- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books; New edition edition (3 April 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671851942
- ISBN-13: 978-0671851941
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
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- #61 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Paranormal & Unexplained Phenomena > UFOs
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Product Description
Product Description
Having been sceptical at first, after investigating more than one hundred cases of alien abduction and conducting thousands of hours of interviews and treatment, Dr Mack is convinced that these men and women are not making up their stories. Here he presents the many accounts of alien implications of their experiences on his understanding of human psychology and on our identity as a species on this planet.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first book on the superficially improbable 'alien abduction' phenomenon written by the late Professor John Mack, the celebrated and respected psychiatrist from Harvard University Medical School.
Mack had, when he wrote 'Abduction', already been awarded the Purlitzer Prize for 'A Prince of Our Disorder', a best-selling biography of T. E. Lawrence.
On becoming acquainted with the evidence of many thousands of people reporting these extraordinary but similar experiences, Professor Mack initially suspected that they might be suffering from a mental illness. However when, as a professional psychiatrist, he found no pathologies were present he decided to look deeper. Mack decided not to adopt prevailing materialist or conventional pathology-psychosis explanations as they just did not fit these individuals, and began in-depth investigation and interviews.
Each of the 13 chapters in the book takes a separate case and examines the experiences of a different individual. This format does not always lead to an easy read, as the 'abductees' speak for themselves and much of the text is in quotation marks. One common factor he uncovered at an early stage was that those interviewed reported their experiences had produced greater environmental regard for the Earth and a heightened sense of personal spirituality. Mack does focus on this aspect more than most researchers.
When it was suggested that Mack was 'inclined to take these abduction reports at face value' he responded: 'Face value I wouldn't say. I take them seriously and don't have any way to account for them.' In an extensive interview with the BBC Mack cautiously said: 'I would never say "yes, there are aliens taking people." There is a compelling powerful phenomenon here that I can't account for in any other way, that's mysterious. It seems to me that it invites a deeper, further inquiry.'
Professor Mack's follow-up book on the subject, 'Passport to the Cosmos', is in many ways a more enjoyable page-turning read in that it takes the form of a discourse on the abduction subject and argues for a greater and more encompassing world-view than that normally accepted by the academic-materialist mindset. 'Cosmos' is an essay rather than a documented and episodic research paper as is 'Abduction'.
For an informed critique of Professor Mack's approach, see the chapter in Professor David Jacobs's book 'The Threat' focussing on Mack's methodology and conclusions. Jacobs is yet another high-level academic (Professor of History at Temple University) who has made a detailed study of the abduction phenomenon over 30 years, a great personal friend of John Mack whilst not seeing eye-to-eye on all the latter's conclusions.
The depth of content and the academic rigour of 'Abduction' deserves five stars, but I give the book four stars because it's not an easy, flowing read and is rather hard-going at times.
Mack had, when he wrote 'Abduction', already been awarded the Purlitzer Prize for 'A Prince of Our Disorder', a best-selling biography of T. E. Lawrence.
On becoming acquainted with the evidence of many thousands of people reporting these extraordinary but similar experiences, Professor Mack initially suspected that they might be suffering from a mental illness. However when, as a professional psychiatrist, he found no pathologies were present he decided to look deeper. Mack decided not to adopt prevailing materialist or conventional pathology-psychosis explanations as they just did not fit these individuals, and began in-depth investigation and interviews.
Each of the 13 chapters in the book takes a separate case and examines the experiences of a different individual. This format does not always lead to an easy read, as the 'abductees' speak for themselves and much of the text is in quotation marks. One common factor he uncovered at an early stage was that those interviewed reported their experiences had produced greater environmental regard for the Earth and a heightened sense of personal spirituality. Mack does focus on this aspect more than most researchers.
When it was suggested that Mack was 'inclined to take these abduction reports at face value' he responded: 'Face value I wouldn't say. I take them seriously and don't have any way to account for them.' In an extensive interview with the BBC Mack cautiously said: 'I would never say "yes, there are aliens taking people." There is a compelling powerful phenomenon here that I can't account for in any other way, that's mysterious. It seems to me that it invites a deeper, further inquiry.'
Professor Mack's follow-up book on the subject, 'Passport to the Cosmos', is in many ways a more enjoyable page-turning read in that it takes the form of a discourse on the abduction subject and argues for a greater and more encompassing world-view than that normally accepted by the academic-materialist mindset. 'Cosmos' is an essay rather than a documented and episodic research paper as is 'Abduction'.
For an informed critique of Professor Mack's approach, see the chapter in Professor David Jacobs's book 'The Threat' focussing on Mack's methodology and conclusions. Jacobs is yet another high-level academic (Professor of History at Temple University) who has made a detailed study of the abduction phenomenon over 30 years, a great personal friend of John Mack whilst not seeing eye-to-eye on all the latter's conclusions.
The depth of content and the academic rigour of 'Abduction' deserves five stars, but I give the book four stars because it's not an easy, flowing read and is rather hard-going at times.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Abduction, presents the transcripts from the many patients John Mack treated under hypnotherapy who seem to have undergone alien abduction experiences.
The book certainly seems fairly credible, and John Mack would seem to be a pretty credible source.
The individual cases can range quite widely and he really presents everything in quite a clinical manner, and doesnt push any personal views too far, some of the cases are quite frightening and gripping, but equally some are just a bit too new age and get a bit tedious, ill haver to admit to skipping a couple of pages here and there.
interesting certainly. and its fairly neutral tone allows the book to be read with bias.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you've ever had doubts about Alien abduction this book will put you straight. John Edward Mack, M.D. (October 4, 1929 - Sep 27 2004) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and had 40yrs experience in his field when he first embarked upon this project.
This book will take you though actual case studies, conducted by Professor Mack, of people from all walks of life and ages who have had challenging, sometimes disturbing, and in every case, life changing experiences of alien abduction. Where the aliens come from and from what dimension is not clearly known; however part their involvement with us is explained by the abductees, or `Experiencers' as they are now known, as part of the information given to them when they experienced often frightening and unnerving clinical tests conducted by the alien beings. Yet out of this, and with the professional assistance of Professor Mack, most experiencers came to a self realisation that there is a sound spiritual message here for the whole of humankind.
Despite most of what is explained flies in the face of conventional Newtonian Scientific thinking and its emphasis on materialism, with the ever increasing interest now in Quantum Physics and experiments producing effects that defy all we have been brought up to believe, these abduction experiences seem more credible than ever before. Certainly Professor Mack was no fool in his field and a part of his overall summary of events includes this statement. `The alien beings have come to the abductees from a source that remains unknown to us. We still do not fully grasp their purpose or their methods'
Written in an easy to understand way it matters not whether you are from the scientific fraternity or simply have an interest in matters beyond the normal, you will be hanging onto every word as the `Experiencers' take you through their mind challenging and often harrowing experiences.
This book will take you though actual case studies, conducted by Professor Mack, of people from all walks of life and ages who have had challenging, sometimes disturbing, and in every case, life changing experiences of alien abduction. Where the aliens come from and from what dimension is not clearly known; however part their involvement with us is explained by the abductees, or `Experiencers' as they are now known, as part of the information given to them when they experienced often frightening and unnerving clinical tests conducted by the alien beings. Yet out of this, and with the professional assistance of Professor Mack, most experiencers came to a self realisation that there is a sound spiritual message here for the whole of humankind.
Despite most of what is explained flies in the face of conventional Newtonian Scientific thinking and its emphasis on materialism, with the ever increasing interest now in Quantum Physics and experiments producing effects that defy all we have been brought up to believe, these abduction experiences seem more credible than ever before. Certainly Professor Mack was no fool in his field and a part of his overall summary of events includes this statement. `The alien beings have come to the abductees from a source that remains unknown to us. We still do not fully grasp their purpose or their methods'
Written in an easy to understand way it matters not whether you are from the scientific fraternity or simply have an interest in matters beyond the normal, you will be hanging onto every word as the `Experiencers' take you through their mind challenging and often harrowing experiences.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The intellectual abduction of John Mack
The late John Mack was a regular professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, when he encountered people who claimed to have been abducted by space aliens and taken onboard... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ashtar Command
abduction phenomena
A brilliant book, after realising that not only me but my family have been and continue to experience high strangeness i have been on a quest for some answers and in this book i... Read more
Published 19 months ago by M. L. Shannon
Where was the enthusiasm?
Very interesting new theories especially the hybrid developments. Have the abductees stepped over the line of truth/reality? Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2000
An astonishing book
Read it and see for yourself. This is a credible book from a credible author about and incredible subject. It'll change your life...
Published on 31 Dec 1999
Excellent book of abduction case files.
Prof Mack has truely put this subject in the science field, this book should be made into a mental health manual of case studies. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 1999
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