How to Classify and Report an Encounter with the Unknown

By Bill Knell

As a paranormal investigator and researcher with over thirty years of experience, I understand what people go through when trying to report an unusual event that cannot be easily explained. Most people who have a paranormal experience quickly find out two things. First, they are not alone. Second, it’s almost impossible to report what they have seen or experienced in a meaningful way. Allow me to help cut through all the red tape and explain how to properly categorize and report an encounter with the unknown.

It doesn’t take long for someone who has had an experience with the unexplained to realize they are not alone. They feel a need to share what has happened with loved ones, friends and even co-workers. When they do, they’re often surprised to find that people they know have also experienced something strange or know someone close to them who has. However, this isn’t the best course of action.

If you are the person who has had the encounter, your first instinct will be to share your experience. If that‘s the case, share it with yourself. Write, type or record everything you can remember about what happened. While it may seem silly, it’s also wise to use any available camcorder and film yourself relating the entire event. Pay attention to particulars while everything is fresh in your mind. Dates, times, weather conditions, other witnesses present, road conditions, temperatures, sounds, vehicle makes and models involved and anything else you can remember. Take special note of how you felt during the event. Describe your emotions and feelings in the best way possible.

Avoid telling anyone about your experience until you have had a chance to speak with an investigator or researcher. While it’s possible and even likely that others around you have also seen, heard or experienced things that they cannot explain, it would be better to avoid discussing your mutual experiences. The less you know about the experiences of others, the easier it will be to keep focused on your own encounter until an investigation has begun. This is especially true if your experience was not singular. If you were with others at the time of the event, avoid comparing notes or lengthy discussions. Each person should create his or her own record. An investigator may want to compare all the descriptions and materials (and speak to witnesses) separately.

After you create a written, recorded or typed record, go back over it a few times. You’ll probably remember a few more things. Create a separate written, typed or recorded record to add those things. Never change your original, even if you feel it may be incomplete. After reviewing what you have written, typed or recorded, gather your thoughts make drawings. Even if you managed to get video, tale photos or some other recoding of the event, it’s good to make some drawings of any prominent objects, places or conditions involved. If you saw a ghost, alien or creature, do your best to draw it.

Once you have this done, it’s time to decide what kind of experience you have had and whom you’ll want to contact. Paranormal encounters involve most anything that cannot be easily explained. However, being able to provide some sort of initial classification will help those who ultimately investigate your experience to know where to begin. Likewise, it will help you decide whom to contact for the investigation. Start by classifying your encounter. Was it a UFO sighting or experience? If so, what is the easiest way to describe it?

Most UFO Encounters fall into these categories initially created by Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Ohio State and Northwestern University (and later expanded by others):

Close Encounter of the First Kind - Initially, a daylight Disc or Nocturnal Light. Now (according to wikipedia.org): A close encounter of the first kind is a sighting of an unidentified flying object or objects. Reports of "flying saucers", odd lights, or aerial objects unattributable to human technology, can all be considered close encounters of the first kind.

Close Encounter of the Second Kind - Initially, Physical Evidence and anomalies like crop circles. Now (according to wikipedia.org): A close encounter of the second kind is an observation of physical evidence of extra-terrestrial visitation. Footprints, heat or radiation damage to terrain, and crop circles found in the vicinity of a UFO sighting could be considered examples of close encounters of the second kind.

Close Encounter of the Third Kind - Initially, Observation of or contact with UFO occupants. Now (according to wikipedia.org): A close encounter of the third kind is an observation of one or more occupants associated with one or more crafts.

These additional classifications were added after Dr Hynek’s death in 1986 and are according to wikipedia.org:

Close Encounter of the Fourth Kind - A close encounter of the fourth kind is abduction by an extraterrestrial intelligence. There are two types of CE4 encounters, the first type involving forcible abduction by an extraterrestrial intelligence by an unwilling abductee. The second type of CE4 contact involves willful agreement to be taken.

Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - A close encounter of the fifth kind involves direct communication between an extraterrestrial intelligence and a human being. This is the rarest and most controversial form of close encounter. Many people in the New Age movement have asserted fifth-kind encounters. Persons who claim to be in regular contact with alien life forms are known as contactees.

Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind - A close encounter of the sixth kind involves the death of a human being or other animal during a witnessed encounter. Witnesses reporting UFOs flying above fields where cattle has been mutilated (cattle mutilation) would be classified as a sixth-kind encounter (CE6). Note: Unexplained Cattle, Cat and Dog mutilations have sometimes been associated with UFOs over the past forty years.

Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind - A close encounter of the seventh kind involves genetic interchange between aliens and humans, and the fecundation of an human ovocyte with alien seed (maybe some type of blend of human sperm and alien chromosomes, with or without further pregnancy of an human being until the development of a chimeric embryo that can develop and grow inside an alien's body or inside some type of nurturing machine. Some abductees claim that they met a blended human-alien race in space.

While this all may seem a bit complicated to the novice or witness who may be new to the subject, these classifications help provide serious UFO Researchers and Investigators with a starting point. If UFOs are not a part of your encounter, than we need to take a look at some others areas of the paranormal:

Ghosts - There are all kinds of Ghost Researchers and most use their own classifications. Theories about Ghosts are diverse and can be confusing. For the most part, a Ghostly Encounter involves seeing, feeling or sensing a non-physical person or animal. When seen, apparitions can be humans or animals that are non-physical and in almost any state of materialization or dematerialization. Sudden temperature changes, cold spots, manipulation of the physical environment (electricity outages and surges, lights or appliances starting or stopping by themselves, objects moving or having been moved about without obvious cause) are often associated with this type of a paranormal event. Poltergeists fall into this category.

Haunting - A Haunting can include repeated Ghostly Encounters. People, residences and even objects seem to have the ability to be haunted. This is a disturbance of the physical environment by a non-physical entity or source. This can also include what some might call ‘possessions.’ A possession is thought of as the manipulation of a human or animal by an alien presence. This presence can be spiritual, psychological or otherwise undefined.

ESP or Precognition - The ability to physically or mentally see, physically experience or predict the future.

Retro-cognition - The ability to physically or mentally see, physically experience or provide details about the past in a way devoid of actual knowledge or access to subject-related reference.

Healing - A person is healed or can heal illness through unconventional means.

Crypto-Zoological Encounter - An encounter with currently extinct, legendary or uncategorized Creatures (Bigfoot, Nessie, Mothman, Vampires, Werewolves, etc) which may or may not be physical or actually exist in the physical realm at all.

Government Cover-Up Whistleblowers - There are many people who feel they may be victims, witnesses or survivors of various Government experiments, projects or cover-ups involving things which might include the paranormal or unconventional technology based on the reverse engineering of Alien Spacecrafts or Time Machines. These can involve time travel, psychic warfare, remote viewing, UFOs (crashes, occupant capture or detention, reverse engineering projects) and more.

Uncategorized Paranormal Phenomenon - As our ability to travel and communicate expands, so do our choices when it comes to events involving ‘high strangeness.’ Not everything strange fits into a neat little category. With this in mind, we keep an open mind and continue to redefine what constitutes Paranormal Activity.

It isn’t unusual for Paranormal Events to seemingly overlap. For example, a person who recalls what everyone assumes is an ‘imaginary friend’ as a child or claims to have seen a dead relative would probably think they had seen a Ghost. However, they may actually have had an Alien Encounter. While ghosts may be seen and sometimes communicate with people, they rarely do so in a meaningful way. A person who has had Alien Encounters as a child and may continue to have them as an adult may find themselves with special teachers. They first appear as friendly animals, dead relatives or imaginary friends during the person‘s youth, then are seen as actual UFO Occupants during the onset of adolescence or adulthood. This effect is called ‘masking.’ These special teachers share things that seem unreal or make no sense at first. Most investigators assume that any information shared is probably direct at the unconscious, rather then the conscious mind.

If you are not sure how to categorize what has happened to you, leave it up to someone else. Instead, do your best to collect and provide as much information as possible to those who will investigate your encounter. And that brings us to the next step.

Choosing the right person to investigate your encounter depends on you almost as much as it does on them. Ask yourself how much you really want to know about what happened? If all you’re looking for is some sort of confirmation that what happened to you was legitimately unexplained, write up a simple outline and submit it to an investigator with an established reputation. I welcome such inquiries and always answer them. Avoid large UFO, Paranormal or Scientific Organizations. While often well funded and well meaning, then tend to enlist the help of newcomers to the field. Most of these people are ‘investigators in training’ and more interested in meeting someone who has seen something weird then helping you to find the underlying cause of your encounter. Some are actually Debunkers looking for their next victim.

If you plan to look online for someone to investigate your encounter, start locally. Type in the name of your city and state (or province), then add relevant keywords like ‘ghost investigation (or research), UFO investigation (or research) or paranormal investigator. A phone conversation would be a wise course of action before you commit yourself and your encounter to anyone. There are many strange and obsessed people involved with Paranormal Research. Fortunately, they usually give themselves away by talking too much (instead if listening) and demanding instead of asking.

If you want to know more about your encounter, you will have to do more. Again, start with an experienced Investigator or Researcher. Be ready to cooperate with them. Defining the nature of your encounter is the first and foremost consideration. This may require you to help the Investigator by filming or photographing people and places at all hours of the day or night. Most Investigators are not wealthy and unpaid. The more you can do for them, the more they can do for you.

When it comes to reporting your experience to government authorities, your choices are very limited. The U.S. Government (for example) officially stopped investigating the UFO Phenomenon over forty years ago. Most police, law enforcement or criminal investigative agencies will say this is out of the realm of their purpose. However, it isn’t a bad idea to document visual or physical experiences with police agencies. Never call the FBI. It’s been proven that they will start a file on you if you do!

For another viewpoint, you can always send a letter to most any Air Force Base through their Office of Public Affairs or Information. Most will simply respond with a form letter about how Project Bluebook ended forty years ago, but others may refer you to an active or retired Officer who might be willing to offer an ‘unofficial’ viewpoint on your experience.

The best way to explore your experience is to enlist the help of qualified people and learn as much as you can about the subject involved. While the opinions and observations of others can help you form a hypothesis of what you believe happened or did not happen, no one knows you better then yourself.

Report your encounter at http://www.ufoguy.org

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