Why people recommend it
Abduction by John E. Mack is a provocative examination of alien abduction claims through the lens of hypnotic regression conducted by a Harvard psychiatrist. The book explores various first-hand accounts of individuals reporting close encounters with extraterrestrials. The volume has received significant attention across numerous episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience. Michael P. Masters brought up John Mack's work while discussing classic alien abduction literature alongside Whitley Strieber's Communion. Joe Rogan repeatedly referenced the text across multiple conversations with guests such as John Lisle, Gad Saad, Yannis Pappas, Chris Distefano, and Shawn Ryan, consistently highlighting Mack's background as a Harvard psychologist or psychiatrist who utilized hypnotic regression therapy to interview people experiencing these unusual phenomena. Additionally, Jeremy Corbell and Dan Aykroyd referenced Mack and his book to underscore the academic credibility brought to the UFO phenomenon by a Harvard researcher. A podcast host on Stuff You Should Know also touched upon Mack's 1994 publication detailing thirteen different abduction cases, blending a serious discussion of the mid-20th-century alien abduction narrative with a humorous nod to Mack's frequent reminders that he taught at Harvard. Across these discussions, the book serves as a foundational reference point for exploring the intersection of professional psychiatric practice and extraordinary claims of non-human encounters.
Who recommended it
- Joe Rogan Discussed
- Michael P. Masters Recommended
- Jeremy Corbell Discussed
- Dan Aykroyd Discussed
Joe Rogan — 4 mentions
“He got really obsessed with alien abduction stories and he wrote a book called Abduction and it was all hypnotic regressions of people that have been abducted by aliens allegedly”
“I've read John Mack's book John Mack was a uh uh psychiatrist at Harvard and he or a psychologist I forget which one um he uh wrote a book called abduction that was all about hypnotic regression therapy”
“John Mack who is a psychologist from Harvard wrote a book called Abduction that I read in the 1990s that detailed all the different people that he worked on”
“John Mack had this book John Mack was a psychologist who uh was at Harvard who wrote this book I think it's called abduction and it's all like him interviewing people that have had these kind of experiences happen to them”
Michael P. Masters — 1 mention
“whether it's Whitley Strieber from Communion or the John Mack books, the guy from Harvard that wrote what was it? Abduction, Passport to the Cosmos and Abduction. Yeah, two great books.”
Jeremy Corbell — 1 mention
“and the bbc came the next day with dr john mack head of harvard psychiatry and he's the one who wrote that book abduction”
Dan Aykroyd — 1 mention
“you know he wrote the book abduction he was the Harvard psychiatrist who wrote abduction”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“Then, yeah, he had a book in '94 about 13 different abduction cases called 'Abduction: Human Encounters with Alien.' Uh, parentheses, BTW, I teach at Harvard. Did I mention?”