Magonia No 53 1995 08

24 Pages·1995·11.3 MB·English

11
£1.25
Blue is the
Colour
The Hypno-show
Controversy
MlchaeGol ss
*
Victims of
Memory
FeatureR eview
*
From Roswell
to Oklahoma
Blodo , Vision
City
and Brimstone:
Roger Sandell
*
abductions, abuse and
Plus:
the apocalyptic
Book Reviews
Letters imagination
BackPage
Competition Peter Rogerson
MAGONIA 53 MUFOB 102
AUGUST1995
EDITOR
AORMER US soldier with a good of BUFORA. Today however FSR exists
JOHN RIMMER
Army reco� living in a rural chiefly � a vehicle for the conspiracy
� sees UFOs on his land on theory rantings of iu editor, and UFO
EDITORIAL PANEL several occasions, and discusses them with 1iTTWs, BUFORA's official journal has de­
John Harney his neighbours. Later he tells investigators voted large amounts of space to Mary Sea4
RogerSandell
that he believes there is an implant inside organiser of the 1993 'Global Deception
CORRESPONDING EDITORS his body. This might seem a fairly familiar Conference' that was addressed by Eustace
Peter Rogerson introduction to an abduction-type case. Mullins.. the veteran US anti-semite and
Nigel Watson
However, the investigators are not Budd Nazi apologist.
P. L. A. Driftwood
Hopkins and his asocs iates, but police More alarming than those public­
officers, for the UFO percipient is Timothy ations are the recent pronouncements of
SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS McVeigb.. chief suspect in the Oklahoma David Icke. After strange odyssey from
a
Magonia is available by ex­ City bombing. [J] sports personality to Green campaigner to
change with other magazines, Right back in the 1970's one of the New Age guru.. his most recent bok.o . The
or by subscription at the fol­
first article Peter Rogcrson wrote for Robot's Rebellion uncritically endorses a
lowing rates for four issues:
MUFOB (Magonia 's predecessor) dealt variety of extreme right-wing conspiracy
UnitedK ingdom £5.00 with the ultra-right politics that were then theories. Icke is also reported to be having
·
Europe £6.00 to be found on the American ufological problems finding a publisher for his next
UnitedS tates $13.00 fringe. Today the overlap has become book because of the Holocaust denial mat­
Otherc ountries £6.50
' larger and more significant than ever. In erial it contains. [2) He has also apparent­
the confused 90's USA the nrilitia groups ly recently been favourably written about
£? USA subscriptions must
are gaining new audiences and incorporat- in the publications of the neo-Nazi group
be paid in dollar bills or UK
ing Government - UFO links into their Combat-18.
funds. We are unable to
accept cheques drawn on conspiracy theories. Meanwhile in Amer- A future issue of Magonia will
American banks. ican ufology those tales of dead aliens in examine the '90s resurgence of conspirator­
air bases that in the 70's were generally ialism in more detail, and we will continue
c> French subscribers may
igno� are now being taken seriously by to cover new developments. Meanwhile
find it easier and cheaper to
many people who see the conspiracy the organisers of events that help legit­
send us a lOO-franc bank­
note for a special seven­ theories of the militia groups as providing imise these sinister ideas (such � UFO
a political explanation for them. The inter- conferences which feature David Icke} and
issue subscription.
action between the groups is shown most those who share platforms with their ad­
c> Cheques and money­ cl.carly by Williain Cooper� who has moved vocates without exposing their ideas and
orders should be made pay­ from spinning retrieval tales at UFO con- affiliates. would be well advised to think
able to 'John Rimmer', not ventions. to becoming a major figure in very carefulyl about what they are actually
'Magonia'. the militia movement. doing. Roger SandsU
When Peter Rogerson first wrote 2�
All correspondence. subscript­
ions and exchange magazines on this topic the examples he quoted v.�eTC Notes: 1. McVeigh's UFO sightings were mentioned in
should be sent to the editor: all American. Such ideas rarely surfaced in The Jntkpendent, 28 April1995.
Flying Saucer Review or the publications 2. 'New Age Nazis', NewState:sman, 23 June 1995.
John Rimmer
John Dee Cottage
5 James Terrace Meet Magonia
Mortlake Churchyard The Magonia Readers• Group meets on the first Sunday of each month at the
London, SW14 SHB Railway pub. Putney High Street on the corner of Upper Richmond Road,
United Kingdom opposite Putney B..R. station (about 15 mins. from Waterloo). Meet in the upstairs
bar (non-smolcing) from 7J5pm onwards. Just turn up and join in the conversation
@ MagoniMaa gazinte9 96 - look for the prominently displayed copies of Magonia! the usual good value
CopyrighItn s igneadrt lolerses ts witht he Wetbenpoon•s range of food and drinJcs is available. Ring 0181 876 7246 or 0181
876 6602 for more details
authors.
is the colour .
•
MICHAEL GOSS
,. ::
;::: ::: 'KNOW. .. HYPnotism is Not Just About be suitable for TV and specifically for peak-viewing •1. Guardian Week­
·}}}\:::.. People Making Fools Of Themselves On times. What he makes his subjects get up to is seldom end supplement, 11
\?::·:\:/ Feb. 1995, p. 6
Stage," confides the head-and-shoulders more than risque; if you want something more "adult",
···
>:<::-::>::<·:... caricature, speaking word balloon-wise try Brookside. "Adult" shows are what many of his •2. Female stage
hypnotists do not
from the bottom right foreground of the "Biff Weekend" would-be, yet-untelevised rivals earn their living from.
appear to have been
cartoon strip. "It's Also About Flogging Videos." (1) When not billed as "comedy hypnotism" (to distinguish over-prevalent at
Sure enough, there are the self-help home­ it from "tragic hypnotism", of course) their acts may be any period in enter­
tainment history. In
hypnosis videos cascading down from the top of the advertised by that very term: adult. Some titillate with Msy tic London (1875)
frame like comic gifts from a benevolent Creator. But as bylines like: "not for the easily outraged" - nudge-nudge, the Rev. Charles
far as many of us are concerned, hYPnosis is not about wink-wink ...s ay no more. (3) Basically, these are acts Maurice Davies
writes of seeing a
them. It is about shows in which our conspecifics make that span the gulf between the sexually implicit and Miss Chandos, "a
fools (nay, prats) of themselves, with more than a little sexually explicit. very pretty young
lady indeed, of not
help, we're led to believe, from a vibrant young man Taking the susceptibility, amenability or even the more than 18 or 20
who is billed as a stage hypnotist. (Brief digression in collusion of volunteers for granted, the content of a years of age" with ··a
mystic crop of long
acknowledgement of political correctness: I dare say hypnotic stage act may seem unpredictable: determined
black. curls, which
there are also vibrant young women stage hypnotists, or limited, that is, only by the inventiveness of the waved about like the
but they don't seem to make the headlines. Again, my performer (and perhaps what or how much he thinks locks of a sibyl" and
his phraseology
remark should not be construed as evidence of prejudice he can get away with). In practice, it tends to be the suggests there were
against vibrant, not-so-young stage hypnotists, though very opposite - predictable or predictable within a little. others who, like her,
it's true they don't get on TV so often.) (2) As Paul McKenna once admitted, all the performer can bid for popularity on
the mesmeric public­
The aforementioned head-shoulders/bottom-right­ present are variations upon certain well-known themes. lecture circuit at this
foreground Biff caricature had a more than accidental Certain stunts with or without minor variations have time. Miss Chandos
evidently made
resemblance to Paul McKenna. As purveyor of both self­ become stereotyPed ingredients of hyPno-shows: The X­ adroit use of her
improving home-hYPnosis videos and a superior TV­ Ray Specs (where giant lens-less joke spectacles cause girlish chann: "When
she asked for volun­
friendly hypno show (reputedly watched by 12 million subjects to "see" everyone about them in the nude), neg­
teers I thought the
viewers each week) he has earned the tribute of being ative hallucination scenarios, the When You Wake Up room had risen on
turned into a cartoon caricature. This isn't a comment You Will Be Elvis/Madonna/Michael Jackson. et cetera. masse", wrote Davies
(slightly miffed that
on his act, nor upon the man himself. What it means is ( 4) When it comes to sex routines, aficionados may he was too far back.
that he's so well known as to be instantly recognised expect the following: from the stage to get
a go). "Everybody
even when reduced to cartoon character format. If Mr • Bei-ng Mo·re Than Just Good Friends with a wanted to be mes­
McKenna·s rise to celebrity and (also reputedly) astro­ Stranger: this has to be classed as potentially embarras­ merised." Perhaps
nomical wealth is unparalleled in the annals of TV sing for the subject(s) but otherwise innocuous. Even the best-knol.\ln and
most successful
history, it is mainly because he was the fl..rst to crack the safe-as-milk TV shows may feature suggestions which female stage
televisual tabu against broadcasting shows such as his. In have entranced volunteers cuddling or fondling one perfonner is or was
Pat Collins, who
consequence he has become a household name. Another, another, unscreened variations may involve more
enjoyed Hollywood
more predictable consequence has been the swarm of vigorous gropings, fumblings, kissing. As the wily modishness in the
stage hypnotists (vibrant, male, young or youngish) hypnotist may word the suggestion so that the focus of early 1960s and
capped it with a
anxious to acquire some of what he's got vis-a-vis the each subject's amorousness is the person beside them - cameo role in
celebrity, the cash, the overall kudos. This is where the and as that person may belong to the same sex - this Divorce American
Style (where she
trouble starts, if it starts anywhere. shades over into:
hypnotises Oebbie
'The HYPnotic World of Paul McKenna" is, as I • Homoerotic Behaviour: again, TV performers Reynolds, of all
just wrote, TV-friendly - which means it is tailored to may engage in modified versions of this, as where one people).
MAGONIA 52
male is told to stroke another's knee. ..a nd so forth. (For be hypnotised to perform in a '"hypnotic" manner -
maximum effect, pick two macho types for this experi­ admitting also that for them hypnosis may be a fair
•3. "Not for the easily ment. Oh, won't they look disgusted at themselves and excuse for behaving irresponsibly and coarsely - I would
outraged": as ment­ each other when you snap 'em out of it?!) The macho­ still question a too-general application of this hypothesis.
ioned in "The Human
man is also useful for: Let's leave that difficult question for the moment.
Zoo" columnist Jon
Ronson's "lt's a trance • Cross-Dressing: the subject is handed female The published evidence affirms that certain stage
of a lifetime" (Guardian attire (the saucier the better) and puts it on in the hyp­ hypnotists spice up their acts with routines which are
Weekend, 3t Dec. 1994)
which followed an notically inspired belief he's getting into his own clothes. sexually implicit or explicit.
evening at Fifi"s Palace Illustrative example: one recently reported show ended In most cases, the sexuality remains a hint. The
of Dance near Dudley
with rubber-clad stage with ·a tattooed trawlerman" in fiShnet tights and basque; hypnotist implies he can make his subjects do anything
hypnotist Alexxx. for good measure he was told to respond to a musical (·sexual things·) but is careful not to risk putting that
cue by leaping into the air with a cry of, "I believe in notion to the test. This is a sort of verbal lubricity, the
e4. The X-Ray Specs
routine was popular­ fairies". (5) The direct opposite to having subjects dress audience being invited to think that if the performer
ised (if not actually in specially provided and uproariously inappropriate can get his volunteers to behave as outrageously as they
invented) by the
clothes is to have them take off their own, hence: are seen to do then he could also get them to do a lot
American George
Kresk.in. Practically all • The Striptease: this, as far as I'm aware, is not more outrageous ("sexual") things besides. Such appears
stage hypnotists judged suitable for television although mostly restricted to have been the ploy utilised by the hyPnotist re­
currently performing
have incorporated it to (a) male subjects only who even then (b) strip down christened by the Sun of 12 January 1994 "Watt Sleaze".
into their acts. Neg­ to their underpants only and (c) usualyl as a finale to His opening address to the audience implied he was
ative hallucinations are
the show. (Perhaps once you have reduced a bunch of willing to live up to such a soubriquet, holding out the
ones which prevent the
subject from seeing (or guys to their underwear, the audience won't expect you promise that anyone who took part might have their
appearing to see) any to cap that achievement. There again, they might hope greatest sexual fantasies realised. '1f you want a sex
object which the
hypnotist designates as you'll try.) In some venues, however, the strip may con­ orgy", the headline quotes him as announc� ·well
invisible, e.g. as where tinue and become absolute, witness the reported com­ shut the doors and start right away." (10) Disappoint-
the performer suggests
ment of one subject's embarrassed girlfriend: "You saw
that he himself or some
other penon will be everything when Jack took his clothes off... ( 6) A kind
invisible to the subject. of sexual-discriminatory code operates to protect female It was, in the opinion of Dr
A good way to create
the illusion of things subjects from exposing themselves in the same way or to
moving psycho­ the same extent. Still, under the ever-popular hypno­ Sue Blackmore who
kinetically.
illusion they are the World's Greatest Stripper, they may
accompanied the reporters,
a5. "Lads Strip for Gay lose all except bra/pants and some reports speak of
Bathtime" (Sun, 11 Jan. women going topless. (7) Arguably and assuming he
1994, pp 22-23). This "a tawdry display of
was part of that could find a subject . who would comply, a hyPnotist
paper's three part and who went beyond these sartorial confmes would be
amazingly sexsational manipulation. .. many of the
risking more than a few cancelled bookings. However,
expose of stage
hypnosis. he could always fall back on good old:
tricks seemed more like
e6. David Jack, "How Simulated Sex: most definitely not suitable for
hypnotist made my man TV as we know it today and an easy target for jour­
strip naked for sick sex nalists composing one of the ·sick sex hypno show" humiliation than
show ... as shocked
pieces in which this article of mine is interested.
crowd watched" (Sun­
entertainment"
day People, 1 May 1994, Subjects engage in what critics of 1920s Negro dance
pp 10-11). Ah, but how styles referred to as "dry screwing" with a variety of
m11ny of them walked
out? Among the other unlikely objects, in which cuddly toys frequently figure. ingly from the reporter's point of view, perhaps,
alleged hypnotic In one case summarised by Magonia, the female victim nothing in the act that followed came close to the
indiscretions of this
thought she was enjoying the services of Patrick Swayze orgiastic. The performer merely pointed the audience's
subject was a confes­
sion that he wished his when in fact what she was enjoying was whatever collective imagination in one direction and then headed
girlfriend would get on services you can expect from an inflatable doll when off in another.
top more often and "do
more of the work". you haven't taken your clothes off. ( 8) On the same Elsewhere, though, stage hypnotists appear to
(low) level is: sell the idea of their power over the subjects by frankly
•7. Until comparatively
recently (in most • Oral Sex: well, not really, but the female sex-orientated routines. It is hard to think otherwise
venues, at least) the subject who thinks she is sucking at a lolly /ice cream is about a recent Sunday Mirror report of an "adult• show
World's Greatest actually gobbling away at a vibrator. (9) staged by Alex Tsander in which we are told of women
Stripper involved
female subjects in no­ Before the atmosphere steams up completely, a instructed to think they were having sex on a train,
thing more outrageous few things ought to be conceded. These reports all come copulating with a pink toy elephant (not that the colour
than mimicking a bump
from papers consciously, industriously and mayhap devi­ makes much difference), having the biggest orgasm of
and grind routine, the
hypnotist specifying • ... ously constructing "sick sex pomo-hypno show" articles. their lives and licking the hypnotist's boots every time
but you will not take off This may not disbar them as evidence, but it should be he cued them with the word. ·arovel". (11)
your clothes". (This
was traditionally taken into account. More important are the non­ It was in the opinion of Dr Sue Blackmore who
.
accompanied by a hyPnotic suggestions of those who claim that hyPnosis accompanied the reporters, ·a tawdry display of manipu­
knowing look that told
the audience that has little if anything to do with anything that the lation", wherein the hypnotist "exploited his power for
unless he'd said that, subjects do (or did. ..o r are alleged to have done). Their too long ...M any of the tricks seemed designed for his
the subject certainly argument would be that nothing occurred here that own gratification", and were ·more like humiliation than
would have taken off
her clothes.) In an might not have occurred without hyPnosis. Also, there is entertainment·. Then we have the delightful scene in
interesting but quest­ a difference between acted-as-if (simulated) acts and which, by way of a change, the hypnotist became the
ionable incident at the
actual, for-real (performed) acts. Even agreeing that one to suffer from induced suggestion. Under the
Wallasey nightclub an
Tramps in 1980, two some hypno-shows may include volunteers who are spell of thinking that he was negotiating a future
females instructed to capable of gross exhibitionism, people who don't need to booking, he handed the undercover reporters "a sick
dance to that old
MAGONIA 52
album of snaps of his past stunts at pubs, clubs and target useful, quotable persons and organisations when
private parties", encouraging them with the promise that researching their material - persons to whom they can
if hired, "I can make it as blue as you like". say, "What is your reaction?" and get a usable, quotable favourite "The Strip­
There is a possibility that the performer thought reply. (We often get the feeling that the interviewer has per" were said to have
ignored the hypnotist's
he had to sell himself - thought that his supposed cust­ a better-than-vague idea of the answer before the
injunction and actually
omers wanted it blue and wouldn't book him unless he question is asked; also that the person concerned has went much further than
could prove that, as in the Chelsea FC song, "Blue is the been chosen to respond to that question because the many professional
striptease artistes and
Colour . What the future holds for acts like his, though, interviewer already has a better-than-vague idea of what had to be hustled off
"
may bring blues of the old-fashioned sort. the answer will be.) Another obvious source for "react­ stage ('"The Stripnotist".
Sun, 23 June 1980, p.
Ever since the days of the animal magnetists, ion quotes" on hypno-shows, was, of course, Paul
11). The fact the
stage hYPnosis has passed through cycles of popularity. McKenna. Towards the proposal to implement a ban on volunteers were both
Each has been accompanied by recriminations and accu­ stage performances he was, unsurprisingly, not sympath­ go-go dancers may or
may not have some
sations of harm to volunteer-victims. Currently we are etic, even when reporters laid the fact of the Tabam bearing on these
seeing the latest and greatest manifestation of this two­ case in front of him. "It's like saying that because only events. Ironically, the
hypnotist reported here
way process, with reports of traumas, severe mental dist­ one restaurant is responsible for food poisoning, all as distraught Clt was
urbances and emotional as well as occasional physical restaurants should be banen d." (13) awful. I just want to
harm done to subjects. (12) Mr McKenna's opinion was sought again in forget all about it.")
and as taking a pride in
There is no point in pretending this is a non­ November 1994 when an out-of-court settlement made having a "family" act
issue. There is no point in pretending that hypno-act 25-year-old Ann Hazard about £20,000 richer, though was Les Power -a
name which featured in
volunteers deserve whatever they get purely because most would agree it was a poor return for what the same paper's "sick.
they are volunteers and have therefore exposed them­ happened after she'd volunteered as a subject during a sex hypno show" series
selves to avoidable risks. There is no point in pretending stage hYPnosis show at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre some of Jan. 1994.
there are no risks or that all the reported cases of harm, six years before. (14) At one point in the performance, 88. As reported by
physical and emotional, are fabrications. Things have Mrs Hazard asked hYPnotist Robert Halpern if she could John Rimmer (Ma9onia
51, Feb. 1995, p. 20),
started to go wrong. use the lavatory and was allegedly told to go by the taken from the Sunday
quickest route or exit. (15) HYPnotised subjects some­ People, 24 Dec. 1994.
(Interesting sexological
times respond with dreadful over-literalness to suggest­
point: can an inflatable
ions. It appears that in Mrs Hazard's case taking the doll ever be used for
"quickest exit" involved jumping off the four-foot stage, anything other than
simulated sex?)
whereupon she broke her leg in two places.
Unable to follow her sports interests, given over •9. Allegedly featured
to moods of irritability and to nightmares, she decided (and condemned, of
course) in the A lex Le
to take legal action. This was not without precedent. In Roy act described by
March 1952 a 23-year-old shop assistant named Diana Chris Blythe in the
Rains-Bath had brought an action for negligence and Sun's "Dirty Trancing",
10 Jan. 1994. Mr Le
assault against a stage hYPnotist and had won damages, Roy's tete-a-tete with
though the sum eventualyl awarded to her wasn't the the reporter elicited
much boasting of sex­
sort that anyone could retire on. (16) As already ual conquests accred-
mentioned, the Hazard afairf ended in an out-of-court itable to hypnosis. By
contrast, Andrew
settlement - and also a press conference and more calls Newton's with Gary
for a ban on stage hYPnosis. Glasgow Council had Bus hell for the Sun's
TV Super GuidB (no
already pre-empted this vetoing such displays in all
, date, late 1994?)
halls and theatres under its jurisdiction. More signific­ produced the complaint
A name of someone for whom it went wrong, antly, the case strongly implied that in future stage that "The pubs are full
of third-rate hypnotists
allegedly - a name which crops up like a memento mori hYPnotists might be held liable for any proven harm ripping off my act" and
whenever the press engage in another minatory treat­ incurred by folk who took part in their acts. also the threat of
taking Paul McKenna to
ment of stage hypnosis - is that of the late Sharron By now it was evident that some newspapers
court for pirating his
Tabam. Her obituary reads: age 24, mother of two - were on the lookout for scandalous, if possible lubric­ ideas. However, it also
volunteered as subject in unlicensed pub hypno-show at ious hypno-stories, inviting readers to contact them at included a cautionary
tale of an unnamed
Leyland, Lancashire; instructed by hypnotist that she once with personal anecdotes of 1ife-changing" experi­ hypnotist whose
would awaken from her trance as if 10,000 volts had ences at stage shows. TYPically, these invitations were typically unprofessional
act included the
passed through her (or words to that effect). Found dead appended to articles critical of hypnotic entertainments
vibrator/oral sex stunt.
in bed five hours later. Coroner's verdict: epileptic in tone if not in direct statement and it was understood
seizure, death by natural causes. that when they talked about "life-changing" experiences, •10. This was the last
of the three-part Sun
I have been working quite hard to avoid saying they meant ones which had changed somebody's life for expose cited in Note 5
that Sharron Tabarn died as a result of that hYPnotic the worse. above.
suggestion. I feel safe in saying that something of that When challenged by the media on the subject, •11. "Hypno show
kind was implied, however, since practically every stage hypnotists have an endearing way of agreeing that began as fun but it
account I have seen of the case has already done so. Mrs there are rascals who ignore local licensing require­ ebny dHeidla iryn sKenxo swhlaems ea"n,d
Tabams mother, Margaret Harper, went further than ments and guidelines, the 1952 Hypnotism Act and Oavid Rowe, Sunday
'
that. Pointing out that her daughter hadn't suffered a much else besides. They freely admit there are a few Mirror, 18 Dec. 1994,
pp 14-15
seizure before, she was quoted as stating that "HYPnosis who get volunteers to perform unsuitable and some­
brought on her fit". Mrs Harper went on to launch the times dangerous stunts. But of course, the interviewee •12. Since at least
Campaign Against Stage Hypnosis, an organisation scrupulously declares that he is not one of the repre­ 1983 several news­
papers have quoted Or
which has become increasingly prominent as the news­ hensible band. So far, one of the few stage hYPnotists Prem Misra, a psycho­
paper coverage of the hYPno-show controversy progres­ who might say that and be believed was also the best therapist who to some
extent specialises in
ses. This, of course, owes much to the way journalists known, Paul McKenna. treating the negative
MAGONIA 52
Ignoring a few less-than-mesmerised TV pundits, notwithstanding, the implied relationship between the
the press had always been good to Paul McKenna.. Most two events - between Mr Gates taking part in the
after-effects of stage found him an ideal subject for cosy "human interest" hypno-show and the onset of his mental disturbances -
hypnosis performances. articles. In the best tradition of celebrity journalism, we seemed suspiciously causal. This was heightened, argu­
See, for example,
Anthony Howard's heard all about his Kensington flat, his days as a disc ably, by a Charing Cross Hospital consultant psychiat­
"Blunder the Spell!" jockey, his girlfriend (how he proposed to her - and rist's opinion that the "emotional impact.. of the trance
(Daily Mirror, 2 March
1994, p. 3) where Or where); even the man who made his waistcoats came in may have triggered the subsequent breakdown.
Misra was said to have for a mention. (17) Interest in TVs latest star was There was an element of glee in some quarters
handled sixteen sustained between the end of his first series and the start that at last someone had ..g ot something on McKenna".
"severely disturbed
cases" among hypno­ of the next (autumn 1994) by carefully timed articles of (Too brash, you see - too self-satisfied. Too successful.)
show volunteers. This this homely kind. On 1 July 1994 a Sun ..e xclusive.. by His figurehead role in his profession - and let's remind
article was published
just prior to Dr Misra's Peter Wilsli announced that McKenna had just clinched ourselves that the public has come to identify Paul
appearance on BBCl's a £2.5 million, two-year deal with ITV (designed, it was McKenna with stage hypnosis and vice versa gave the
"Here and Now" prog­ -
said, to prevent his defection to the BBC) which would allegations immense weight as regards the campaign to
ramme in which the
dangers of such shows enable him to branch out - "hypnotism will take a back ban such shows. How this episode will affect his career
provided the theme. seat for now as he concentrates on more widely ranging as a mass-entertainment celebrity remains to be seen. At
•13. Daily Mirror, 29 family shows... (Of these, we've seen no sign so far.) the time of writing (February 1995) we are waiting for
March 1994, "The show October brought another Sun "exclusive.. revealing that news of the Government's assessment of the rules
must go on says
he was holding secret hypnotherapy sessions to combat regulating hypno-shows. It seems likely that changes
McKenna"; cf. "Paul:
Stage Ban is Unfair", the Duchess of York's stress and also her recurring will be introduced; the future for the McKenna
by Carolina Sutton, 2 weight problem. (18) In all this time� no hint of scandal. wannabees isn't bright and the Man himself may have to
April 1994 -possibly
the Sun As we've seen, McKenna's only contact with anything make a few revisions to his act. The question, as always,
resembling it took the form of well-considered ..r eaction comes down to whether new laws need to be imple­
•14. Many national quotes.. arising from other folks' alleged misfortunes or mented or whether existing ones could be more
papers for 4 November
1994 carried reports on misdemeanours. Writing about him in Fortean Times effective if they were more vigorously enforced..
this case; my summary that same year, I remarked on the odd fact that there'd For instance and limiting discussion to "sick sex
uses material from the
Guardian, daily Mirror been so few complaints about him. That disguised the hYPno-pomo shows" - aren't these events already cov­
and Sun of that date. truth, which was that I hadn't heard of any at all. (19) ered by existing laws? I confess to being quite confused
Making such a statement probably brought down by all this. What follows are a few random and quite
•15. The career of
Robert Halpem, a curse on me, on Paul McKenna or upon both of us. likely refutable thoughts on the topic.
perhaps the most oft­ With his second Carlton series at the end of its Monday Suppose for a moment that the Hazard case had
publicised Scottish
stage hypnotist, has night run, the dailies for 14 December 1994 named him been settled in court instead of outside one. Suppose
provided the theme for in the context of what sounded a notably serious hypno­ also that the verdict had bene the same.. that is� in
numerous press reports, scandal which took on added significance from the co­ favour of the complainant. (As it might have been: the
including some which
make him sound worthy inciding announcement of a governmental decision to Rains-Bath case could provide a valid precedent�
of the cliche "no review the rules relating to stage hypnosis performances. showing as it does that injured subjects can win
stranger to contro­
versy". lt appears a Chris Gates (aged 26) had allegedly been transfor­ damages from a hypnotist.) Since it appears that hypno­
matter of fact that his med from a robust fishing and martial arts enthusiast to tists can be held liable for actions performed by their
shows revived the
someone with the mental state of an eight-year-old after subjects against their own safety or against their own
declining fortunes of
Glasgow's Pavilion having taken part in a McKenna show at High interests, could the latter be construed to encompass
Theatre; in its 4 Wycombe the previous March. Acting and presumably sexual acts carried out as per hypnotic instigation which
September 1980 issue
The Stage & Television believing he was only eight, the sufferer couldn't be the subject retrospectively felt were damaging to his/her
Today (p. 3) credited expected to furnish the press with much information on emotional health or social status? If so, might a woman
him with achieving 95%
the matter, but his girlfriend could and did. On stage, pointed out in the stretse of her home town as someone
capacity audiences in
the 1400-seater venue Mr Gates had responded to instructions to become a who'd publicly simulated sex with a fluffy pink elephant
over the traditionally ballerina; he had taken part in one of the most popular sue on grounds of emotional harm or similar?
dead summer season.
Occasionally criticised seen-on-TV McKenna routines� a spoof version of I suppose she would have to show that.. in a
by older members of "Blind Date.. . But according to his girlfriend, he had also normal state of consciousness sans the specific hypnotic
his own profession but
been left unattended in a "regressive.. state throughout instruction, she would not have simulated sex with said
something of a folk­
hero amongst younger the show's interval and thereafter suffered a noticeable fluffy elephant. That connects with one of the most
Glaswegians, Mr psychiatric deterioration. He complained of headaches - recalcitrant questions concerning hypnosis: can or can
Halpem suffered from a
general concern over of being scared of God - of someone controlling his not a person be made to carry out acts other than what
possible bad after­ thoughts - of voices in his head. He refused to wash his would or might be performed in his/her normal state of
effects among hypno­
hair or to hang clothes in his wardrobe for reasons consciousness? Again, the act of volunteering to be
show volunteers (News
of the World, 24 April plainly outside the realms of rationality. Hospitalised at hypnotised might be taken as consent to the act - unless
1983, p. 3) and more last for (it was said) acute schizophrenia, Mr Gates was (in a form of diminished responsibility plea) the subject
recently a series of
eight scheduled described today as� to all intents� an eight-year-old counter -argued that she consented only to the act of
London performances needing adult supervision and whiling away his time being hypnotised, not to the act which came out of it,
was terminated after with puzzle-books. (20) responsibility for which is down to the suggester, the
just three shows when
Westminster City Solicited for .. reaction quotes.. yet again (but hypnotist.
Council reacted to under somewhat less positive circumstances than usual) So the volunteer-subject argues that she did not
alleged complaints of
Mr . McKenna denied ever having used regression tech­ know what being hypnotised would lead her into. Might
sexual innuendo, etc.
(SundliY Scot, 26 May niques on stage. He also pointed out, quite legitimately, it not be shown that the act of attending an ..a dult ..
1991, that Mr Gates's mental troubles might have surfaced show and of volunteering to take part in it was tanta­
even had he not taken part in the High Wycombe show: mount to prior awareness? That anybody attending such
.. He blames hypnotism�" ran one attributed remark, .. but a show would have some inkling of the things she might
there was never any evidence to prove that." Evidence be involved in as a result of volunteering, so that in
MAGONIA 52
effect the subject acquiesced in a process which carried a devil". So says Dr Graham Wagstaff of Liverpool Univer­
strong possibility of emotional distress? sity in an interview with a rather unconvinced Peter
The Hypnotism Act 1952 clearly states that a Hillmore. (22) Dr Wagstaff is not the first researcher •1.6See bpo.x8,.
licence is required from the local authorities controlling to suggest that "hypnosis" is an invention (and perhaps
•17".S taPra uCla stAs
other forms of entertainment before an exhibition, dem­ an unnecessary one); the experimental work of Spell On His Friends"
onstration or performance of hypnosis can take place. Theodore X. Barber in the 1960s aroused considerable (People Magazine, 21
(21) Prosecutions arising from contravention of this or discussion as to the extent to which the phenomena put November 1993pp, 12-
13w)a sc omposed
other parts of the Act seem rare. Licensing authorities forward to establish the discrete character of the almost enotfis rnealpy­
vary in their willingness to think hard before granting hypnotic state could be duplicated, even simulated, by quotefsr om persons
close to Paul McKenna
hypno-show authorisation; Westminster Council is said non-hypnotised persons. (23) But it is Dr Wagstaff
proefssionoarl ly
to be diligent about examining the content of each per­ who has emerged as a leading proponent of the idea socially. In case you
werew orrieadb ouitt ,
former's act but others appear to be less bothered. It has that we may not need to consider hypnosis as anything
the taoiflt hoer
been suggested that not all performers and/or promoters more than a spurious name for a collection of McKennwaa istcoaatt s
are aware of the need to obtain such a licence and that psychological mechanisms, not as an authentic or this period in his life
wasT omG ileby.
some quietly ignore it; the Leyland (Lancashire) show in unique condition. Speaking in an edition of "Equinox"
which Sharron Tabarn took part was described in at just before Christmas 1994, he went as far as to say that •18.S un, 20O ctober
1994p,p 26-2I7fw. e
least one press report as "unlicensed". before too long the word would have dropped out of
beilevteh e reports of
All this may be incidental, beyond indicating that usage and the concept itself out of sight. Along with it, certain papers (which a
stage hypnosis is regulated under existing entertainment presumably, would go any notion of prosecutions or lootf u sd on'tth)i s was
not the Duchess of
licensing laws. Other laws, notably those regarding regulations to do with hypnosis. You can't prosecute York'sf irsetx periment
public decency, govern what may be staged in places to and don't need to regulate what does not exist. withhyp notherapeutic
!
�eigh.ots-.sC laimofs
which the public are admitted. I've been talking about So hypnosis does not exist - the stage volunteers srmilasre crettr ea-t
aren't hypnotised - the routines they perform are not ments" (though not
E �,,�i '_ �hypnotic". If there is no concession to the idea that witMhr M cKennaw)e re
,, madei nN ovember
"hypnotic suggestions" are c�ed out in a state other 1986 -ands ubse­
' than normal, surely any indecent act performed is pun­ quently denied. Come
tot hinIkh ,a ve'nts een
ishable, the offender blatantly transgressing the "Indec­ any actual confirmation
ency Laws" and without any extenuating excuse, such as oft hesmeo rer ecent
We get a buzz out of the averral that they would not have performed that act (Sun) claimesi,t her.
in a "normal state"? •19".Th e Hipster of
supposing that subjects do "Equinox: The Big Sleep" was a good programme, Hypnosi"s,Fort ean
Times,7 4,Ap rii/May
if you ignored the unhappy attempt to capitalise on the
1994p,.5 3.
what they do because of title by staging it as a Chandler PI case complete with
•20.T hissu mmary
sardonic Marlowesque voice-over. Dr Wagstaff was one
includes Pascoe
hypnosis, even if sometimes of the best things on it, especially in a segment where Watson"'Msc Kenna's
he replicated a number of "characteristic" or "typical" Trance Left My
we harbour a few hypnotic stunts with a man who was not hypnotised. B(Souny, f1r4 iDeLenicdekA me b Cehri ld"
(He freely confirmed that he wasn't. Ah, but perhaps 1994, p.1 1) and- more
suspicions that they may he'd been hypnotised to say that. Ah, but Dr Wagstaff detailed, if only
becausteh erwee re
· affirmed that he hadn't.) The biggest obstacle to his more pa9es -"My Man
only be acting hypnotised propositions gaining more attention is that most of us BecamAe ChilAdf ter
McKennaH ypno Act",
persist in wanting to believe that hypnosis is a genu­
byR ogeKra sper and
inely unique state. Stage performers owe their living to John Chapman (News
of the World, 18 Dec.
that attitud�. We get a buzz out of supposing that
199,4p p. 13-51).
subjects do what they do because of hypnosis, even if
suggested actions of a sexual nature; this after all, is sometimes we harbour a few suspicions that they may •21.C laust e(1 ) states
, thaatn ya uthoriinat ny
what press coverage of "sick sex hypno shows" presents only be "acting" or "pretending" to be hypnotised. area empowered "to
as one of the chiefest causes for concern. Are these !he Big Sleep" also had Dr Wagstaff at a granltie cncefso rt he
regulation of places
shows not covered by those laws? Realistically, perhaps, Blackpool hypno-show and interviewing some of the
kepotr o rdinaursieldy
those laws may be unenforceable. They may be too people who'd taken part as volunteers in it. Since for public dancing,
expensive in terms of legal costs to be enforced. Many hypnosis doesn't exist, evidently, it follows that people singimnugs,i ocr o ther
public entertainments
pub striptease acts play fast and loose with the laws of can't be hypnotised - so what had caused them to do all oft hel ikkei nds"h all
pornography, for example; the offenders could be prose­ the crazy things they did? Compliance ...t ask motivation .. alshoa ve the power "to
attaccho nditions
cuted but (unless someone complains strenuously) they .et cetera. Dr Wagstaff went over this when he talked to regulationrpg r ohib-
seldom are. The same might apply to some stage Peter Hillmore, making the point that TV shows like iting the giving of an
exhibitdieomno,n strat­
hypnosis shows. "The Generation Game" prove "many people are more
ion or performance of
In any event, all these finicky little problems go than happy to make fools of themselves to please the hypnotisomna ny
away if we follow a particular trend in current thinking compere". Does this mean that Bruce Forsyth is really a persona tt hep lace to
whicthh el icence
about hypnosis, namely that hypnosis doesn't really exist. hypnotist? Is Paul McKenna really Bruce Forsyth? relates".
A few paragraphs back, I slipped in the phrase, "normal While you're about it, savour the televisual irony that
•22".Pe ter Hillmore's
state of consciousness", the understanding being that the one of the more amusing routines in the las't series of NotebookTh'e ·,
hypnotic state is not normal, but "altered" or somehow "The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna" was a spoof Observer, 29J anuary
"different". The school of thought just alluded to pro­ version of..."The Generation Game". 1995p,. 25
poses that it isn't. "Hypnosis" may stand as a term of But then Peter Hillmore came back with what
convenience, but it is not a genuinely distinct state. You sounds a nice objection pointing towards a distinction.
may even consider it to be a "cultural invention ...a In !he Generation Game" contestants know what they
fantasy, like the belief that you are possessed by the are doing is making them look ridiculous; they laugh at
MAGONIA 52
themselves as they do it. In hyPno-shows you rarely see
participants laugh at themselves. The laughter is directed
25 Years Ago
• 23. Theodore X at them and they often appear confused by it. Or as Mr
Barber, Hypnosis: A
Scientific Approach, Hilml ore wrote, the volunteers "continue with their The June 1970 number was a very slim issue of
New York, Van absurd actions in spite of the laughter, not because of iC
Nostrand, 1969. In his MUFOB, which contained a sour little article by your
(24)
first chapter of esteemed Editor, 'The Death and Life of British Ufo­
Hypnosis for the One . more thing: as the audience, we are doing
Seriously Curious, (New the laughing - not merely condoning the act, but logy', criticising the barer n UFO scene in Britain and
York. and London, W W condemning the various UFO groups as a series of over­
Norton, 1976, paper­ encouraging it. If we're worried about hyPno-shows, we lapping 'in-groups'. We seem to have been recycling
back edition, 1983) ought to remember that we aren't forced (or hyPnotised)
Kenneth S Bowers this article in one way or another every few Yl!al'S since.
to watch them. There is evidence that audiences
provides a review of ; Only the names have been changes to protect
the evidence that familiarised through what they have seen on TV o
topicality. Who now remembers the Scorriton sensat­
hypnotic behaviour can elsewhere, expect to be shown certain tricks like the
(in his words) be faked. ion? Who gives a damn about Warminster (except later
now cliched ·x-Ray Specs· routine. ·All Your
as a scene of the spectacular non-appearances of corn­
• 24. Cf the remark Favourites", promised a poster for a hYPno-show in
from Dr Prem Misra circles)? The only one of the 1970 'in-groups' that's just
(note 12, above): "The Thurrock recently - implying that we not only knew all about still around is BUFORA At the time I was sneer­
fun is always at the about hyPnotists' routines, but have connoisseurs'
expense of the individ­ ing wearily at its endless "Machiavellian plots and
preferences among them. Performers sometimes admit to
ual." I think. it may be counterplots". My, my, how times have changed! At the
legitimate to point out feeling the pressure of their public's expectations.
time the article cause a bit of a stir, and even got me
that when interviewed ·Audiences love it'', said Andrew Newton of his men­
hinyp thneo -wpaek.erlo onnf tahneciers stripped-to-underpants trick. '"When I used to do late­ Linovnitdeodn t. o defend my heresy at a BUFORA meeting in
the majority of volun­ night spots in Liverpool, they used practically to
teers affirm that they Elsewhere in the issue we looked at exploding
demand it.· (25) And there are some venues where the
enjoyed the experience. pianos in Lowestoft (a potential social panic which
even if they are now audience demand tricks more audacious than that. Out­
never realyl caught on, unfortunately).
aware of having made side TVs enchanted circle, more overt sexual stunts may
themselves look a trifle In retrospect the most significant item in the
foolish. become standard items. People want to see them and magazine was Patrick Huygh.e's review of John Keel's
they aren't happy if they don't. The hYPnotist who
•25. Roger Tedre, then new Operation Trojan Horse. This was a review of
doesn't oblige, the hyPnotist who doesn't come up with
"Hypnotism takes the the US edition before it arrived in Britain, and it was
country by trance"". the simulated sex routines, risks being the hyPnotist who
The Observer, 6 doesn't get many bookings. reviewed jointly with Keel's Strange Creatures from
November 1994, p. 13. Space and Time. This gave a first indication of a book
Andrew Newton was Is there a case for redefining where the responsib­ that was to have a significant effect on the growth of
perhaps the first of the ility for what goes on at fiYPno-pomo· �haws lies? Is
"younger generation· ufology in Britain and was to prove to be a major influ­
there a need for new laws to control what goes on or
of stage hypnotists to ence on MUFOB in the years ahead.
attract national might go on at these shows? Is this all a waste of time '
As there is so little else to comment about in
publicity. Apart from because hyPnosis doesn't exist?
the success of his late­ the June 1970 issue, I'll ramble on a bit about how the
night Liverpudlian Is there a lawyer in the house? ••• magazine was produced at that time. MUFOB came out
shows (see main text)
he managed to obtain a From note 16: In March 1952 at Sussex Assizes, shop assistant Diana every two months, and Editor John Hamey was rather
licence that enabled better at keeping a regular schedule than I seem to be.
him to become the first Rains-Bath sought damages for negligence, breach of contract and
However, individual issues would vary enormously in
hypnotist to perform on assault from American stage hypnotist Ralph Slater relating to her
a central London stage size. As it was produced on a hand-cranked Gestetner
participation as a volunteer in one of his Brighton Hippodrome perfor­
in 35 years ("All eyes duplicator on foolscap sheets with a separately printed
on the hypnotists mances in 1948. lt was alleged that during the show Slater had jerked
seeking West End her head sharply and painfully forward (presumably to rehypnotise her cover it could have any number of pages. Some issues
fame·. The Observer, actually had as few as four pages, but the largest issue
18 January 1987) and - Miss Rains-Bath had spontaneously slipped out of trance at the
was 18 pages (these were the old-fashioned large fools­
ushered in the TV time) and had also forgotten to cancel the successful suggestion that
boom from which Paul cap size pages). This was devoted to Alan Sharp's
she was a baby crying for its mother. Miss Rains-Bath was subse­
McKenna benefited �ghty critique of the 'New Ufology' which appeared
greatly with a one-hour, quently treated for depression and anxiety neurosis by Or J S Van Pelt
one-off ITV programme of the British Society of Medical Hypnotists who, it transpired, was m December 1971, and I will comment on it in some
in December 1993. He depth in due course.
now has his own series mounting a campaign against stage performers. This was one detail
Stencil duplicating of small magazines is now
on Sky TV. emergent from the lively exchange between the doctor and Mr Slater
� almost a lost art. and just as well, as it was an incred­
who took over the conduct of his own defence when his counsel with
ibly messy and fiddly process. It involved typing on wax­
drew, being unable to concur with the direction in which Slater wished
coated 'skins', which were extremely fragile and had to
the defence to proceed. Miss Rains-Bath was initially awarded £1,000
be manipulated onto ink-soaked rollers. Few people
damages on the negligence plea, £107 speciaJ damages and £25 for
emerged without getting elbow-deep in duplicator ink,
assault. However, in July 1952 a Court of Appeal overturned the neg­
one of the most spreadable substances known to science.
ligence plea award, allowing only that for damages to stand and in
At press time John Hamey's house would be
December that same year it was announced that Miss Rains-Bath had
strewn with piles of inky sheets drying or awaiting
dropped the special damages claim. The case is believed to have been
collation, as well as the hundreds of waste sheets which
a factor in the passing of the 1952 Hypnotism Act which received the
emerged from the duplicator out of alignment or
Royal Assent on 1 August that year and became operative on 1 April
smeared with surplus ink. This gruelling process was
1953. Most national dailies carried reports of the hearing; this sum­
followed by the hand-numbing routine of gathering the
mary is compiled from those in The Times, 1, 12, 14, 21, 25 and 27
sheets together and stapling them. Nowadays, each
March, 20 July and 13 December 1952. The case is also discussed as a
night, small-magazine editors should offer up a brief
working illustration of the problems facing civil pleas (such as
prayer to cheap photocopying and print -shops such as
negligence) in Eric Cuddon's "Hypnosis and English Law", part of a
our own dear Emjay! John Rimmer
"Frontiers of Hypnosis" speciaJ issue of Tomorrow, 6:4, August
MAGONIA 52
This articlew as longj usta title,o riginallinyt ended for a review of Kenneth Ring's
Omega Project, but as time has gone on ith as become the geenrict itlfeo r a wide
range of the latestl ore. We shalls ee how ufologyh as transformed itselyfe t again,
perhapst he most dramatict ransofrmationy et: the end of secular ufologyi tseltf,h e
triumph of 'reliigouss aucerdom' sweeping aside the hopes of 'scienitfic ufologistst'o
distniguish abducteesf rom contactees.T he title,t hen,r efers to thet hree central
theorieso f post-seuclar ufology:
I:I!•I•l•l
- that UFO and other anomalous experiences are more liekly to be
experiencedb y thosew hose chilhdoods and formativey ears have been traumatic.
Wl-iC•VI
- That as a rseulto f such experiencest he percipientsb ecome open to ESP
and 'non-ordinary realiti'e;st hey may see themselevs as being whollyo r partly
'otheri'n o rigin.
I:I;JI,t,(i•1N:J..i
- At the heart of much post-secularist ufoloigsy ana pocalyptivci sio:n
the abductionsa nd other experiencesa re signso f the End Times, the contactees
are heralds of the New Age when all willb e transformed.
brimstone
Peter Rogerson
1:
us start then with Blood, with childhood trauma Readers will note that there is a crucial ambiguity
·.
Kenneth Ring claims that a higher propor­ already in Ring's position, as absorption into an inner
tion of both close-encounter and near-death world turns into perception of an extended external
experiencers have a higher than average level of world, and the world of the imagination becomes a
childhood abuse (significant figures for neglect, "nega­ quasi -geographical location.
tive home atmosphere", sexual abuse, and less so for This theme is taken up by several other writers.
psychological and physical abuse) [Ring, p.276] Richard Boylan claims "based on my research and anec­
.. .a historyo f chiladb usea nd trauma playsa central dotal reports of other researchers findings, there seems
etiologroilcea iln p romotinsge nsititovi UFtyO encountersto be amongst experiencers and over-representation of
andN DEs. .t.h agtr owinugp unders uchc onditions tennadsti vteo Americans, psychics, persons who were severely
stimulate the deovfea l doispsmoceinatti vresep onse stylase sexually or physically abused as children, adult children
a meanso fp sychological defense... a chilwdh o is exposed
of high-ranking or sensitively posted military officers,
toe ithetrh ethre at ora ctualoiftp yh ysicalv iolensceex,u al
offspring of intelligence agents and children whose
abusoe ro thesre vertera umas,wil l bes tronglmyo tivatteod
selecti'vteulnyoe u t' thasopseec tosf hpihsy sicaanld s ocialp arents were themselves experiencers" (Boylan, p.l9)
worldt haatre liketloyharm him ...b y disos ciating. By doing Boylan argues that 'psychics' and the abused
so he is morelilc elyt o 'tunien too't herre alitwiheesr eb,y share a .. highly permeable psychological boundary layer
virtuoef h isd issociatesdta teh,e can temporarilyf eesla fe [which] results in their attention to subtle external
regardlesosf whisa th appenitnogh isb ody.
signals - what we call intuition or sensitivity to 'vibes'.
This kindo f attunemenhotw,e veris, nota gifotf
They can read emotion as a carrier of information and
dissociationw hiitscehol nfl,y makietsp ossiblbeu,to f a
correlatcaepda ci.t..y psychological absorption. This is the have a heightened attunement to the thinking, of others.
abilittoy concetnratea nd focus one'sa ttentioonn the " (Boylan, p.IO)
figureasn df eatureosf o ne'isn ner retaolt ihteye xclusioof n Boylan interprets the other categories in terms of
eventst akingp lacien th e external environmenL his own paranoid mind-set about military officers and Due to editing of
Fromm y ownp ersonapoli nto fv iew[ theayre] actually this text, marginal
intelligence agents collaborating with the aliens. But
the unwitting beneficoifaa ri keisn do fc ompensatogryi fti n reference numbers
presunting they are not just an artifact of that paranoia do not follow in
return fort hew ounds they ihnacvuerr eidn g rowingu p. ..
sequence. However
theidri fficualntd isno mec ases etvoenr mentcehdi ldhoodtsh.ey may be further examples of troubled childhoods, no references have
(Ringp,J 44-S) the authoritarian personalities of military types and the been omitted.
MAGONIA 52
severe stress suffered by intelligence agents unable to (Mack, p.69)
speak of their work to their families mat well lead to • Jenny's first husband was a paedophile who she
unsettles, stressful family relationships. claims had oral sex with their children; her parents'
Mack reports: "I was struck by how many ab­ marriage collapsed when she was eight; the family
ductees come from broken homes or who had one or moved perpetually; with her second husband she was
more alcoholic parents. There also seems to be a •poor frigid, drowning her sorrows in alcohoL (Mack, p.lll-113)
fit' between some experiencers and their parents, and a • Catherine has a disturbed, alcoholic father who would
number. .. complain about coldness and emotional depri­ disappear frequently when drunk, was given to impul­
vation within the family." (Mack, p.l7) sive bursts of anger, on one occasion burning all
In their interpretation of these events "[I]t Catherine's belongings. At the age of four she was sex­
appears to be the very plight of severe childhood abuse ually abused by a family friend. (Mack, p.l44-45)
that draws sympathetic ETs to first start visiting a partic­ • Bryan, aged 15, was abused and nearly drowned by his
ular child when it is abused" (Boylan, p.20) stepmother, who was a drug addict. At the time he was
interviewed he had been dumped on an aunt by his
natural mother who was going to Switzerland for career
reasons. (Spencer, p.251-2)
• Lucy, aged eight, had witnessed her father's death in a
• BOY ERP,a ulW.h en Time ShallB eN o More:P rohpecy beliienf gun accident (or suicide?), she had a difcfi ult relat­
modern Americanc ulturBe.e lnkopP ressH/o vrorUd .P.1,99 2. ionship with her mother. It seems probable she was
sexually abused by a teenage relative at about this time.
• BOYLAN,R cihadr J.C losEex traterrestrEinaclo untepross:i tive
Her hallucinatory figures constantly intrude on her life.
expeerniceswi tmhy steruisov isitoWrisl.Fd l owePrr es1s99,4
(Schnabel, p.249-SO) Such motifs crop up again and
• BRINKELY,D onnioann,dP ERRY,P aulS.a vedb y theL ight. again, not just in ufological contexts. Consider two
Poituks1,99 4. recent •psychic' nartira ves:
• BRUMMETT,B arrCyo.n temproaryA pocaylptiRch etoric. • Jenny Cockrell's father was a depressive, with bouts
Proegre,19 91. of aggression. (Cockrell, p.14-15) Jenny had premonit­
ions (p.l3), had two imaginary male friends (p.l5) and
• BUDDEN,A lberAtl.l ergiaensd A lienst,h ev isitaetxiopnee rnice:
gradualyl immersed herself in memories of a •past life' in
on evnirnomentahle atlhi ssueD.i scvoerTy imePsre ss19,9 4.
Ireland as a woman mareri d to a violent and unpre­
• COCKELLJ,e nnyYe.s terd'sa yChildnr;et hee xtrarodianry
dictable man. She hated school, and at college had a
searcfhor mypo slti ffeam ilyP.ai tksu,19 93.
series of disastrous afairsf (p.I9-20). She appears to have
• COHN,N ormna.C osmosC,h aosa ndt heW orld To Come:t he inherited her father's manic-depression with periods of
ancient roofao ptosc aylptifcai t.hY aleU nivP.r ess,19 93. hy-peractivity and ebullience, alternating with periods of
• DAVIESN,i c.kM urdero nW ordFo ur:t hes toyr of BeAvll itt. black depression. 0
Chottoa ndW indus19,9 3. • Heather Wood's mother was a psychotic with drug
and alcohol problems who eventually committed suicide.
• HARPURP,o tcrki.Do imonic Rleiatay :fi eldg uidteo t heo ther
Her father was unable to cope, and the children were
world.V ikiAnrgk naa,1 994.
sent to various institutions, where Heather was the
• MACK,J ohnE .A bductoin:h umane nconuterwsi tha ngels. victim of abuse. She was a 'wild' teenager who con­
Smion& Schutser19,9 4. stantly ran away. her husband had also been abused as a
• RANDLES,J ennySt.a Crh ilrdenR.o berHto le1,99 4 child. her history also contains evidence of manic
• RINGK,e nne.tT hhe OmegaP rojcetn:e ard eatehx periences, depressive behaviour (e.g. her involvement in an organis­
UFO encouenrtsa ndm inda tl agre.W illiMaomr row19,9 2. ation called Scope, about which she writes to the
Queen and the Prime Minister). During one episode she
• SCHNABELJ,mi .D arkW hitea:l ieanb ductioannsd t heU FO
is forced to put her daughter into a foster home, from
obsessiHoanm.i sHha mitlon19,9 4.
which she does not want to come home. (Spencer and
• SPENCEJRo,h nG.i ftso ft heG ods:a reU FOs alienv isitoorr s Spencer, pasims .) her repertoire includes ESP, premon­
psychipch enomenoVni?gr in19,9 4 itions, channelling and stigmata
• SPNECER,J ohna ndS PNECER,A nn.S piriWti thiHne r:t he • Eileen Garer tt's parents both committed suicide when
storyo fH eatheWro odsa ndt he gsmtaitaB.o xtre19e94,. she was a small child and she was raised by an aunt and
uncle. The aunt was emotionally cold and a harsh dis­
ciplinarian. She felt more secure outside than indoors
"Sexual abuse seems to be one of the forms of and had imaginary companions called The Children' as
human woundedness that... has led the aliens to inter­ well as an ability to dissociate, claimed ESP and premon­
vene in a protective or healing manner. .. (Mack, p.I8) itions. Her late adolescence and early adult life was
Boylan and Mack take us far beyond the bound­ marked by unsuitable marriages and nervous break­
aries of secular ufology, back to the fairy faith of old, downs. Her later career was as a channeller and medium.
where the fairy god-mother assures Cinderella, that clas­ �
sic victim of child abuse, that she shall go to the ball! • 'Doris Fischer's' parents were bourgeois who had
We can run through the literature and find many fallen down the social scale owing to her father's
cases which illustrate these points: alcoholism and bouts of violence. After she was injuring
• Ed comes from a 1lag-waving family' who wanted him during such a bout of violence as a toddler, she began
to have technical career so he could develop a weapon to show dissociative behaviour, escalating into multiple­
to defeat the communists. (Mack, p.S3-4) personality disorder, pathological lying and self mutilat­
• Sheila is grieving over the death of her mother who ion. She had premonitions, claimed precognition, clair­
was abused as a child, and estranged from her husband voyance and visitations from phantom presences. Adop­
when he does not give her enough emotional support. ted by Dr Waiter Franklin Prince, she and her adoptive