My interest in the UFO phenomenon has always been centered on the study and analysis of close encounters, as I have always considered them to be the events of highest strangeness within the case studies, and moreover, they seem to most challenge any conventional explanation. From the very beginning, I was deeply attracted to those incredible and extraordinary testimonies of people who didn’t limit themselves to reporting simple distant sightings of lights in the sky, but rather involved direct encounters with the occupants of flying saucers in situations laden with bizarre elements that seemed to completely break the rules of reality as we understand them. At close range, the phenomenon revealed itself as something more than the possibility that we are being visited by extraterrestrial intelligences. Many of these experiences were closer to the visions of mystics or some other type of encounter with the supernatural than to a casual observation of the landing of an all-powerful extraterrestrial civilization. Furthermore, the chaotic irruption of various paranormal phenomena into the lives of the witnesses did not bode well for the extraterrestrial theory. Over time, I understood that it was crucial to approach these accounts not just as isolated phenomena that had emerged since 1947, but as a continuation of a rich folklore that has accompanied humanity since time immemorial. Like other scholars, I argue that there is a connection between close encounters with UFOs and the ancient traditions of strange entities and creatures that have been described in multiple cultures across the planet. In this sense, it seems to me that the UFO phenomenon is not new; rather, it is an updated version of old manifestations that our ancestors interpreted as fairies, demons, goblins, or celestial beings, each adapting the phenomenon to the worldview and beliefs of their era. But perhaps most extraordinary is that the phenomenon seemed to accept this role in its manifestations.
From the outset, I assumed that we should not take at face value the image presented in these encounters as what it purports to be—a faithful reflection of the true nature or origin. I understand that what we observe is merely a distorted representation, an echo of something deeper and more complex that extensively plays with our sociocultural models. This is where what I have called the "Distortion Theory" comes into play. In essence, this idea proposes that what we see and experience during a close encounter is profoundly influenced by our own beliefs, expectations, and the cultural context in which we live. That is, the UFO phenomenon does not present itself in an objective or pure manner; it is filtered through our mind and perceptions, which, in turn, are conditioned by social and historical factors. And the strangest thing of all is that the phenomenon takes on these peculiarities as its own vehicle of expression. One of the key points is to understand the similarity between the accounts of encounters with flying saucers and the myths and ancient folklore. Throughout the centuries, humanity has reported multiple encounters with entities and beings of all kinds which, although given different names depending on the time and culture, share many characteristics in common, such as appearing and disappearing at will, being accompanied by lights or glows, or delivering ambiguous and perplexing messages that clarify nothing about their motivations or intentions. This seemed to indicate that, in a covert way, the observers played a crucial role in shaping the aesthetics of these manifestations. In other words, it seemed that there was a kind of hidden communication between the witnesses and the phenomenon, in which the details of the observed scenery were telegraphed from the unconscious of the individuals.
Is it possible that what we see in a close encounter is nothing more than a reflection of our own psyche projected back at us by an unknown force? What is undeniable is that, despite the passing of many decades, no researcher of the Fortean has managed to unravel the mystery they tirelessly pursue in their discipline. We don’t have a Bigfoot, a ghost, much less a captured UFOnaut for public display. It is as if there is an insurmountable barrier preventing us from accessing the true nature or essence of these manifestations—a barricade raised by our own perception and by sociocultural conditioning that, like noise, prevents us from clearly hearing the message. In this way, I came to a conclusion that fully shapes my perception of these events: what is observed is inevitably influenced by the observer. The UFO phenomenon, over the years, has demonstrated a chameleonic ability to embrace the form that best fits the beliefs and myths current at each moment in history. In fact, even the UFO reports from the 1950s and 1960s carry a patina associated with the technology of that era, making these events seem vintage and even ridiculous to us today. Therefore, if the phenomenon can change its appearance in this way, how can we trust that what we see reflects its true nature? But above all, is it the phenomenon that changes at will to deceive us, or is it the witnesses who ultimately drive these structural changes in the appearance of the manifestations?
In this sense, the Distortion Theory offers an approach to the core of the problem by starting from the premise that close encounters with UFOs are not objective experiences in the traditional sense but are conditioned and limited by the psyche of the witness and by cultural and social factors. We are dealing with malleable and highly interactive visions that are the product of a series of conjunctions that unpredictably combine to create a scenario labeled with supernatural names, such as Marian apparitions, encounters with unknown animals (or monster), experiences with spirits, or fairy tales. Therefore, the witness plays an active role in the construction of the experience, and the UFO phenomenon functions as a kind of "catalyst" that activates a psychological and cultural response in the individual, giving rise to an experience that is as personal as it is universal. This could explain why close encounter accounts vary so much between people, and why the details of descriptions often reflect elements deeply tied to individual beliefs and expectations. Even the observed scenarios seem to adjust to certain geographical areas, suggesting an endemic factor in the appearances. In other words, the aesthetics of these phenomena would require cultural transmission for certain roles to be known and represented by the phenomenon elsewhere. This, in turn, would indicate that Fortean manifestations are not the creators of this aesthetic manipulation but are influenced by the existing cultural contexts. From this perspective, the UFO phenomenon cannot be understood solely from a materialistic or physical standpoint. While it is tempting and suggestive to think of flying saucers as spacecraft from other worlds with nuts and bolts, the reality seems much more complex as we may simply be dealing with an updated version of an ancient phenomenon that has accompanied humans since the dawn of their existence. The interaction between the phenomenon and the witness creates a kind of "theater" where visual, narrative, and emotional elements intertwine to produce a unique experience that defies any attempt to catalog or classify it definitively within a framework known to our science. The key may lie in the fact that we are not dealing with something entirely exogenous that acts independently, but with an interaction between an unknown external agent and the mind of the observers. This communication between the two distorts what we perceive, creating a hypnotic screen that resists conventional explanations. It is as if the phenomenon has the ability to expand into our reality based on our beliefs and personal expectations, adapting to them to create an experience that is absolutely immersive and enveloping, one that we can comprehend to some extent, but that in reality conceals a deeper nature. It is important to understand, to avoid misunderstandings, that ufological experiences exist independently of the witness, but they very likely do not respond to a technological phenomenon as we have assumed. I believe that the appearances of lights or entities follow certain common patterns in their initial form; later, either due to distance or exposure time, at a certain point the aesthetics of the manifestation acquire very defined features due to the interaction with the observers. And interestingly, this aesthetic we see in some Fortean manifestations is clear enough for us to have no doubt that we are in the presence of extraterrestrial visitors, angels, deceased people, or goblins.
Not everyone who witnesses these apparitions manages to interact with them in such a way that they "react" or "mutate" in response to their presence. What’s interesting is that these experiences can awaken certain changes in us or paranormal effects depending on how immersed we are in the event. Although these experiences occur outside the witness’s mind, they have profound internal ramifications. They seem to be a superimposition of realities—the physical and the psychic—that give way to a third path. As for the physical aftermaths that sometimes accompany these events, it seems they do not always act the same way. For example, UFOs that emit light do not always produce the same effects on the environment or on those who see them. The interaction of the witness with the phenomenon also seems key in determining the impact of the encounters or their repercussions. It is important to note that encounters with these entities or phenomena often include a series of common elements, such as altered states of consciousness, buzzing sounds, changes in the perception of time and space, and even the awakening of extrasensory abilities. These characteristics make us think of similar experiences recorded throughout history, in which people have reported encounters with other strange creatures or mysterious entities far removed, at first glance, from the UFO phenomenon.
When we witness a close encounter with supposed inhabitants of other worlds, what we are recording is not exactly what is happening in front of us. It is more like watching a movie through augmented reality glasses that distort the scene, adapting it to the beliefs and expectations of each viewer. The UFO phenomenon, for example, could be part of a vast cognitive universe that our mind tries to decipher using "codes" that are comprehensible to us. This mental filter prevents us from seeing the phenomenon as it really is, and instead, we interpret and perceive it in a limited or even altered way, as our psyche strives to make sense of something that is, in essence, beyond what we can fully comprehend. What we observe, then, is not the complete reality but an adapted version that fits our way of understanding the world, both the known and the mysterious. This would explain why two people can experience the same phenomenon but interpret it in completely different ways. One person might see it as a UFO, while another might interpret it as a divine apparition. The phenomenon is real, but each mind "translates" it differently according to its own filters and beliefs. Understanding that this distortion exists is the first step in beginning to decipher what we are truly witnessing. Although we may never fully understand it, accepting that what we see is filtered by our minds is key to getting a little closer to the true nature of these phenomena.
JOSE ANTONIO CARAV@CA
