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Breaking the Taboo: Reviving academic UAP, abduction, and experiencer research
Scholars, clinicians, and experiencers explore the reverberations of contact, its translation into academic knowledge, and the ethics of human/NHI encounters. Presented by Center For The Impossible and the John Mack Institute, July 10, 2026. Tip jar: https://www.JohnEMackInstitute.org/donate
Intro by Moderator - James Faulk of Neon Galactic
Welcome - Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, Rice University
___SESSION 1___ The Experience and its Integration
Extraordinary Contact - Debra Jordan Kauble, author of Extraordinary Contact: Life Beyond Intruders
The Phenomenon as a driver of Evolutionary Psychological Development - Matthew Roberts, Former Naval Intelligence Analyst
Helping Experiencers through Ontological Shock with Community, Peer Support, and Compassionate Care - Andrea Oddo, Executive Director of The John Mack Institute and Charles Holt Director of Communications
After The Phenomenon: Mental Health and Meaning-Making - Simon Bresler, LCSW, CGP, Clinical Director of the John Mack Institute
Q&A
___SESSION 2___ Translating Experience into Knowledge: Foundations, Challenges, and Global Perspectives
Experiencer to Researcher: Examining the Evidence for Contact - Karin Austin, Managing Director of the Center For The Impossible at Rice University and the John Mack Institute
The Alien Abduction Experience: Preliminary Results of a Scoping Review - Douwe J. Bosga, M.A., parapsychologist at the Institute of Parapsychology in Baarn, The Netherlands
Transformed Into What? Measuring Identity and Action After Exceptional Experience - Beth H. Glick, Doctoral Researcher at California Institute of Human Sciences
Q&A
___SESSION 3___ The Ethics of Contact
“Not without my consent!”: The Human Ethics View on the use of Force by Alien Intelligence in Encounters with Humans - Michael Bohlander, Chair in Global Law and SETI Policy at Durham University
The Limitations of Anthropocentric Ethics: Navigating Morality amidst Epistemic Gaps - Kimberly S. Engels, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University, Research Director of the John Mack Institute
Response and Commentary - Brenda Denzler, Author of The Lure of the Edge: Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs
Concluding Remarks
