Unsolved UFO Sightings and Other Unexplained Mysteries Summer 1997 [antikvár]

Abductions:The Feminine Factorby Sean CasteelWorld renowned alien abduction researcher Budd Hopkins has spent more than two decades studying a phenomenon that is clearly the most vital yet enigmatically elusive cultural happening of this century, and in the course of that study he has worked with many hundreds of abductees. That work includes both guiding the subjects through grueling regressive hypnosis sessions to explore their missing memories as well as follow-up therapy to help the person cope after those memories have been uncovered.Two of the books that came from Hopkins' researchMissing Time (1981), and Intruders (1987)are both considered landmark classics in the field, as fresh and relevant today as when they were first written.But what has Hopkins done for us lately?For one thing, he has continued his role as researcher with the three women who are the real subject of this article. They are Linda Cortile, the female subject of Hopkins' third book, Witnessed (Pocket Books, 1996) and Beth Collings and Anna Jamerson, who co-authored the book Connections (Wild Flower Press, 1996) about their individual as well as their "shared" abduction experi-ences. All three women use pseudonyms for the sake of privacy.Hopkins worked diligently with all three women and the resulting books are really just the icing on the cake of years of laborious and traumatic "working through" of the experiences the women eventually could no longer deny in spite of their overwhelming fear of ridicule and isolation fi:om the "normal" world around them. And looking back, all three women have only praise for Hopkins and his generous help and support.We'll let Beth Collings go first."I have the highest regard for Budd," Collings said. "There's been an awful lot of controversy about the kind of work he does. But he appears to me to be a genuine person, just a regular persondown to earth. Open and friendly. He is probably one of the most honest men I have ever met. He doesn't claim to be a therapist, but he is more concerned with the abductee's state of mind and their well-being. That comes above and beyond any interest in gaining information or getting the memories to come out. That's his prime concern, the well-being of the person he's working with."Anna Jamerson spoke along similar lines."I count Budd as one of the fortunate things that happened," Jamerson said, "since the alien abductions have started.He's become a real friend. He's probably one of the most compassionate people in the world. He's always there to help and to answer questions. And he's there to be skeptical and to bring up other explanations. And to always let us know when we're headed down a wrong direction. He's looking for the truth and trying to find out what's happening to us. And I think he's someone we can count on."And finally we hear from Linda Cortile."Well, Budd has always been very considerate and thoughtful," Cortile said. "I think he's a very good researcher and I was lucky to have him as a researcher. He lives about four or five miles away, which makes it even easier."We asked all three women if they felt there was such a thing as a uniquely female approach to the subject. Jamerson and Cortile responded by saying they didn't think so, but Collings offered up the following:"I'm not so sure there's a uniquely female approach," she said, "but I think the aliens use the special differences and the emotional differences in men and women particularly for the genetic stuff that they're involved in. Obviously, they're looking for a 'mother instinct' response. They use that as a sort of leverage where they apparently would have no use for it with the men. I