Humans harbor a primal fear of the "other" and the unknown.

Is the UFO phenomenon fact or fantasy?

If there are really aliens, are they good or evil?

The growing UFO or UAP obsession and its current popularity with the public, as evidenced in part by a proliferation of television programs and documentaries on the topic, is a fascinating psychological phenomenon. There are various psychological dynamics and existential needs (meaninglessness and alienation in a mysterious cosmos, dread of the stranger or "other," seeking a messianic "ultimate rescuer," and more) that can foster or intensify belief in UFOs, extraterrestrial visitation or abduction.

Fervent, far-fetched, unswerving, and unlikely reports with absolutely no objective evidence or corroboration can, in some cases, sound like the stuff of delusions or hallucinations heard every day in psychiatric wards around the world. And like such psychotic symptoms, these reported experiences can sometimes serve as a sort of real-life Rorschach test, revealing our hidden conflicts, fears, resentments, traumas, and anxieties (and sometimes positive feelings, wishes, talents, aspirations, or beliefs) not only in the psyche of individual experiencers but also deeply rooted in our collective unconscious as well. But what has become increasingly clear in recent years is that a significant percentage of these reports cannot simply be dismissed as psychiatric symptomatology or mass hysteria. Thus, this post is in no way intended to dismiss, deny, or ridicule reports of the objective reality of UFOs or UAPs, whatever they may be, but rather to provide some........

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