A third former BAASS employee spoke out in 2012

Introduction

Recent posts have provided details of the testimony of two former Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) employees (click here and here to read,) both of whom worked on the Bigelow Utah ranch between 2010 and 2016. This has provided us with a perspective on the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) that we have not previously had.

However, a number of readers of this blog, including Di Irwolf, have reminded me that, back in 2012, an individual identified only as "Chip," had provided his own testimony about being a former BAASS security guard, at the Utah Ranch. Thus bringing to three, the number of such individuals who have come forward.

On 2 September 2012, The Paracast Internet radio show, carried an extensive interview with "Chip." The hosts of that show stated that they had checked "Chip's" credentials and that he wouldn't have appeared on the show unless they were satisfied he was who he said he was. For those blog readers who are time poor, I will provide my notes made after listening to the interview. However, I would urge you to take the time and listen to the complete interview.

In addition, based on the information which "Chip" revealed, I believe I have identified his name, but at this time, choose not to give it here.

His engagement at the ranch

"Chip"was recruited as a security guard for the Utah ranch, and spent a total of approximately eight weeks there, on and off for two weeks at a time. This was around 2009/2010. He was based in Las Vegas, and would initially be flown to the ranch. This practice then stopped, and he drove to the property in a hire car from Las Vegas, which was an eight hour trip. He had a secret, military security clearance.

BAASS did not provide him with much information about the ranch at all, when he went there to work. He was told that his role was as a security guard, patrolling and keeping people off the ranch.

Equipment wise, he was issued with a camera, night vision equipment and thermal imaging gear. He was told that if he felt anything different about his body, e.g. hair standing on end, that he should stop and immediately scan around with a thermal imager and night vision equipment, plus take photographs, "because there is an unexplained energy out there." Asked how many surveillance cameras there were on the property, "Chip" stated that when he was there, there were no working cameras.

Noting that he was engaged for just eight weeks, a show host asked "Chip" if the job was a short term hire only? "Chip" responded that "they did a mass hire, not just the guards. They hired investigators. They hired doctors. They had all sorts of, like, doctors. I mean nuclear physicists and all that."

In 2010, he said, they laid everyone off, stating that they had lost their contract.

Photographs

Following up "Chip's" statement re taking photographs, one of the hosts asked him if anything showed up in his pictures? He said that he, and others, got things called "orbs" in photographs. They were said to be balls of energy, though he first thought they might be dust/pollen in the air. However, he noted that in a series of consecutive photographs, these orbs might show up in one picture, but not the next, and so he was unsure if it was dust/pollen.

Dogs

He mentioned that they had three dogs with them. These were ordinary house dogs and not specially trained in any way. He said there were times when the dogs would unexpectedly start barking, or would just lie down on the ground. At times like that, he would take photographs. Although on such occasions he didn't feel anything himself at all; orbs would turn up in such pictures. To his knowledge, BAASS did not conduct any medical tests on the dogs.

Scientists

"Chip" was asked if he had any interaction with BAASS scientists? He replied that scientists only came there once in his time on the ranch. To him, it just seemed like they were there simply to collect their pay checks and "figure out, go out and do this..."

Military visitors

Guest/host Ryan Skinner said he'd heard rumours about high ranking military people visiting the property, did "Chip" know anything about this? "Chip" responded that although military people had not visited during his times there, he was aware from talking to others, that high ranking military people had indeed visited the ranch. His recollection of what he was told, was that one was a general and there were three altogether, with one being female. There was an incident of some sort, and the military people freaked out. They "saw something." Freaked out, and asked to be immediately escorted off the property.

Medical tests

Ryan Skinner said he had heard that urine tests were conducted on people who had "experiences" at the ranch? Did "Chip" know of this? "Chip" confirmed that this was true. "They made you do a pee test. You had to pee in these little jars and you had to bring them back with you when you went out, after two weeks stay. You had to bring it down to Las Vegas where they had their little lab. I don't know what they did with it."

"They also had some guys, after they went through as security, guys that went to the ranch; a few guys that hadn't been to the ranch yet. They sent these guys, they paid for the trip, to Reno, on a weekend. Paid for the facility to be opened and did brain scans on all the individuals...MRI and they would not let you look at it. They said the only information you will get is if you have a brain tumour, or something life threatening you know, wrong with your brain and they'll give you some information on it..."

"It almost looks like we were the guinea pigs - they were testing us."

Paperwork

"They said we lost our contract and I actually saw some paperwork at the office in Las Vegas there. They were actually under contract by the government. All of our pay, everything..."

One of the hosts asked "What branch of government?" "Chip" replied, "The NSA."

At this point in the show, one of the hosts asked "Chip" if he could produce documents to prove he was actually employed by these people? "Chip" first answered, "Yes," then clarified whether the host "meant employed by NSA or BAASS?" Another host cut in and stated that "Chip's" credentials had been checked or he would not have been on the show. So the question of who "Chip" was ultimately through BAASS, employed by, was lost.

Sleep paralysis and alien abductions - a new idea

Hi all,

Every now and then a book comes along which challenges your personal viewpoint. This post is about such a book. The subject is sleep paralysis, which some researchers say is the definitive answer for the cause of alien abductions. I have only had one episode which falls into the definition of sleep paralysis. I awoke paralysed, with an "evil" presence in the room. The event was extremely real to me at the time, and years later I can still vividly recall it.

This post looks at the now four year old book by Australian,Louis Proud titled "Dark Intrusions:An Investigation into the Paranormal Nature of Sleep Paralysis Experiences. Published by Anomalist Books. San Antonio. ISBN 1933 66 5440.

I came across the book some time ago but have not made time to thoroughly read it and make notes. Now, I have.

The starting point:

"This book is an attempt to make sense of the SP phenomenon from an alternative, non-mechanistic perspective. Those of a skeptical disposition, who have little or no time for the occult or the paranormal, will find nothing of value in this book...My hope is that SP sufferers like myself, who are fed up with the official explanations of SP, will find context within these pages and hopefully, some answers too.." (pp20-21.)

"I have to admit that much of what I've written herein has been coloured - though not dogmatically so - by my interest in spiritism, an offshoot of spiritualism..." (p. 21.)

"It would be accurate to say that this book, rather than being about SP, is essentially about the nature of incorporal beings and the interactions that take place between them and us."  (p.21.)

Experiences:

Louis' SP experiences began in 2001, when he was 17. In 2003 he noted that "Whenever I felt nervous, stressed or depressed, my SP experiences would become more frequent and more intense." (p.25.)

In 2007 he "...fully recognised the fact that I suffered from SP." (p.25.)

He writes "Instead of describing any single episode - of which there is only a handful that I remember with total clarity - I will attempt to shed light on what a typical episode involves." (p.26.)

His typical episode finds him trying to get to sleep, which he finds difficult. Finally he goes to sleep. He wakes up, but not fully. "I can't move a single muscle in my body...I can't even open my eyes...this thing attaches to my forehead with delicate, loving strokes...It then moves over to the left side of my body and proceeds to lie down beside me...it puts its arms around me...fear is what it feeds upon...I force myself to wake up by fighting the paralysis...When I open my eyes and gaze around the pitch black room I see the shadow swirling over me...I jump out of bed...it's nowhere to be found." (pp26-27.)

Research:

"My research seems to indicate that the majority of SP attacks occur on an astral level and that the SP state involves a partial dislocation of the astral body from the physical body." (p.29.)

"The entity responsible for SP episodes are, by the way, able to invade one's dreams, turning them into nightmares." (p.31.)

In 2003 some of his experiences "...were of a highly sexual nature. Unbelievable though this sounds, I had sexual intercourse with female spirits who visited me in the middle of the night. This happened on several occasions. These sexual encounters were generally very intense, in many ways more so than the real thing...These encounters would always take place in a quasi-SP state, slightly different from the normal SP state." (p.32.)

Relevance to Alien abductions:

Louis writes on page 33 "During one encounter, I manged to open my eyes ever so slightly...I was rather taken aback to discover that the female being on top of me had the appearance of a half human, half alien grey."

By 2004 Louis "...began to experience auditory hallucinations...during the SP state...generally experienced  in such a fashion as to give one the impression that the sound is coming from outside oneself..." (p.34.)

"In my case...I will usually hear voices and sounds during the final moment of an SP episode, never at the beginning, and rarely during the middle..." (p.36.)

"Most of the voices speak in such a way that it seems they're trying to tell me something of great importance, something that requires my full attention." (p.38.)

"I should mention at this point that elementary sounds, and sensations of vibration and the like, do not feature strongly in my SP episodes." (p.39.)

"The sound of footsteps - which is something I've heard during many an SP episode..." (p/40/)

"A search for answers"

In 2007 Louis found an article which mentioned SP and spirits. "Bower's article makes the mistake of implying that these experiences have a physiological basis and nothing more..." (p.50.)

Louis started to research SP and chapters 4 through 17 of the book document his findings and thoughts.

His report on his investigations start with the work of David Hufford, author of "The Terror That Comes In the Night" who had an SP experience himself, then went onto conduct indepth investigations. Louis explains Hufford's work and relates some interesting observations.

One individual in Hufford's book, Jack, had SP attacks in front of his brother. The brother "...would notice that Jack's eyes were open, just staring straight out into space," and that his breathing sounded heavy and unusual. During these occasions, Jack's brother noticed nothing of a paranormal nature. (p.65.) (For Hufford's book, click here.)

"It would appear that the mind of the SP sufferer plays a role in giving shape to the entities you see," (p.66.)

Chapters 5-8:

Through chapter 5 "The Ghost of Bowling Green;" chapter 6 "The Poltergeist according to spiritism;" and chapter 7 "The Enfield Poltergeist" Louis describes his hypothesis that the poltergeist is "...an energy vampire," "as are most of the spirits responsible for SP attacks." (p.100.)

Exploring the story of Joe Fisher, a Canadian journalist and best selling author, in chapter 8, Louis states "That Fisher's death was caused by a group of malevolent disincarnate entities - who perhaps influenced his mind - might sound far-fetched and sensational..." (p.104.) (Click here for more on Fisher.)

Stan Gooch:

Stan Gooch was an English psychologist who penned a book "Creatures From Inner Space" and told, among other things, about the SP experiences of others and  himself, involving episodes of a sexual nature. (Click here for more on Gooch.)

Chapters 10, "Chico Xavier: The Pope of Spiritism" and 11, "Dion Fortune On Psychic Attacks," develops the relationship between humans and spirits.

As the SP phenomenon is inherently tied up with sleep, Louis looks at what is currently known about this topic, in chapter 14. He reports on the work of Kazuhiko Fukuda who showed that in an SP attack the brain indicated activity typical of REM sleep. There is also an explanation of the work of Persinger and Budden.

Robert Monroe:

Monroe and his work are closely examined in chapter 15. "What we have here is a definite link between the SP phenomenon and the realm of the paranormal - more specifically, contact and communication with spirits." (p.225.) (Click here for more on Monroe's work.)

"It should be clear by now that SP episode occur on an astral level, including in some cases, a partial dislocation of the astral body from the physical body..." (p.228.)

"Assuming that the astral body leaves the physical body every time we fall asleep, and that the SP state involves little more than being awake and aware during REM sleep, it would not be unreasonable to state that the only difference between an SP sufferer and a non-SP sufferer is that the former has some awareness of these astral experiences..." (p226.)

The UAP connection:

Louis explains the UAP connection in chapter 16 "Whitley Strieber and the Visitors." "...it would not be a stretch to classify him as a kind of shaman, and intermediary between this world and the world of the gods..." (p.229.) (For more on Strieber, click here.)

Louis's perspective is that "SP attacks occur on an astral level...on the other hand, alien abduction episodes occur on a physical level, or quasi-physical level." (p.240.)

"These experiences seem to suggest that the so called hallucinations experienced by SP sufferers are, in fact "astral perceptions" and therefore possess a high degree of objectivity." (p.246.)

"We have found yet more evidence to support the central hypothesis of this book - that some SP attacks are caused by, and involve contact with discarnate entities." (p.246.)

The penultimate chapter concerns Trevor James Constable, who "...claims to have photographed etheric organisms of many different varieties..." (p.254.) (Click here.)

After examining the works of Constable, Boccone and Gheorghita, Louis writes "No doubt the reader will have recognised by now that an explicit overlap exists between the UFO phenomenon and what one might term the "discarnate entity phenomenon." (p.258.)

Finally, in chapter 18 "Postscript" Louis relates his successful experiment to induce SP and experience an out of body experience or a lucid dream.

"I remain convinced that these particular SP attacks are an attempt at possession by malevolent discarnate entities and could possibly lead to other types of paranormal phenomena..." (p.265.)

"The same rule applies to SP attacks. Some of them could be caused by thought-forms, others by malicious earth-bound spirits, while others may result from a consciousness  split "between our astral and physical bodies..." (p.266.)

Conclusion:

"The findings in this book demonstrate that there exists another reality -  a 'spirit realm'- impinging upon our own, whose inhabitants influence us profoundly and play a much larger role in our lives than we come to imagine - or are able to comprehend." (p.268.)

Comments:

Of relevance here to the UAP abduction phenomenon is a note on page 32 by Louis that "According to folklore, when a succubus or incubus wishes to seduce someone, they alter their appearance in such a way as to appear more sexually appealing and more human." I recall reading a number of references in the UAP abduction literature in which someone believes that they had sex with a human being, only to realise that the being is in fact more reptilian than human.

Could it be that a constant core phenomenon, over hundreds of years, is at work here using cultural expectations and a particular periods in time, to provide a convenient explanation? I recall here, a note in  post by my former co-blogger, Pauline Wilson, (29 Dec 2010) when writing about Vallee and Aubeck's book "Wonders in the Sky." (Click here.) In that book Vallee "...recognised the difference between the core phenomenology of reports and the local language and interpretation that clothes that core in traditional accounts." (p.2.)

If you haven't read Louis' book I would recommend you track down a copy and study it.

Staying sane 4

More from my 40 years ...

4. Don't separate research into UFOs from research into the paranormal

In my opinion, you shouldn't study the UFO phenomenon in isolation from other areas of knowledge. To me, UFOs are part of the topic of the paranormal. I believe that much is to be learnt by studying UFOs, together with the paranormal.

Why do I say this? For example, the after-effects of some UFO close encounters include a range of effects, otherwise labelled 'paranormal' if they took place without a UFO sightings. These effects include an increase in a witness' extra sensory perception (ESP); or the reporting of a "poltergeist.'

In addition, recent scientific studies on the topic of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are relevant to potential non-extra-terrestrial explanations for some UFo abduction accounts. Science has been able to create OBEs on demand, by electrically stimulating the human brain. There are UFO abduction accounts where experiencers relate that they found themselves floating above their physical bodies, just like in an OBE.

There have also been laboratory experiments in which it has been possible to demonstrate that one's sense of self can be transferred to a point outside the physical body.

UFOs and the paranormal

Hi readers

I have just been re-reading an excellent article written by Adelaide researcher Keith Basterfield. It is titled "Paranormal aspects of the UFO Phenomenon:1975-1999" and was published in the "Australian Journal of Parapsychology" Volume 1 number 1 pages 30-55. As it is difficult to locate this article I am going to summarise it for you as I believe it makes some important points about the relationship between UFOs and the paranormal, which are still very relevant today.

In the introduction, Keith points out that between the 1960's and the mid 1970's, there was a general reluctance by global UFO researchers to acknowledge that close encounter witnesses/abductees reported paranormal episodes.

It wasn't until 1977 that Jacques vallee wrote "In recent years, too, the report of paranormal events in connection with close encounters with UFOs seems to have become the rule rather than the exception." (Vallee, J. "UFOs:The Psychic Solution" St Albans. Panther. Page 27.)

Also, in 1977, APRO's the Lorenzens wrote "It has been noted by Dr Sprinkle and others that in some close encounters, and especially in on-board experiences, UFO precipients seem to acquire heightened extrasensory perception powers after their experiences." (Lorenzen, Coral & Jim. 1977. "Abducted!" New York. Berkley Medallion. Page 157.)

In the period 1979-1981, US researchers including the likes of D Scott Rogo, Jerome Clark, Richard Haines, Ann Drufel; and UK researchers Jenny Randles and Peter Warrington all commented on the subject of the paranormal and UFOs.

Rogo and Clark noted that some witnesses claimed to have "...developed psychic abilities after chancing upon alien craft." (Rogo, D Scott & Clark, Jerome. 1979. "Earth's Secret Inhabitants." New York. Tempo. Page 39.)

Dr Iris Maack, US researcher wrote "...psi awareness among abductees is very common." (Gansberg, Judith & Gansberg, Alan. 1980. "Direct Encounters." New York. Walker & Co. Page 128.)

In 1983 English parapsychologist Hilary Evans went further by stating "...there are indications in many cases that there exists some kind of psychic link between the witness and the UFO or its occupants...There are many cases in which the psychic or parapsychological link is central to the events and an essential element of the evidence." (Evans, H. 1983. "The Evidence for UFOs." Wellingborough. Acquarian. Page 49.)

1987 saw Eddie Bullard in the USA complete details of 300 global abduction texts. One of his comments was " Too many witnesses related occurrences more often identified with parapsychology than ufology, yet these same witnesses described abductions as valid as any others." (Bullard, T E. 1987. "UFO Abductions: The Measure of a Mystery." Mount Rainier, Md. Fund for UFO Research. Page 152.)

By 1988, Jacques Vallee's thinking had advanced. "The key to an understanding of the peheneomenon lies in the psychic effects it produces (or the psychic awareness it makes possible) in its observers..." (Vallee, J. 1988. "Dimensions." Chicago. Contemporary Books. Page 179.)

Also, in 1988, English researcher Jenny Randles' thinking was that "Another feature which this and many other cases turned up was that, the witnesses who had experienced abductions had an incredible history of what they believed to be psychic phenomena. This was usually so extensive and important that this may be no mere coincidence but a crucial clue to the understanding of why they subsequently went through an abduction." (Randles, J. 1988. "What we know about British Abductions" "International UFO Reporter." Jan/Feb 23(1):5-7.)

Austrian psychologist Alex Keul and British UFOlogist Ken Phillips published a study in 1993 which involved 100 subjects. Included in the findings was "...the strongest and most persistent characteristic to emerge is that the overwhelming majority ...of witnesses surveyed gave a high incidence of self-reported ESP phenomena..." (Phillips, K W. 1993. The Psycho-Sociology of UFOlogy. In Barclay, D & Barclay, T M (eds) "UFOs:The Final Answer?" London. Blandford. Page 45.)

Keith Basterfield himself attended the Abduction Study Conference held at MIT in Boston, USA in 1992 and presented a paper on the relationship between UFOs and the paranormal. Several participants including David Gotlib, Don Johnson, Joe Nyman and John Carpenter confirmed that their case research had turned up a high incidence of psychic phenomena among abductees.

1997 saw a book published in the UK in which English researcher Peter Hough and Moyshe Kalman, cited work by Mark Glover of the UK who looked at the relationship between paranormal, mystical and anomalous experiences. "Two of the main conclusions were that UFO experiences and paranormal experiences are strongly related..." (Hough, P. & Kalman, M. 1997. "The Truth about Alien Abductions." London. Blandford. Pages 88-89.)

In the discussion section of his article, Keith looked at the question of "...whether the psychic experiences preceded or followed a witness' interaction with the UFO phenomenon?" After examining the work of 15 different researchers, Keith noted that "...11 of the 15 indicate quite clearly that the psychic events only followed after the UFO experience."

Keith then examined a second question "...does the UFO phenomenon happen only to people who are already psychic?" A number of researchers including Kenneth Ring, Jenny Randles and James Harder provided responses on this question. Ring, for example stated "...an individual who as an adult reported UFOs is more likely to have a childhood history of psychic experiences." (Ring, K. 1992. "The Omega Project." New York. William Morrow. Page 137.)

A third question, about the type of paranormal phenomenon experienced by UFO witnesses revealed the full gamut of (non-UFO) paranormal experiences.

In the conclusion to the article, Keith explores potentially useful areas for further investigation.

It's a very useful article, and completely still relevant today. I have checked with Keith and if you'd like an MS Word version of the full article, send him an email request to keithbasterfield@yahoo.com.au and he will send you a copy as an email attachment.

Well, dear readers, do you think there is a connection between UFOs and the paranormal? If so, what?