It becomes clear from the history of ufology that with the deepening of knowledge and the accumulation of experience in studying human contacts with manifestations of a still unknown nature associated with UFOs, the importance of understanding the psychological aspect increases.
The first published works on ufology belong to the United States, a consequence of the "plate" boom that began in 1947. They traced a subjective analysis of the phenomenon, a description of encounters with aliens and observations of unidentified flying objects.
Many stories later turn out to be skillful falsifications. The mass interest of society, associated with the search for miracles and an outlet in times of crisis, has provided faith in fantastic stories. As a result, the topic is practically discredited as sheer fictions. At the same time, the idea is born that the "alien hypothesis" is the only correct one.
Since the mid-sixties, serious research on UFOs began to develop in parallel in the USA and the USSR. Western experts pay attention to the reality of the phenomenon and seek scientific explanations. The study is also carried out at the government level. In the Soviets, on the enthusiasm of individual researchers, eyewitness surveys, expeditions are conducted, lectures are given, at the official level, the phenomenon is viewed from the position of a bourgeois manifestation of Western culture, while reference is often made to the position of D. Menzel.
K. Jung also directed his creative potential for UFO research. In his work, he concludes that UFO stories are more vivid dreams than reality, and provides a rationale for the deep reasons for the emergence of contacts.
There are downturns and peaks in research related to both the political situation and the very regularity of UFO sightings. By the beginning of the nineties, Soviet ufologists were actively analyzing the psychological consequences of observing unidentified flying objects, the mental state and its deviations in contact with UFO “pilots”. At the same time, along with reports of UFOs, in newspapers, there are more and more notes about the danger of coming into contact at the will of an observer, committing actions that carry a latent or deliberate threat, and recommendations are given.
Attempts to single out the psychological aspect of interaction with UFOs in a separate direction are noteworthy by the UFO Center, located in Moscow, headed by V. G. Azhazha. Contacts with UFOs and aliens are turning into newspaper facts, due to the receptivity of the Soviet people and the faith in the media just during the collapse of the USSR and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The impact of UFOs at the physical level on observers, as well as on animals, vegetation, soil, equipment, etc. is described, for example, using Western and Soviet publications by G. Kolchin.
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In order to uncover the dangers lurking in contacts with UFOs and hypothetical aliens, study the possibilities of the UFO phenomenon, test witnesses and assess the real scale of human interaction and the unknown at this stage of development of ufology as a science, it is fundamentally important to study the psychological aspect. The fact that human consciousness rejects the existence of UFOs - from an individual (contactee) to entire social institutions - wrote the ufologist V. Vilinbakhov.
Contact with the unknown
The accepted impossibility of the existence of the UFO phenomenon is a consequence of the absence of a physical explanation of a number of phenomena, such as tremendous speed, acceleration and overload of UFOs, the ability to disappear and appear, change its shape, etc. According to the theory of the American ufologist John Keel, UFOs have been accompanying mankind since ancient times, is part of its culture and will be an unknown and unexplained phenomenon, like time, consciousness, etc.
Creatures from a parallel world are exploring our society, and we are not studying UFOs. The aliens are adjusting to our psychology, choosing different camouflages. The seeming absence of the logic of UFO phenomena indicates that we are dealing only with the tip of the iceberg, with a small part of someone else's activity and presence visible to us.
A necessary stage of cognition of any phenomenon is the explorer's cognition of himself, the awareness of the fact of the effect on the investigated phenomenon by his very observation. From this position, it is again important to draw a conclusion about the need to disclose the psychological interaction of a person and inexplicable phenomena.
Psychological rationale for rejection syndrome
The term syndrome in psychology refers to a collection of a number of symptoms, features, phenomena that often occur together, in such a way that the presence of one feature indicates the presence of the rest.
The concept of rejection is an acute form of rejection. This is not only a feeling of dissatisfaction with something, but also the inability to have anything in common with this phenomenon. Representations and expectations associated with one's own being and behavior come into conflict with reality.
Thus, rejection syndrome is present in human nature and can be considered as a defense mechanism.
From a purely technical point of view, we can say that if a person, whose psychological portrait is known, has encountered an abnormal phenomenon in real life, the further scenario can be predicted. A person inclined to analysis will try to find an explanation of the phenomenon and, not finding a rational one, will replace it for himself with any one. Otherwise, he will get a breakdown. To some extent, a frivolous person can even tell a story to others, soon he will forget it and will not attach any importance to what he has lived.
On the other hand, if a person rejects the existence of a UFO, then more often, being ignorant, he will never try to show interest and figure it out, considering this issue resolved for himself.
If we single out from the many hypotheses of the nature of UFO those that recognize its intelligent origin, then, in theory, visual contacts with unidentified objects, telepathic and direct contacts with aliens occur at the will of the latter.
Some kidnapping stories feature a rude attitude, lack of humanity, and heartlessness on the part of the kidnappers. People in UFOs are pulled by force and take actions against the will of the person. As a result, contactees never sought to benefit from their adventures, in most cases they feared disclosure. In other stories, a friendly invitation to visit a UFO appears before, the contact is made with the consent of the person who is interested. There are elements of influence on consciousness and subconsciousness, control of the emotional state.
Before contact, a person is most often "ready" - in a number of cases there was an expectation of an important event, a feeling of someone else's presence, a number of phenomena such as electrification of the air, poltergeist, thoughts and actions can be imposed on a person. This can be explained by the fact that a preliminary assessment of a person and his potential for perception is carried out if he is selected for contact.
There are other signs of pre-exposure exposure:
- someone else's thought sounds in the mind, or obsessive ideas appear;
- sudden awakening for no apparent reason;
- aggravation of consciousness;
- discomfort, depression, anxiety;
- the feeling of warmth or cold disappears;
- the limbs are filled with heaviness, cease to obey;
- all sounds suddenly disappear;
- a sudden wave of fear of varying intensity - from an unpleasant premonition to panic horror.
Many contactees, having told their story, regret it. Initially, many have the idea that no one will believe them. Talking about aliens with psychiatrists is considered delusional and must be treated. Therefore, the contactee, knowing the situation, will prefer to keep quiet, being alone with his experiences and stress. It is not possible to get rid of the noisy fame after the disclosure of the identity and the publicity of what happened.
The society continues to treat such people with distrust, apprehension, and contempt, even after being recognized as healthy during a humiliating examination by psychiatrists. There are cases of dismissals due to contacteeship and persecutions in the service (12). The situation is not improved by publicity in ufology - before the contactee would have been considered crazy, but now they are laughed at. Apart from self-conviction and faith, in the overwhelming majority of cases there are no other arguments as evidence of the contact. The latter, in turn, causes reasonable skepticism.
The contactee may experience complete or partial loss of memory of the incident. Details are lost, the sequence of events, elements drop out, information received, the very fact of a contact is forgotten. The rejection syndrome turns an event into a vague dream.
The phenomenon of rejection of painful memories is known to psychology. The natural instinct of the individual, by blocking the negative experience, preserves the psyche in order to avoid trauma. The memory of the unpleasant, obeying the protective function of the brain, is displaced into the unconscious area. In the future, causeless neuroses and fears can talk about its presence.
When a person begins to forget unwanted experiences or memories, the accompanying events are forgotten. There may be a problem of applying life experience if it is blocked as negative. Fear performs a protective function and is a temporary condition, activates the body in case of danger. In other cases, it can lead to a slowdown in thinking, make a person immobile. Long-term exposure to fear depressing the tone of the body and negatively affects the psyche.
The difficult events that happen in life pass, and a person trusts this experience. When entering the familiar comfort zone, he makes every effort to stay in it. Negative memories that upset the balance are rejected by consciousness.
Fear can appear unexpectedly for no apparent reason and can harm a person. In some cases, hypothetical UFO pilots deliberately suppress the fear of a contactee, UFO observer or abductee. When fear disappears, calmness sets in, interest in the situation may appear. This state of perception can be compared to a dream, when the sleeping person is not at all surprised by the most fantastic images and events.
Social rejection syndrome
Transferring the factor of rejection to society, we have a picture - people do not need shocking truths, they do not perceive them, which is why the objective reality of UFOs is hidden from them. Misunderstood phenomena are simply not noticed and are replaced by false explanations arising from a narrow cognitive stereotype and limited scientific knowledge.
A person who is familiar with materials on ufology, due to the syndrome, may not perceive the available information objectively, will unconsciously try to block it due to the fact that he is unable to explain it using logic and rational experience.
The absence of the desired material evidence of the reality of UFOs becomes an attracted reason for disbelief in the existence of the phenomenon and unacceptability of the topic on a serious level. It turns out that non-recognition of the limitations of a person's ability to cognize leads to an internal contradiction - we are open to new knowledge about the Universe, are ready to obtain it with hard work, and, at the same time, we ignore a number of phenomena of unknown nature.
Thus, information about UFOs is rejected, despite the large number of eyewitness reports, the global picture of the phenomenon, the very probability of the existence of UFOs. The possibility of manipulating the body and mind of a person against his will contradicts the feeling of security when the world around him is orderly, understandable and does not store unsolvable mysteries.
The colossal amount of misinformation and false data depresses a person's interest - there is practically nothing to surprise him with. The value of the data coming from the media is being lost.
Strange events figure in human history, but are stubbornly ignored by science. Due to the fact that the UFO problem does not particularly reveal itself as technical or alien, the philosophical and psychological aspect of ufology is important, as is the study of the interaction between man and the unknown.
Who needs ufology? Those who have abandoned the crude rationalistic approach and old dogmas do not close their eyes to the obvious phenomena regarding the existence of the UFO phenomenon.
The consciousness of people gradually gets used to and gets used to the idea of the presence of a different mind, overcomes the syndrome of rejection, to which real ufologists have not been exposed for a long time, who are always ready to learn, albeit shocking, but the truth. I would like to believe that a new qualitative state of thinking in relation to UFOs awaits us.