Budd Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Budd Hopkins was an American painter
, sculptor
, and prominent figure in abduction phenomenon
, and related UFO
research.
. He graduated from Oberlin College
in 1953, that same year moving to New York City
, where he lived until his death in 2011.
Hopkins' art is in the permanent collections in the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Museum
, Hirshhorn Museum, and at the Museum of Modern Art
; he received grants or endowments from the Guggenheim Foundation
and the National Endowment for the Arts
. His articles on art appeared in magazines and journals, and he lectured at many art schools, including Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill.
(NICAP) and began reading many UFO books and articles.
In 1975, Hopkins and Ted Bloecher studied a multiple-witness UFO report, the North Hudson Park UFO sightings, which occurred in New Jersey
. In 1976, the Village Voice printed Hopkins' account of the investigation.
Hopkins began receiving regular letters from other UFO witnesses, including a few cases of what would later be called "missing time
" — inexplicable gaps in one's memory, associated with UFO encounters.
By the late 1980s, Hopkins was one of the most prominent people in ufology, earning a level of mainstream attention that was nearly unprecedented for the field. He established the non-profit Intruders Foundation 1989 to publicize his research.
Hopkins wrote several popular books about abductees, notably Missing Time
, and was the founder of the Intruders Foundation, a non-profit organization created to document and research alien abductions, and to provide support to abductees.
For roughly the first seven years of his investigation of the abduction phenomenon, Hopkins himself conducted no hypnosis sessions. Rather, he secured the aid of licensed professionals. He noted that three of these therapists (Drs. Robert Naiman, Aphrodite Clamar and Girard Franklin) were quite skeptical of the reality of abduction claims, yet all "uncovered" detailed abduction scenarios from their patients. (Hopkins, 218)
The 1992 made-for-television film Intruders was based on Hopkins' research, and portrayed abduction scenes. Additionally, Hopkin's 1996 book, Witnessed, portrays a classic abduction case that was alleged to have occurred in late 1989 near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This case is unique in that it is one of the first publicized episodes that involved multiple abductees (who did not previously know each other) that come to know each other in the "real" world through a variety of circumstances connected to their abductions. Additionally, this case involved inter-generational abductions within the same family.
— the blending of fact and fantasy. However, Hopkins insisted such criticism is specious. He wrote, "I have often frequently invited interested therapists, journalists and academics to observe hypnosis
sessions. Theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey
, who has held teaching positions at both Oxford
and Cambridge Universities
, and psychiatrist Donald. F. Klein, director of research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
and professor of psychiatry
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
, are but two of those who have observed my work firsthand. None of these visitors ... have reported anything that suggested I was attempting to lead the subjects." (Hopkins, 238-239)
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and prominent figure in abduction phenomenon
Abduction phenomenon
The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures." People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or...
, and related UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
research.
Life
Born in 1931 and raised in Wheeling, West VirginiaWheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He graduated from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1953, that same year moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he lived until his death in 2011.
Hopkins' art is in the permanent collections in the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, Hirshhorn Museum, and at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
; he received grants or endowments from the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
and the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. His articles on art appeared in magazines and journals, and he lectured at many art schools, including Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill.
Interest in UFOs
In 1964, Hopkins and two others reported seeing a UFO in daylight for several minutes. Fascinated, Hopkins joined the now-defunct UFO research group National Investigations Committee On Aerial PhenomenaNational Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena
The National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena was a civilian unidentified flying object research group active in the United States from the 1950s to the 1980s.-Overview:...
(NICAP) and began reading many UFO books and articles.
In 1975, Hopkins and Ted Bloecher studied a multiple-witness UFO report, the North Hudson Park UFO sightings, which occurred in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. In 1976, the Village Voice printed Hopkins' account of the investigation.
Hopkins began receiving regular letters from other UFO witnesses, including a few cases of what would later be called "missing time
Missing time
Missing time is a proposed phenomenon reported by some people in connection with close encounters with UFOs and abduction phenomena. The term missing time refers to a gap in conscious memory relating to a specific period in time. The gap can last from several minutes to several days in length...
" — inexplicable gaps in one's memory, associated with UFO encounters.
Alien abduction
With Bloecher and psychologist Aphrodite Clamar, Hopkins began investigating the missing time experiences, and eventually came to conclude that the missing time cases were due to alien abduction.By the late 1980s, Hopkins was one of the most prominent people in ufology, earning a level of mainstream attention that was nearly unprecedented for the field. He established the non-profit Intruders Foundation 1989 to publicize his research.
Hopkins wrote several popular books about abductees, notably Missing Time
Missing time
Missing time is a proposed phenomenon reported by some people in connection with close encounters with UFOs and abduction phenomena. The term missing time refers to a gap in conscious memory relating to a specific period in time. The gap can last from several minutes to several days in length...
, and was the founder of the Intruders Foundation, a non-profit organization created to document and research alien abductions, and to provide support to abductees.
For roughly the first seven years of his investigation of the abduction phenomenon, Hopkins himself conducted no hypnosis sessions. Rather, he secured the aid of licensed professionals. He noted that three of these therapists (Drs. Robert Naiman, Aphrodite Clamar and Girard Franklin) were quite skeptical of the reality of abduction claims, yet all "uncovered" detailed abduction scenarios from their patients. (Hopkins, 218)
The 1992 made-for-television film Intruders was based on Hopkins' research, and portrayed abduction scenes. Additionally, Hopkin's 1996 book, Witnessed, portrays a classic abduction case that was alleged to have occurred in late 1989 near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This case is unique in that it is one of the first publicized episodes that involved multiple abductees (who did not previously know each other) that come to know each other in the "real" world through a variety of circumstances connected to their abductions. Additionally, this case involved inter-generational abductions within the same family.
Criticism
Controversy was a persistent feature of Hopkins' career in alien abduction and UFO studies. While few seemed to doubt Hopkin's motives or sincerity, critics charged that Hopkins was out of his element when he used hypnosis, thereby aiding his subjects in confabulationConfabulation
Confabulation is the process in which a memory is remembered falsely. Confabulations are indicative of a complicated and intricate process that can be led astray at any given point during encoding, storage, or recall of a memory. Two distinct types of confabulation are often distinguished...
— the blending of fact and fantasy. However, Hopkins insisted such criticism is specious. He wrote, "I have often frequently invited interested therapists, journalists and academics to observe hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
sessions. Theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey
Nicholas Humphrey
Professor Nicholas Keynes Humphrey is an English psychologist, based in Cambridge, who is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. His interests are wide ranging...
, who has held teaching positions at both Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge Universities
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and psychiatrist Donald. F. Klein, director of research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
New York State Psychiatric Institute
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, established in 1895 and located on Riverside Drive at the foot of Washington Heights, the far upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, was one of the first institutions in the United States to integrate teaching, research and therapeutic approaches to...
and professor of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, are but two of those who have observed my work firsthand. None of these visitors ... have reported anything that suggested I was attempting to lead the subjects." (Hopkins, 238-239)
See also
- Abduction phenomenonAbduction phenomenonThe terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures." People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or...
- Area 51: The Alien Interview
- Dr. David JacobsDavid Michael JacobsDavid Michael Jacobs is an American historian and recently retired Associate Professor of History at Temple University, specializing in twentieth century American history and culture. He is well known in the field of Ufology for his research into alleged alien abductions and UFOs.-Career:Jacobs...
- Extraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
- Extraterrestrial life in popular cultureExtraterrestrial life in popular cultureIn popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
- Dr. John Edward Mack
- List of alleged UFO-related extraterrestrials
- Grey alien
- Whitley StrieberWhitley StrieberLouis Whitley Strieber is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his perceived experiences with non-human entities. Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the film about...
- Zeta ReticuliZeta ReticuliZeta Reticuli is a binary star system located about away from Earth. It is located in the constellation Reticulum, and is visible to the unaided eye in very dark skies...
External links
- IntrudersFoundation: Budd Hopkins' official site
- A PBS Interview with Hopkins
- B. Hopkins biography at M. Bugliaro Goggia's ufopsi.com
- Art biography of Hopkins
- http://www.forteans.com Budd Hopkins at the March 29, 2008 FortFest conference sponsored by the International Fortean OrganizationInternational Fortean OrganizationThe International Fortean Organization is a network of professional Fortean researchers and writers. John Keel, author and parapsychologist, in both his writings and at his appearances at INFO's FortFest, says "the International Fortean Organization carries on Charles Fort's name as successor...