6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super in every way., April 29, 2006
Past life regression is a fact of life. Lots of hypnotists do it, and lots of them have written books about their experiences doing it. It is not uncommon while doing past life regressions for subjects to accidentally regress to an abduction instead.
In this book, Dr. Firoe has focuses exclusively on these abductions, and includes verbatim transcripts. This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read.
To deny that Dr. Fiore conducted these hypnotic sessions simply because it does not fit one's worldview, is the epitome of close-mindedness.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Abduction work from a qualified psychologist offers few new perspectives but confirms the work of other researchers, December 3, 2010
This book was published in various different hardcover and paperback editions between 1989-1997 as "Abductions: Encounters with Extraterrestrials" and also as "Encounters". The author is Dr. Edith Fiore, a qualified and practicing clinical psychologist based in California and experienced in hypnotic regression therapy. It details 13 different case histories of apparent alien abduction from Dr. Fiore's files.
Following the foreword written by Leo Sprinkle and a short introduction by the author, a chapter is devoted to each case. Regression sessions are transcribed verbatim. As the author's understanding of abductions was limited, her questioning techniques do not always reveal deep levels of memory or convincing corroborative details of the event - though a small number do (good hypnotic subjects?). The memories which emerge under Dr. Fiore's hypnosis have common themes but some depart from the classic abduction narrative in small ways and one does so radically, possibly due to confabulation and/or screen memories, as the account of this particular subject reads like classic schlock sci-fi. Others, however, feel real enough and fit the established pattern uncovered by other researchers: one woman even remembers having her eyeball removed in order that an implant could be inserted into the brain, then the eyeball re-seated - exactly as reported by Betty Andreasson to the MUFON team in Massachusetts at around the same time.
Dr. Fiore details what she has discovered to be the most common signs of abductions:
* Inability to account for periods of time
* Persistent nightmares and/or dreams of UFOs/aliens
* Sleep disorders
* Waking up with unusual bodily sensations
* Appearance of mysterious marks on the body
* Feeling of being watched, monitored or communicated with
* Repeated sightings of UFOs
* Vague recollections of a close encounter
* Unexplained healing of ailments or afflictions
* Reacting with fear/anxiety to the subject of aliens/ETs
Some of these markers overlap with those identified by other researchers over the years, so they're probably right.
At 330 pages this is a serious work on abductions by a qualified psychologist who is convinced this is a real, physical phenomenon but manages to steer clear of judgment about the abductors' motives. Like the late Professor John Mack of Harvard University Medical School, Fiore's therapeutic training inclines her towards a "positivist" perspective and she is primarily concerned with helping her patients come to terms with their experiences.
At the end of the day, does the author offer any new or radical understanding of this phenomenon to the reader? Not really. Nevertheless Dr. Fiore adds more confirmatory data to the mix, and it's worth reading if you're interested in the subject.
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