Kathleen Marden on Scientific American article about Accidental Awareness and Alien Abduction

 

Alternate Perceptions Magazine, January 2015kathleen-marden

Accidental Awareness or Alien Abduction?

by Kathleen Marden

A recent article in the November 11 issue of Scientific American claims that alien abductions might be nothing more than “accidental awareness” caused by psychological damage inflicted upon a patient who awakens too soon while undergoing surgery. This hypothesis is presented by Anne Skomorowsky, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Psychosomatic Medicine Specialist at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

I received Dr. Skomorowsky’s article from a colleague who questioned if it was a joke of some kind. I did as well, until I discovered that it has been printed in a prestigious journal. The article was loosely based upon the largest collection of data on “accidental awareness” ever assembled. It had been released by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. No mention was made of alien abduction. However, Dr. Skomorowsky’s article was linked to one written in 2008 by David V. Forrest, M.D., a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia. Dr. Forrest noted that frequently reported narratives of alien abduction, altered state of consciousness, uniformly colored figures with large eyes, nakedness, a high tech room, etc. resemble medical-surgical procedures. He cautioned that if surgeons and anesthesiologists are creating false memories of alien abduction, the medical community should take note of it. Dr. Skomorowsky carried this conjecture to fruition in her article for Scientific American.

Read the entire article here: AP Magazine.

About Scientific Anomaly Institute

The Anomaly Archives is the lending library of the Scientific Anomaly Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks: Preservation and dissemination of scientific research into anomalous phenomena Research and analysis of accumulated collections Education of the public regarding scientific investigations into these phenomena Purposes of the Institute: * Managing and developing an archive and library for documents and literature with regards to a multi-disciplinary approach to anomalous phenomena, * Supporting, promoting and pursuing research to obtain increased knowledge about anomalous phenomena, and * Pursuing and stimulating a critical, scientific discussion of anomalous phenomena, and providing a forum for information, support, and sharing among researchers while, Functioning as the archives and library for like-minded organizations, and other groups in the community that have similar interests. Our collection houses over about 5,000 books as well as research materials such as, videos, documents, magazines, and personal correspondence. Along with the S.A.I. collection, we also curate the collections of "Rare UFO & Paranormal Book Collector/Seller" Robert C. Girard, INACS (Institute for Neuroscience And Consciousness Studies), and others. And previously those of Austin MUFON (Mutual UFO Network), Austin IONS (Institute Of Noetic Sciences) and JSA (Jung Society of Austin). We house many great books that discuss a wide range of scientific subjects including: -UFOs and Ufology -Consciousness -Parapsychology -Fortean Phenomena -Cryptozoology -ParaPolitical Science -Human Potential Please come pay us a visit!

Leave a Reply