Alien abduction

Alien abduction is a catch-all term for a class of paranormal phenomena in which sufferers report being removed from the Earth by extraterrestrials, subjected to various experiments or indignities, and returned.

While few believe that this phenomenon literally occurs, there is no doubt that dozens to hundreds of people have experienced what they relate as abductions. Psychological explanations of the abduction phenomenon have included hallucination, false memories (Such as the ones medically shown to be produced by hypnosis), near-sleep mental states (hypnagogic states and sleep paralysis), and temporary schizophrenia.

Common features of alien abduction experiences include the feeling of paralysis, the sense of having been transported immaterially (as by a Star Trek transporter), the sense of having been surgically probed or implanted with devices, the freezing or slowing of time, and sexual contact or manipulation by the aliens.

The alien abduction phenomenon has been the subject of conspiracy theory and as such has become a staple of popular science fiction works such as The X-Files.