Belief in ET abduction provokes responses similar to PTSD due to combat

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The discussion centers on a study investigating the psychophysiological responses of individuals who claim to have been abducted by aliens. Researchers measured heart rate, skin conductance, and electromyographic responses during script-driven imagery of these reported encounters, comparing them to responses elicited by stressful, positive, and neutral experiences. The hypothesis posited that if memories of alien abduction are akin to highly stressful memories, then abductees would exhibit heightened physiological reactivity to abduction and stressful scripts compared to positive and neutral ones. Results confirmed this prediction, showing significant emotional responses among abductees, suggesting that the belief in trauma can evoke similar reactions to actual traumatic memories. This research highlights the complex interplay between belief, memory, and emotional response in the context of perceived trauma.
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Abstract:
Is recollection of highly improbable traumatic experiences accompanied by psychophysiological responses indicative of intense emotion? To investigate this issue, we measured heart rate, skin conductance, and left lateral frontalis electromyographic responses in individuals who reported having been abducted by space aliens. Recordings of these participants were made during script-driven imagery of their reported alien encounters and of other stressful, positive, and neutral experiences they reported. We also measured the psychophysiological responses of control participants while they heard the scripts of the abductees. We predicted that if “memories” of alien abduction function like highly stressful memories, then psychophysiological reactivity to the abduction and stressful scripts would be greater than reactivity to the positive and neutral scripts, and this effect would be more pronounced among abductees than among control participants. Contrast analyses confirmed this prediction for all three physiological measures (ps<.05). Therefore, belief that one has been traumatized may generate emotional responses similar to those provoked by recollection of trauma (e.g., combat)...
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpl/psci/2004/00000015/00000007/art00010
http://psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/abduction_imagery.pdf
 
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Interesting research idea.
 

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