People

John Mack

Harvard psychiatrist who studied people reporting alien abduction experiences and whose clinical conduct in this research was subject to a confidential Harvard Medical School review.

Harvard University · Psychiatrist, researcher

John Mack was a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher¹ who studied people who reported experiences with anomalous phenomena.¹ According to David Charles Grusch, Mack concluded that something real was occurring in the experiences reported to him, and that it was not a psychosomatic or mental health condition.² According to American Cosmic, Mack claimed that the experiencers he studied were psychologically healthy and that the experiences they described were common,³ and he came to see alien abduction experiences as a significant cultural development demanding serious scholarly attention.⁴ In the course of his research he approached the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn, who argued that scientific revolutions came about through attention to anomalies;⁵ according to Diana Walsh Pasulka, Kuhn advised Mack to focus on raw data and to persist in collecting it even when it did not fit conventional frameworks of knowledge.⁶

Mack’s work is grouped alongside that of Budd Hopkins as providing circumstantial evidence for alien abduction, including landing-site traces, biopsy scars, alleged implants, and testimony from abducted individuals.⁷ By 1991, after a wave of publications on alien abduction from Mack, Hopkins and others, the practice of hypnotic regression used in this research came under scrutiny.⁸ In 1994, following the revelation that the Dean of Harvard Medical School had appointed a committee of peers to confidentially review Mack’s clinical care and investigation of alleged alien abduction experiencers, Daniel Sheehan defended him;⁹ this 1994 Harvard review of John E. Mack put his tenure as a Harvard University professor under threat.¹⁰ Sheehan’s support for Mack during the review was funded by the billionaire Laurance Rockefeller.¹¹ After a 14-month investigation, Harvard declared Mack’s freedom to study what he wished and to state his opinions without impediment.¹² Tom DeLonge said that Mack almost lost his job because he started writing books about UFOs and people getting abducted.¹³ Ralph Blumenthal later worked on a biography of Mack, describing him as a Harvard psychiatrist who treated and extensively interviewed people claiming to have been abducted by or to have encountered aliens.¹⁴

Mack’s 1994 book Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens reached a wide readership; James Master picked it up believing it to be science fiction and found it read like his own biography, which helped him frame his own experiences as UFO-related.¹⁵ Edward Carlos, another experiencer, felt that while Mack was attentive to his feelings, Mack never had a grasp of the real phenomenon.¹⁶

Mack conducted hypnotic regression sessions with Peter Khoury as part of the Peter Khoury John Mack hypnotic regression sessions. During a 1996 visit to Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Mack regressed Khoury under hypnosis in an attempt to clarify Khoury’s 1988 experience beyond a moment of blankness that had followed the sensation of a needle being inserted in his head, in what became John Mack’s 1996 hypnotic regression of Peter Khoury.¹⁷ During the sessions Mack observed a difference in Khoury’s demeanour when recalling three beings that looked scary or evil-looking, whom Khoury perceived as robust like military figures, compared with others he perceived as scientists.¹⁸ A female psychiatrist was also present observing one of the sessions.¹⁹ Khoury was sweating heavily while recalling the encounter, then abruptly stopped sweating and became calm the moment he described looking into the eyes of a gold-coloured being;²⁰ according to Khoury, Mack and the observing psychiatrist agreed that this sudden physiological shift could not have been faked.²¹ Khoury also underwent hypnotic regression with Frank Wilkes, one of the first hypnotherapists in the Peter Khoury alien abduction support group.²² Khoury recounted that Mack later told him, after a workshop while driving home, that he admired and respected how Khoury dealt with his own experience while also helping others deal with theirs;²³ Khoury believes Mack was drawn to him because, unlike other witnesses, he did not push his own story onto Mack.²⁴

Mack’s research also took him to Zimbabwe, where he investigated the Ariel School incident, and brought him into contact with Credo Mutwa, the Zulu sangoma whose alien-themed paintings, connected to Mantindane (Zulu alien-being lore), predated the recording of his stories by Mack and Stephen Larsen in Credo Mutwa’s 1983 alien paintings.¹³ Mack reported a rapid healing of a hand injury that he said had followed a 1976 encounter between the Mantindane and Mutwa.²⁵ Mack’s professional difficulties were later compared to those of Roger Leir, whose licence to practise medicine was likewise challenged and who faced a nuisance lawsuit that harmed his practice.²⁶

References (28)

John Mack is described as a Harvard researcher and a trained psychiatrist who studied people who had had experiences with the phenomenon
“it even goes back to the work of John Mack at Harvard who was a trained a psychiatrist looking at people that have had these experiences with the phenomenon.”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:37:21.6-00:37:29.8
Mack concluded that something real is occurring in the experiences reported, and that it is not psychosomatic or a mental health condition
“And he deduced something is going on. This is not some, you know, psychosomatic thing or some mental health condition.”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:37:30.6-00:37:38.2
Mack claimed the experiencers he studied were psychologically healthy and that the experiences they described were common
“Mack had gained notoriety for his claim that the experiencers were psychologically healthy and that the experiences they described were common.”
American Cosmic ch2:7126-7262
Mack saw alien abduction experiences as a significant cultural development demanding serious scholarly attention
“He saw this as a significant cultural development that demanded serious scholarly attention.”
American Cosmic ch2:7270-7352
Mack approached Thomas Kuhn, who argued scientific revolutions came about through attention to anomalies
“John Mack, during his own research with experiencers, had approached Thomas Kuhn, who had convincingly argued that scientific revolutions came about through attention to anomalies.”
American Cosmic ch7:43998-44168
Kuhn advised Mack to focus on raw data and persist in collecting it even where it did not fit conventional frameworks
“Kuhn's advice for Mack was to focus on the raw data and to persist in collecting it, even if it did not fit into any preconceived or conventional frameworks of knowledge.”
American Cosmic ch7:44179-44339
Budd Hopkins and John Mack provided circumstantial evidence for alien abduction in the form of landing-site traces, biopsy scars, alleged implants, and testimonies
“those people who believe in the UFO scenario tend to accept the investigations of authors such as B. Hopkins195 or J. Mack196, who have provided circumstantial evidence for the abduction of humans in terms of: (a) landing-site traces, (b) prominent “biopsy” scars, (c) alleged “implants” ... and (d) testimonies”
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence for Alien Abductions ch22:579-935
In 1991, after a flurry of works on alien abductions by Mack, Hopkins and others, the practice of hypnotic regression came under scrutiny
“In 1991, not long after a flurry of works about alien abductions had been published by Mack, New York City artist Budd Hopkins, and others, the practice of hypnotic regression came under scrutiny.”
American Cosmic ch4:45229-45416
Daniel Sheehan defended Harvard Professor John E. Mack in 1994 after the Dean of Harvard Medical School appointed a committee to confidentially review his clinical care and investigation of alleged alien abduction experiencers
“Sheehan notably defended Harvard Professor John E. Mack in 1994 when it was revealed that the Dean of Harvard Medical School had appointed a committee of peers to confidentially review Mack’s controversial clinical care and investigation of alleged alien abduction experiencers.”
In Plain Sight ch11:23421-23686 View the source record →
Mack's tenure as a Harvard professor was under threat during the 1994 review
“Mack’s tenure as a professor was under threat”
In Plain Sight ch11:23700-23739 View the source record →
Sheehan's support for Mack during the review was funded by billionaire Laurance Rockefeller
“with Sheehan’s support (funded by billionaire Laurance Rockefeller)”
In Plain Sight ch11:23751-23806 View the source record →
After a 14-month investigation, Harvard University declared Mack's freedom to study what he wished and state his opinions without impediment
“after a 14-month investigation Harvard declared Mack’s freedom to study ‘what he wishes and to state his opinions without impediment’”
In Plain Sight ch11:23820-23942 View the source record →
Khoury believes Mack was drawn to him because he did not push his own story onto Mack, unlike other witnesses
“that's what I think attracted John Mack to me. The fact that I... didn't try and push my story on him... where other people were trying to ram it down his throat.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 L387-L395
Ralph Blumenthal was quietly working on a biography of the late John Mack, a Harvard psychiatrist who treated and extensively interviewed people claiming abduction or encounter experiences
“For several years he had been quietly working on a biography of the late Dr. John Mack, a Harvard psychiatrist who treated and extensively interviewed UAP experiencers, who were often traumatized people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens, or at least encountered aliens in person.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch29:16543-16825 View the source record →
James Master's encounter with Mack's book Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens, picked up believing it science fiction, read like his own biography
“For James, the book was John Mack’s *Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens*, which he picked up on a whim, believing it to be science fiction. The book read like his own biography. It helped him frame his experiences as being related to UFOs.”
American Cosmic ch3:27811-28050
Edward Carlos felt Mack was attentive to his feelings but never grasped the real phenomenon
“Carlos (as he likes to be addressed) noted that while Mack was attentive to his feelings, he felt that Mack never had a grasp of the real phenomenon.”
American Cosmic ch3:30963-31101
Mack visited Australia in 1996 to research alien abduction
“When Harvard psychiatrist John Mack visited Australia to research the subject of alien abduction in 1996,40 he took the opportunity to regress Peter to try to clarify the 1988 experience beyond the moment of blankness after the needle was inserted in his head.”
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence for Alien Abductions ch14:13541-13796
Mack took the opportunity during his 1996 visit to regress Peter Khoury under hypnosis to clarify the 1988 experience beyond the blankness after the needle was inserted
“he took the opportunity to regress Peter to try to clarify the 1988 experience beyond the moment of blankness after the needle was inserted in his head.”
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence for Alien Abductions ch14:13649-13796
During the regression, Mack observed a difference in Khoury's demeanour recalling scary/evil-looking beings versus scientist-like beings
“it wasn't until professor John Mack put me under regression and, um, um, he saw the difference of when I was... recalling the three things that looked scary and, you know, evil looking or whatever you want to put it. They looked robust to me. They look like their military arm.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:01:29.6-01:01:48.5
A female psychiatrist was also present observing one of the sessions
“There was another psychiatrist, female psychiatrist sitting in on the session as well.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:01:59.2-01:02:03.5
Khoury was sweating heavily then abruptly became calm the moment he described looking into the eyes of a gold-coloured being
“as he's hypnotizing me i'm freaking out and i am actually sweating during the hypnosis and it was like full recall you know and all of a sudden when i see the goldish colored ones and i'm looking into the eyes in particular the the male um within a split second i just stopped sweating stopped sweating calm”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:02:06.2-01:02:27.8
Mack and the observing psychiatrist agreed the sudden physiological shift could not have been faked
“john was communicating with the other psychiatrists and they were both saying He can't fake this. You can't fake sweat. You cannot stop your sweat.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:02:29.0-01:02:38.4
Khoury underwent hypnotic regression sessions with both Mack and Frank Wilkes, one of the first hypnotherapists in his support group
“I know with two of the regressions I did, one was with Professor John Mack, one was with Frank Wilkes, who was one of our first hypnotherapists in the group.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:17:01.2-01:17:12.5
Mack told Khoury, after a workshop while driving home, that he admired and respected how Khoury dealt with his own experience while helping others
“he said to me after the workshop, we're driving home to my house. And he said, Peter... what you do is so admirable. Like, I really respect the fact that you're dealing with your experience, but you can help others to, to help them deal with theirs.”
UFO Witness Reveals CHILLING Daytime Alien Encounter - Peter Khoury - DEBRIEFED ep. 58 01:48:04.2-01:48:20.0
Credo Mutwa was painting alien-themed images as early as 1983, before Mack, Stephen Larsen and others began recording his stories
“So Mutwa was painting them back in 1983 long before John Mack, Stephen Larsen, and others began recording his stories.”
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence for Alien Abductions ch17:38860-38970
Mack reported a rapid healing of a hand injury following a 1976 encounter between the Mantindane and Credo Mutwa
“John Mack reports a rapid healing of a hand injury in the wake of a 1976 encounter between the mantindane and Credo Mutwa.”
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence for Alien Abductions ch23:44602-44718
Like Mack, Roger Leir's licence to practise medicine was challenged, and he had to deal with a nuisance lawsuit that harmed his practice
“Like John Mack, his license to practice was challenged. He had to deal with a nuisance suit. His practice declined.”
The Fourth Mind ch13:8022-8128
Tom DeLonge said Mack almost lost his job because he started writing books about UFOs and people getting abducted
“'He almost lost his job because he started writing books about UFOs and people getting abducted,' DeLonge says.”
In Plain Sight ch18:8812-8917 View the source record →

John Mack

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