Story #1
The Story of Betty and Barney Hill
(Last Updated: 3-30-03)
- Betty and Barney Hill
Incident Location:
- Route 3, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Incident Date:
- September 19th and 20th, 1961
Case Type:
- Alien Abduction
Betty and Barney Hill, 1961
[Incident as told by Barney Hill]
It was a cold night in September. My wife Betty and I were returning home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire from a vacation in Canada. It was approximately 11 P.M. There were no other cars on the road and we were still a couple of hours from home. Everything was going smoothly.
Betty and I were listening to the radio and talking about how much fun the trip had been when Betty spotted a bright star off in the distance. Figuring we were in no hurry to get home, Betty and I pulled over to take a look at the star with a pair of binoculars. We got out of the car and stood outside passing the binoculars back and forth while looking at the star. As we were watching we noticed that the star was not stationary, but was moving away from us. The light all of a sudden reversed its direction and we decided to move on and get back in the car.
As we drove on, we observed that the star was not in fact a star at all, but was some sort of bright, unusual light. This light started to move around in the sky in what could only be described as an “erratic” course.
As we passed into the White Mountains the object was now much larger and was starting to follow along parallel to the car. I could tell Betty was starting to get scared and uncomfortable at what was happening. I couldn’t blame her really. I was scared and afraid as well, but I couldn’t let Betty know that.
Coming up on Indian Head, the object appeared to change course and was flying a good distance in front of us. Though Betty didn’t want to, I decided to pull over again and take a look at the object with the binoculars again.
It had form. It had shape. I tried to dismiss the object as some sort of airplane, but Betty was adamant that it was not an airplane. She kept saying that the object had some sort of a “pancake” shape. It was flat and had windows along the edge. Upon closer inspection with the binoculars I noticed that Betty was right. In fact, I could see figures moving about inside as it hovered about 70 feet off the ground and 100 feet from where we had pulled over. I couldn’t help but get closer to take a look, despite Betty’s pleas. As I started walking toward the object I noticed what appeared to be two fins starting to protrude from the sides it with red lights attached to the ends.
Scared, I ran back and told Betty to get into the car. As I was running back I could hear what could only be described as a humming sound coming from behind me. Afraid to turn around and see what it was, I kept running as fast as I could. By the time I had reached the car, Betty was already sitting inside with her door locked. I jumped in the driver’s side, started the car, and sped away. All the while, Betty says I was laughing hysterically and kept repeating that they were going to capture us.
I was trying to out run whatever that was that I saw. I couldn’t let us be taken. I just couldn’t. I had to keep driving. I had to get away, and I thought I did. The very next second I look down at my watch and I notice that it’s two hours later than I thought it should be. I then realize that we’re back on the main road and we’re a good 35 or 40 miles down the road. I couldn’t explain it so Betty and I drove back home in total silence.
In the following months after the incident, Betty continuously would wake from terrible nightmares. I wasn’t fairing any better though. My health was on the decline, although I didn’t suffer any nightmares as Betty did.
About three years after the incident we decided that we needed to know what happened to those two missing hours. It took some prodding by Betty, but I agreed to seek medical help, so at some cost, we visited a psychiatrist in Boston who was known for using hypnosis to fight blockages of memory.
We decided to undergo regressive hypnosis separately. What happened afterwards baffled the psychiatrist. Both of the stories that Betty and I gave under hypnosis were almost completely identical, which was very difficult for anyone to explain. The psychiatrists were shocked at the similarities of each of our stories, and were even more puzzled by the incredible experiences that we relived over and over again under hypnosis.
We both told of being taken aboard a large spacecraft by beings that in no way resembled humans as we know them. They performed unspeakable acts of painful and terrifying medical procedures on us. We were powerless to do anything to stop them. Them. They were hideous looking creatures with large black eyes. After they were done with us they put us back in our car and left. We later “awoke” while driving down the road. The trip home was cold and quiet.
Our treatments lasted for six months. Further time regression hypnosis sessions brought about many more details about the capture and subsequent testing that went on that fateful night. Soon enough everything that was brought up in the sessions started to match closely to the nightmares that Betty had. In fact, while Betty was under posthypnotic suggestion, she was able to draw some sort of three-dimensional star map that she had communicated to her telepathically from one of the alien beings. The being pointed out to Betty on this star map the location of where they came from. When she drew this star map for astronomers though, they were completely unfamiliar with what she had drawn so they dismissed it as some sort of fabrication on her part.
That night was one that I will never truly be able to understand. And though we have the scars and knowledge that it happened, we still find it hard to believe it actually happened.
Commentary
It was a cold night in September. My wife Betty and I were returning home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire from a vacation in Canada. It was approximately 11 P.M. There were no other cars on the road and we were still a couple of hours from home. Everything was going smoothly.
Betty and I were listening to the radio and talking about how much fun the trip had been when Betty spotted a bright star off in the distance. Figuring we were in no hurry to get home, Betty and I pulled over to take a look at the star with a pair of binoculars. We got out of the car and stood outside passing the binoculars back and forth while looking at the star. As we were watching we noticed that the star was not stationary, but was moving away from us. The light all of a sudden reversed its direction and we decided to move on and get back in the car.
As we drove on, we observed that the star was not in fact a star at all, but was some sort of bright, unusual light. This light started to move around in the sky in what could only be described as an “erratic” course.
As we passed into the White Mountains the object was now much larger and was starting to follow along parallel to the car. I could tell Betty was starting to get scared and uncomfortable at what was happening. I couldn’t blame her really. I was scared and afraid as well, but I couldn’t let Betty know that.
Coming up on Indian Head, the object appeared to change course and was flying a good distance in front of us. Though Betty didn’t want to, I decided to pull over again and take a look at the object with the binoculars again.
It had form. It had shape. I tried to dismiss the object as some sort of airplane, but Betty was adamant that it was not an airplane. She kept saying that the object had some sort of a “pancake” shape. It was flat and had windows along the edge. Upon closer inspection with the binoculars I noticed that Betty was right. In fact, I could see figures moving about inside as it hovered about 70 feet off the ground and 100 feet from where we had pulled over. I couldn’t help but get closer to take a look, despite Betty’s pleas. As I started walking toward the object I noticed what appeared to be two fins starting to protrude from the sides it with red lights attached to the ends.
Scared, I ran back and told Betty to get into the car. As I was running back I could hear what could only be described as a humming sound coming from behind me. Afraid to turn around and see what it was, I kept running as fast as I could. By the time I had reached the car, Betty was already sitting inside with her door locked. I jumped in the driver’s side, started the car, and sped away. All the while, Betty says I was laughing hysterically and kept repeating that they were going to capture us.
I was trying to out run whatever that was that I saw. I couldn’t let us be taken. I just couldn’t. I had to keep driving. I had to get away, and I thought I did. The very next second I look down at my watch and I notice that it’s two hours later than I thought it should be. I then realize that we’re back on the main road and we’re a good 35 or 40 miles down the road. I couldn’t explain it so Betty and I drove back home in total silence.
In the following months after the incident, Betty continuously would wake from terrible nightmares. I wasn’t fairing any better though. My health was on the decline, although I didn’t suffer any nightmares as Betty did.
About three years after the incident we decided that we needed to know what happened to those two missing hours. It took some prodding by Betty, but I agreed to seek medical help, so at some cost, we visited a psychiatrist in Boston who was known for using hypnosis to fight blockages of memory.
We decided to undergo regressive hypnosis separately. What happened afterwards baffled the psychiatrist. Both of the stories that Betty and I gave under hypnosis were almost completely identical, which was very difficult for anyone to explain. The psychiatrists were shocked at the similarities of each of our stories, and were even more puzzled by the incredible experiences that we relived over and over again under hypnosis.
We both told of being taken aboard a large spacecraft by beings that in no way resembled humans as we know them. They performed unspeakable acts of painful and terrifying medical procedures on us. We were powerless to do anything to stop them. Them. They were hideous looking creatures with large black eyes. After they were done with us they put us back in our car and left. We later “awoke” while driving down the road. The trip home was cold and quiet.
Our treatments lasted for six months. Further time regression hypnosis sessions brought about many more details about the capture and subsequent testing that went on that fateful night. Soon enough everything that was brought up in the sessions started to match closely to the nightmares that Betty had. In fact, while Betty was under posthypnotic suggestion, she was able to draw some sort of three-dimensional star map that she had communicated to her telepathically from one of the alien beings. The being pointed out to Betty on this star map the location of where they came from. When she drew this star map for astronomers though, they were completely unfamiliar with what she had drawn so they dismissed it as some sort of fabrication on her part.
That night was one that I will never truly be able to understand. And though we have the scars and knowledge that it happened, we still find it hard to believe it actually happened.
Commentary