Alien abduction refers to “subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures.”¹

Due to the lack of objective physical evidence, abduction claims are often fobbed off by scientists and mental health professionals alike. The very first documented alien abduction claim took place in 1961, when Betty and Barney Hill reported they were abducted. Since then, there have been numerous claims; some of which are more believable than the others.

One of the most infamous cases of alleged alien abduction took place in the outskirts Edinburgh on the 17^th of August, 1992. 33-year-old Garry Wood, an ambulance technician, was driving to Tarbrax, South Lanarkshire, with his friend, 25-year-old Colin Wright. As they were driving along the A70 at approximately 10PM, something completely unexplainable took place. “What the hell is that?” exclaimed Colin as he gazed up towards the starlit sky.

The A70 Alien Abduction — Garry Wood standing on the A70.

The two men later reported that they noticed a two-tiered disc-shaped black object floating approximately 20 feet in the air just in front of the car. Garry slammed his foot on the acceleration in an attempt to speed past the obscure object. Garry was “driving like a bloody madman,” according to Colin. As they passed underneath, a bright light emanated from the UFO.

What happened next has been enshrined in the annals of UFO mythology and remains a mystery that has spanned over 25 years.

The two men said they next experienced complete and utter darkness for what felt like a mere couple of seconds. In fact, Garry would later say that he thought he had crashed the car and that he was dead. However, when they came to, the car was veering over the road at a rate of knots. They were perplexed to discover that their car was facing the opposite way even though they had no recollection of turning the car around. ² Furthermore, their seatbelts were unfastened and they were shaking uncontrollably.

The mysterious object was nowhere to be seen and the brisk night air was a relief to the perturbed duo. They continued to drive to their friends’ house, questioning what they had just experienced. When they arrived, they expected it to be around 10:40PM considering the journey typically would take 30 – 40 minutes. However, when they knocked on the door, nobody answered. Instead, their friend poked his head out of the window and asked them what on earth they were doing. It was 12:45AM in the morning.

Over the forthcoming days, Garry and Colin felt completely drained of energy yet they couldn’t sleep. When they did eventually drift off to sleep, they both experienced extremely vivid and disturbing dreams. In addition, they suffered from severe headaches.

Seeking treatment for their ailments, Garry went to the doctor who did several examinations of him including an MRI scan and a spinal tap, both of which found nothing untoward. Thinking back to what they had experienced on that crisp night, they decided they would contact the British UFO Research Association. What they had witnessed was an unidentified flying object, after all, and now they were experiencing inscrutable symptoms.

At the recommendation of the Strange Phenomena Investigators, Garry and Colin underwent hypnotic regression in an attempt to retrieve missing time and uncover what could have taken place during those missing two hours.

During the very first session, Garry burst into tears and was inconsolable. As the sessions went on, Garry and Colin recalled more of what had taken place during that lost time. Both men remembered that they were sitting in the car when three humanoid creatures opened the car door. Colin recollected Garry being placed onto a stretcher which was floating mid-air. “I saw three creatures coming towards my car. I felt intense pain, like an electric shock. Then I was in some room. I saw these things like wee men moving about, doing something to me. Then this six-foot creature approached,” Garry would later reminisce.

Colin recalled being led through a circular corridor by one of the creatures. Once at the end of the corridor, he entered a “featureless” room where he was stripped naked and subjected to a non-intrusive examination. While his memory was hazy and portions were missing, he said he could remember being naked inside a glass or Perspex container with his ankles strapped in. From this clear container, he could see other naked men and women in the same predicament. He said that the room they were in was filled with some type of fog and some device seemed to be scanning him and those around him. Gary’s recollection of the events was strikingly similar to Colins. He too recalled being in the featureless room. He said he was lying on a flat table and was unable to move, however, he wasn’t strapped down.

Both men recollected how they saw smaller humanoid creatures inside the UFO and heard agonising screams from the other “patients” surrounding them. As they both detailed what they experienced, they became extremely shaky and often cried as they recalled the disturbing experience. They spoke of one taller humanoid creature that seemed to oversee the entire ceremony. The most chilling thing Garry remembered, however, was this taller humanoid creature telepathically telling him “we are here already and we are coming here!”