and the
subsequent decline in Barneys health that finally took Barney, accompanied by
Betty, to Dr. Simons office on December 14,1963. The events that unfolded
under six months of separate hypnotherapy with amnesia imposed at the end of
each session are well documented in John G. Fullers The Interrupted Journey
(1966) and my book Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience, with
Stanton Friedman. (2007).
Although I was a primary witness to the
evidence and the aftermath, my own investigation and research was delayed until
the late 1980s. Finally, after several years of intensive study I convinced
Betty (1996) to allow me to test the hypothesis that Barney had merely absorbed
her dream account and that she had reiterated her dreams nearly verbatim in Dr.
Simons office. This research approach is clearly amenable within the framework
of social science, and also gave me the opportunity to answer the question that
had been nagging at me for thirty-two yearswere my aunt and uncle really
abducted by alien beings?
Hypnosis Sessions
Barneys first hypnotic regression transpired
on February 22, 1964 in a soundproof room at Dr. Simons Back Bay office in
Boston, MA. To insure privacy Dr. Simon played bombastic classical in the room
where Betty waited for Barney. At the
end of each session he reinstated amnesia in both Betty and Barney to ensure
that no cross-contamination of information would occur and to protect his
patients psychological well-being. He
reasoned that if the traumatic event, for which they had amnesia, entered their
conscious memories too early it could produce added trauma.
I listened to the tapes several times, and
when I felt that I had a full understanding of what had occurred, I transcribed
the hypnosis tapes and performed a detailed dissection of the Hills individual
statements for my comparative analysis.
It was then that I realized how much I (and probably Dr. Simon) had
missed simply by listening to the Hills' statements.
With a couple of exceptions, that were easily
worked out in later sessions, the Hills separate accounts for which they
retained conscious memory were amazingly consistent. I was anxious to compare Bettys dreams with
the several accounts detailed under hypnotic regression. (Dr. Simon revisited
the Hills testimony several times in order to clear up what seemed at first to
be inconsistencies.)
In Dreams or Recall? Betty wrote,
I saw
8-11 men standing in the middle of the road.
Barney slowed down to wait for them to move, but the motor died. As he was trying to start the motor, the men
surrounded the car.(11/61)
My Comparative Analysis of the Capture
Now let us compare this account to Barneys
hypnotic recall. He stated, I think I
have driven a lot of miles and the road is not Route 3. It is a heavily wooded area but it is a road,
and this is when I am flagged down
I thought I saw a cluster of six men,
because three came to me and three did not. (2/29/64) The discrepancy is
obvious.
In Bettys dream account 8-11 men surrounded
the Hills vehicle, whereas Barney recalled six men who divided into two
groups. Bettys hypnotic recall is inconsistent with her dream account but
consistent with Barneys statement.
She reported, There were these men standing
in the highway
There were several
And Barney, of course, had to stop
and these
men started to come up to the car. They
separated. They came up in two
groups
And there are one, two, three next to me.(3/7/64)
Dreams or Recall? continues, We sat there
motionless and speechless, and I was terrified.
At the same time, they opened the car doors on each side, reached in and
took us by the arm. (11/61)
In Bettys and Barneys hypnotic regression
sessions, a new scenario emerged that contradicted Bettys dream account.
Barney recalled, I saw two eyes coming close to mine and I felt like the eyes
had pushed into my eyes
.I got out of the car and put my left leg on the
ground, and the two men helped me out.(2/29/64)
Now let us examine Bettys statement made
under hypnosis: The men are coming toward us and I think I can get away from
them. If I can get the car door open I
can run into the woods and hide. And I just put my hand on the car door to open
it and the men come up and they open it for me. Betty reported that although
there were three men next to her, one took her out of the vehicle. Next, Dr.
Simon stated that he didnt hear her last statement and in a very confusing
sentence, Betty started to count the men over and over again. Then she added,
I dont know what happened.(3/7/64)
She later informed me that she had lost
consciousness when a handheld device was pointed at her. Again the Hills
hypnotic regression statements are consistent, but they are inconsistent with
Bettys dream account. They did not sit motionless. Barney opened the car door
and put his foot on the ground and Betty attempted to open her door to escape
into the woods.
I suspected that Betty slipped into her dream
account after she lost consciousness. Her dream account reads, I am walking
through a path in the woods. Tall trees are on both sides, but next to me on
both sides is a man; two men in front; two men in back; then Barney with a man
on each side of him; other men in back of him.(11/61)
In Dreams or Recall? she counts ten
escorts, whereas in Dr. Simons office, she and Barney had previously counted a
total of six at their car doors, or perhaps eight in all. (Bettys statements
become a bit confusing.)
My Comparative Analysis of the Journey to the Ramp
Her hypnotic recall is nearly identical to
her dream sequence when she states, I open my eyes and Im walking through the
woods!...and theres a man on this (right) side and an man on this (left) side,
and two men in front of me
and theres a couple of men behind me, and then
theres Barney
and theres a man on each side of him.(3/7/64) Her hypnotic
recall omits the two men behind Barney that she mentioned in her dream account.
Otherwise, her statement to Dr. Simon matches her dream almost verbatim.
The comparative analysis becomes tricky when
Betty and Barney approach the ramp leading to the crafts interior. Bettys dream account states, We stepped up
a step or two to go onto a ramp, leading to a door. On 3/7/64 Betty omitted
the steps when she told Dr. Simon, I go up the ramp, and I go inside and in
the corridor to the left.
On 2/29.64, Barney stated, I am only
thinking of mental pictures because my eyes are closed, and I think I am going
up a slight incline, and my feet are not bumping on the rocks. That's funny, I thought of my feet bumping on
the rocks. And they are going up smoothly, but I'm afraid to open my eyes
because I am being told strongly, by myself, to keep my eyes closed. Don't open them. Barneys omission of steps
is consistent with Bettys statement to Dr. Simon, but both contradict Bettys
dream account.
Separate Experiences
The Hills are then escorted to separate
examining rooms and both recall similarly detailed, but separate experiences
with their captors. Although there is correlating data in their statements
regarding procedures, attitudes and room descriptions, I chose not to include
it in this comparative analysis. Additionally, the sequential order of Bettys
onboard experience differs from that in her dream account. My research protocol
dictated that my data should be restricted to shared descriptive details,
including positional and numerical data; not physical descriptions.
The Hills' Departure from the Craft
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This takes us to the point where the Hills
and their captors share a common area in the corridor at the time of departure.
Bettys dream account reads, We left the ship and walked through
the woods
All the men accompanied us. We came to the car and the leader
suggested that we wait and see them
leave. We agreed. Barney seemed to wake up as we approached the car, and he
showed no emotion. We stood on the right-hand side of the car, Barney was
leaning against the front fender, and I was by the door. As we were waiting, I
thought of Delsey. I opened the car door and Delsey was under the seat. She was
trembling badly, and I patted her for a moment. She came out and I picked her
up, and held her, again leaning against the car door.
Betty contradicts her dream account when she
states to Dr. Simon, I've been standing there on the side of the ramp talking
to him, and I'm at the ramp now, and
they're taking Barney ahead while we were talking. (3/14/64 hypnosis
session)
Barneys statement is consistent with Bettys
hypnotic recall but inconsistent with Bettys dream account. He informed Dr.
Simon, I am walking and I am walking, and I am being guided and my eyes are
closed. And I open my eyes and there is the car, and the lights are off and it
is not running. And Delsey is under the seat, and I reach under and touch her,
and she is in a tight ball. And I sit back and I see Betty is coming down the
road. (2/29/64)
This comparative analysis reveals that Betty
and Barney did not leave the craft at the same time and were not escorted to
their vehicle by all of the men. Barney was returned by the crew, while Betty
remained on the craft arguing with the leader. Finally, the leader escorted
Betty to the car where Barney was already seated on the drivers side. On
3/14/64, Barney added, I saw my car and the lights were out and it was sitting
down the road
very dark. And I couldn't
understand
I had not cut out the lights, and I opened the door, and felt for
Delsey. And got in and I sat on my gun, and I took it...removed it from the
seat, and put it down on the floor. And Betty was coming down the road and she
came around and opened the door".
Betty added, I got out to the car and
Barney's inside and I opened the car door and I said, "Come on out and
watch them leave
Delsey's sitting on the seat where I sit and I felt of Delsey
and she is trembling all over. And she's scared, so I said, Well Barney, come
on out and I'll get Delsey." And I picked Delsey up off the seat and I'm
holding Delsey and I'm patting her and I'm saying, "Don't be afraid,
Delsey. There's nothing to be afraid of.
Look Delsey, look." And I'm
leaning against the fender of the car and I shut the car door and I'm leaning
against the fender and I'm looking up and I say, "Barney, look." And
Barney comes out and stands aside of me and I'm patting Delsey "
It is clear that Betty and Barneys
statements to Dr. Simon independently confirm that they did not return to the
car at the same time. This is in direct contradiction to Bettys dream
recall. Additionally, both stated that
Barney was seated in the drivers seat when Betty arrived at the car. This
statement is inconsistent with Bettys dream sequence. In Bettys dream, she opens the car door to
remove Delsey from under the seat, but under hypnosis she states that Delsey is
on the car seat. Barney confirmed
Bettys statement that he then exited the car and stood beside her to observe
the crafts departure.
My Conclusion
The above statements provide evidence that
Betty and Barney Hill recalled correlating detailed positional and numerical
information regarding their abduction experience. Further, this information is inconsistent
with Bettys dream recollection, and therefore could not have been transferred
to Barney by Betty. Nor could Betty have been restating the fantasy material in
her dreams. Because the Hills amnesia remained intact during their hypnosis
sessions, they could not have contaminated each others recall. These findings clearly support the abduction
hypothesis and refute the dream transference hypothesis.
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