The Interrupted Journey

Collector's Library of the Unknown

by John G. Fuller

Driving home from Canada on the night of September 19,1961, Betty and Barney Hill of Portsmouth, New Hampshire "sighted" a flying saucer. The experience left them shaken. When they arrived in Portsmouth, Barney found inexplicable scuff marks on the tips of his shoes; Betty noted rows of mysterious shiny circles on the trunk of their car. What was worse, they realized that they could not account for almost two hours of their time on the road.After many months of psychic distress dating from this night, the Hills sought medical assistance from a distinguished Boston psychiatrist and neurologist. Under psychotherapy, including time-regression hypnosis, the Hills gave almost identical accounts of what had happened during the lost two hours of their journey - a period of time their conscious mind had repressed. They told of an encounter with intelligent humanoid beings who took them aboard an alien space craft, questioned them, and submitted them to physical examination.After seven months of treatment, the psychiatrist decided that neither of his patients was psychotic, and that both consciously and under hypnosis, hey told what they believed to be the absolute truth.Here is the complete account, from beginning to end, of the story of Betty and Barney Hill. It included the actual transcriptions of the tapes made of their testimony under hypnosis, as well as the sketches they drew, both in and out of trance, of the spacecraft and humanoid creatures. Neither Betty nor Barney Hill stated that the experience could not be challenged; on the other hand, the doctor did not offer an incontrovertible assessment to discredit the Hills' testimony. Whether INTERRUPTED JOURNEY is fact or fantasy or something in between, it is unquestionably one of the most fascinating books of the century

Genres: Nonfiction, Aliens, Paranormal, Mystery

350 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

John Grant Fuller, Jr. (1913 - 1990) was a New England-based American author of several non-fiction books and newspaper articles, mainly focusing on the theme of extra-terrestrials and the supernatural. For many years he wrote a regular column for the Saturday Review magazine, called "Trade Winds". His three most famous books were The Ghost of Flight 401, Incident at Exeter, and The Interrupted Journey.
The Ghost of Flight 401 was based on the tragic Eastern Air Lines airplane crash in December 1972, and the alleged supernatural events which followed; it was eventually turned into a popular 1978 made-for-television movie.
Incident at Exeter concerned a series of well-publicized UFO sightings in and around the town of Exeter, New Hampshire in the fall of 1965 (see the Exeter incident). Fuller personally investigated the sightings and interviewed many of the eyewitnesses, he also claimed to have seen a UFO himself during his investigation.
The Interrupted Journey tells the story of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. The Hills were a married couple who claimed to have been abducted in 1961 by the occupants of a UFO in the White Mountains of New Hampshire while returning home from a vacation. The book was the first to seriously claim that competent, reliable witnesses were being abducted by UFOs for medical and scientific experiments. The book remains one of the most influential in UFO history; and has been hotly debated since its publication. Like The Ghost of Flight 401, The Interrupted Journey was also turned into a made-for-television movie in 1975.
Fuller wrote The Great Soul Trial (1969) about the disappearance of Arizona Miner James Kidd and the later trial regarding his will, which left his fortune to anyone who could prove the existence of the human soul. The book was published prior to the final resolution of the case in 1971.
John was also married to a NorthWest flight Attendant who was the researcher mentioned in his book "Ghost of Flight 401" His book We Almost Lost Detroit deals with a serious accident at the Fermi nuclear power plant near Detroit. The book title was later the title of a song by Gil Scott-Heron on the No Nukes live album recorded by the Musicians United for Safe Energy.
He wrote two plays -- The Pink Elephant, which opened in 1953, and Love Me Little, which opened in 1958, both on Broadway.
His most important book was the fictional novel We Almost Lost Detroit. There is a song by Gil Scott-Heron, same title.
Fuller died of lung cancer in 1990.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Probably one of the most publicized incidents of a (purported) alien abduction involved a married couple named Barney and Betty Hill.


Barney and Betty Hill with a newspaper account of their experience

On September 19, 1961 the Hills were returning from Montreal to their Portsmouth, New Hampshire home. At about 10:30 P.M., the Hills were on U.S. Route 3 in New Hampshire when they observed a strange object in the sky. The couple stopped to look at the object with their binoculars and to walk their dachshund Delsey. The Hills then resumed their trip while the unknown entity made erratic motions in the air. The Hills stopped to look at the object again, and Barney observed a 'flying saucer' with humanoid figures peering out the window. Barney became alarmed and quickly drove away.....after which the Hills experienced a loss of time, arriving home about two hours later than expected.


Betty and Barney Hill with their dog Delsey


Barney's sketch of the flying saucer containing aliens

The Hills reported the incident to Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire and to the National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). UFO sightings in the area were not uncommon, and the Hills' were interviewed by a number of Air Force officers and NICAP officials.


Pease Air Force Base


Logo on NICAP T-shirt

Shortly after the September 19 encounter, Betty had a number of vivid dreams about being abducted by aliens, and Barney began experiencing chronic anxiety and stress. The Hills wanted to know exactly what happened on the night of the incident and eventually consulted Dr. Benjamin Simon, a Boston psychiatrist experienced with hypnosis. In January, 1964, Dr. Simon began therapy sessions with Barney and Betty, and while hypnotized the couple recalled aliens taking them from their car, bringing them to a UFO, and examining their bodies. Afterwards, the Hills were returned to their vehicle and allowed to go on their way.


Under hypnosis, Barney and Betty Hill recalled being abducted by aliens

In 1966, author John Fuller wrote a book about the Hills' experience. The book was re-released in 2022, and is available once again. The narrative contains transcripts of the couple's hypnosis sessions, so the reader can experience the (alleged) incident along with Barney and Betty.

Dr. Simon had no agenda with respect to the existence (or not) of UFOs, his sole aim being to free the Hills of their anxiety. However, Dr. Simon speculated that Betty's 'memories' of being abducted might have been a fantasy/dream that influenced Barney's 'recollections.' In any case, the Hills were freed of their distress, and were able to go on with their lives.

Fuller's book was adapted into a 1975 movie called 'The UFO Incident' starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons.



There's been much speculation over the years about whether or not the Hills really experienced an alien abduction. If you'd like to weigh in on the matter, I'd suggest you read the book.

For sightseers in New Hampshire, there's a historical marker designating the site of the Hills' first sighting of the UFO.



You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Owlseyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I...was most impressed by the Betty and Barney Hill case when it was first introduced in the 1960's (The Interrupted Journey).This was the first so-called "abduction" case. There were many things in that report that convinced me that the Hills had a true experience. For example the apparent telepathic communication and the non-hostile intent of the aliens, seemed to me perfectly plausible".

Dolores Cannon in "The Custodians"

Barney under hypnosis: "He's a Nazi...his eyes are slanted...those eyes...I feel like a rabbit...it's the cat in Alice in Wonderland..."

Nuclear Physicist Stanton Friedman :"They [aliens] don't understand how Barney's teeth come out and hers don't" Hahah
(Barney had dentures)

Paul Devereux "...driving hours upon hours...they go into trance...miraculously floating into a spaceship ...out of the body experience...lucid dreaming experience...,sleep disorders that fit in absolute detail" (the abductee description)

"Tectonic Strain Theory
(Michael) Persinger [a cognitive neuroscience researcher] has also come to public attention due to his 1975 Tectonic Strain Theory (TST) of how geophysical variables may correlate with sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or Marian apparitions. Persinger argued that strain within the Earth's crust near seismic faults produces intense electromagnetic (EM) fields, creating bodies of light that some interpret as glowing UFOs or The Virgin Mary. Alternatively, he argued that the EM fields generate hallucinations in the temporal lobe, based on images from popular culture, of alien craft, beings, communications, or creatures".
From Wiki




This is one of earliest* reported cases of abduction. I would highlight two, at least, important features, common to many other abduction cases. They’re the “missing time”** and the “intensity of the emotions” associated with the encounter; the latter obtained via hypnotic regression. In fact, the title of the book is the Interrupted Journey: two lost hours aboard a flying saucer.

Basically, the story told in the book involves a couple: a white woman and a black man who, back in September 19th, 1961, are travelling from Canada (border) to their home in Portsmouth, USA.



He’s a bright civil-rights activist and post officer, called Barney. She’s a social worker, by the name of Betty; her true name being Eunice.

They had had the warning of an upcoming hurricane while heading south. After the restaurant break for a meal, they left the place at around 10:05 p. m. . While on the way home she was the first one to spot “another star” (above a known planet).

Soon they both concluded that the star was moving: “the object would disappear behind the trees”. They will report: “strange sounds” ….and “missing time”...at 11 p.m. when passing by the “Cannon mountain”. The "star" had entered a “crazy course”.
:::
Upon arriving they get to this conclusion: the trip took 2 hours longer than expected. Past few days, Betty started having nightmares of the couple being taken onboard a spacecraft and "medically examined".



In December of 1963 they sought help from Doctor Benjamin Simon, because Betty had developed health problems (ulcers, namely).

The book gives detailed accounts of the sessions the couple went through. Of special (somewhat terrifying) interest are the examinations they were subjected to, by aliens. Some of these examinations left physical marks in the body of Barney.

Betty had access to maps that led to the identification of the place in the galaxy where from these aliens came.





The couple was separated while in the hypnotic sessions. Thereafter “amnesia” was induced.



Someone commented that the emotional [fear and terror] intensity reported was "greater" than any of the war traumas reported by military people.



The movie based in the book, The UFO Incident by Richard A. Colla (1975), is fairly good, regarding the story.



---
*Maybe the earliest is the case of Antonio Villas Boas in Brazil, 1957.

**Missing Time, by Budd Hopkins





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g93Y...
The Lost Betty Hill Interview,October 2009.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzUWf...
(Betty and Barney Hill case with regressive hypnosis)

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Interrupted Journey is one of the better books addressing claims of encounters with alien beings. It tells the story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial New Hampshire couple who spotted a UFO, piloted by sinister-looking humanoids, following their car home one night in 1961. After arriving back at their home and noting they'd experienced missing time, they began talking with friends and associates. They also started having strange nightmares in which aliens prominently featured. Soon they were in touch with the relevant researchers and UFO advocates. Eventually they found themselves a psychiatrist, who hypnotised them with a view towards identifying and healing the psychological issues triggering their fears and near-hysteria. It is in these hypnosis sessions that the full story came out. Not only did Betty and Barney Hill witness a UFO event, they were also abducted by aliens, who subjected them to a series of medical tests. One of the most famous alien abduction stories was born.

You don't have to believe that the Hills' story of being abducted by men from beyond the moon is true in order to enjoy The Interrupted Journey. Built around the hypnosis sessions they underwent, it does a great job of laying out their original story without neglecting alternate explanations such as that of their hypnotist, who believed their encounter and subsequent hysteria were a manifestation of paranoia and insecurity over the Hills' interracial marriage during the Civil Rights era -- in which Betty and Barney, good people, were committed activists. This approach has its drawbacks, of course. For example, it doesn't go into Betty Hill's second career as an especially silly UFO believer who eventually struggled to differentiate between streetlights and flying saucers. She wasn't crazy at the time her and her husband's abduction experience went public (against their wishes) but she wasn't all there by the end.

If you're looking for a book that addresses a famous case of alleged alien abduction without succumbing to sensationalism or silliness, The Interrupted Journey is a good option. It's grounded and sufficiently sceptical when compared to, say, Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience , written by the supremely smug Stanton Friedman and the Hills' piggybacking niece. Still one of the best books of its kind.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting how, in my reading experience at least, that two of the best UFO books are also two the of the earliest (the other being USAF Captain Ruppelt's The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects. What makes both so attractive is that both approach the subject of UFOs in a cautious and measured manner. Both seek to anchor the issue, as much as possible, in facts. Fuller's account of the Bettie and Barney Hill sighting of a UFO, and later reported abduction in the mountains of New Hampshire in 1961, runs up against various filters of, and resistance to, recovered memories via hypnosis administered by Dr. Benjamin Simon, a highly regarded psychiatrist. Barney Hill was the more resistant of the two. He was obviously frightened by whatever happened during the two missing hours.

Well, SOMETHING happened. Betty, the more imaginative and more fearless of the two, seems more accepting to whatever happened. But her account, possibly influenced by her sister's sighting of UFO years before, is also, at least initially, with its chatty conversations with English speaking aliens, the sketchier account. But that will change as the sessions continue. The initial sessions present fragmented accounts of alien abduction, and later examinations on the alien ship. The entire experience, from the Hills' car being flagged down by the aliens, to their release and return to the car, is bracketed by a series of beeps (something Dr. Simon cannot explain). Many of the details firm up as the sessions continue. Simon's skepticism regarding the abduction (not the initial UFO sighting) is rooted in his belief that the Hills' shared a dream or fantasy that was possibly influenced by anxieties stemming from their interracial marriage. That's pretty thin. If you watch the old 1975 movie based upon the book ("The UFO Incident" (currently available on Youtube)) you can see how the doctor was grasping for some sort of traction to explain what the Hills had experienced. (I believe Betty Hill and Dr. Simon had some involvement with the movie account. Barney had passed away by 1975.) The Hills were not lying, they were sincere, but even Barney wonders, at about the midway point in the book, if the memories he had of the abduction were themselves implanted by the aliens. Betty is told by the leader that she and Barney will not remember what happened, but if they do, their accounts will differ in such a way to as cast doubt on their experience. Well, all these years later their voices ring true to me, but what does that mean? The reader is left with the haunting memory of the Hills and their little dog Delsey driving into the New Hampshire night, heading for an unwanted encounter with Something.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a believer in UFO s, or I should say I KNOW they exist as I saw one many years ago along with my entire family. This book is about the abduction of Betty and Barney Hill by aliens from a UFO that they had spotted while driving home from a short vacation. Most of the book was verbatim text from their hypnosis sessions that were done as a way for them to recover lost memories of a 2 1/2 hour period of lost time during the trip home. The book itself was very well organized and written, leaving it up to the reader to believe or not believe. The psychiatrist who did the hypnosis was extremely skeptical, believing it may have all stemmed from a nightmare that Betty had, and somehow transferred to Barney’s sub conscience. But, you have to keep in mind that this not only took place in the 1960’s before UFO sightings became common place, but they were also one of the first if not the first to come forward. I read this book because I wanted to find out more about the aliens and their agenda. Do I believe the Hill story? Yes I do. I am currently on a kick to try to learn all that I can about this topic of UFO’s and aliens, and I have about a foot and a half stack of books more to read on the topic.

[Dollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In September, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were returning from a trip to Montreal, Canada, to their home in Portsmouth, NH. They arrived home hours later than they should have and they couldn’t seem to recall why the trip had taken them so long, but they felt like something must have happened. Soon Betty began having nightmares and Barney began having a lot of anxiety. Betty believed they had seen a UFO while driving through the White Mountains. Barney wasn’t so sure, but Betty contacted Pease Air Force Base and Walter Webb, an astronomer and member of NICAP. While visiting Webb he suggested they see a psychologist. Dr. Simon put them both under hypnosis and recorded their therapy sessions. They both recalled being stopped by several small men in the road and taken aboard a UFO and examined. Although Dr. Simon did not believe they were lying, he couldn’t decide whether or not the event had really happened. The Hills believed it had happened. I didn’t learn about the Hills’ experience until I saw The UFO Incident in 1978. I was totally convinced that they had really had this experience (and it wasn’t because of the great acting). One reason I believed their story is that they tried to keep the whole incident secret for years and had only told a few close friends and relatives. They weren’t seeking publicity. The second reason is that I just couldn’t imagine anyone relating something like this unless it had really happened. I think it’s a lot easier for more people to believe their story now, sixty years later. I remember hearing about Betty Hill’s death on the radio in 2004. Although she had continued to search for the landing sight, she had never found it.

[JLTobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding, Sobering UFO & Abduction Account

The Interrupted Journey, written in 1966, holds up brilliantly after 55 years— just as the Pentagon prepares to release a 2021 study of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP is currently the U.S. government���s preferred official term for UFO.)

The Interrupted Journey is a serious, carefully researched account that assiduously avoids sensationalism and leaves judgments about the veracity of reported events up to the reader. A reading or rereading of John Fuller’s seminal study is a worthwhile accompaniment to the 2021 Pentagon report, if only to remind us of the length of time that UAP/UFOs have baffled scientists, the military and ordinary observers.

The Interrupted Journey tells the story of Betty and Barney Hill, a New Hampshire couple who sighted a UFO while driving from Canada to Portsmouth, NH on the night of September 19-20, 1961. While both Hills recalled the sighting, about 2 hours in their trip remained unaccounted for, as did 35 miles of their journey.

In the two years following the trip, the Hills experienced substantial and increasing anxiety. Betty Hill’s anxiety was accompanied by vivid and disturbing dreams. Barney Hill’s anxiety was accompanied by insomnia, worsening ulcers and increasing blood pressure. Both felt that the UFO episode was central to their anxiety, although neither could account for the lost 2 hours and their inability to recall 35 miles of their drive.

After conventional psychotherapy failed to alleviate Barney Hill’s anxiety, the couple sought a highly qualified psychiatrist who could uncover their missing memories through hypnosis. They eventually entered treatment with Dr. Benjamin Simon, a highly credentialed psychiatrist who had led the U.S. military’s post World War II treatment of service members with shell shock (now described as PTSD/post-traumatic stress disorder), using hypnosis and therapeutic drugs to uncover and treat trauma.

The Interrupted Journey, written with the consent and participation of Simon and the Hills, is drawn substantially from Simon’s tapes of his treatment sessions with Barney and Betty Hill, a substantial number of which were conducted under hypnosis. Despite the controversial nature of the subject matter, what stands out are the Hills’ honesty and intelligence, as well as Simon’s careful therapeutic guidance. This is a sober account of the Hills’ experiences, not a sensationalized one.

Highly recommended for those interested in well-researched accounts of UFOs and their alleged occupants. Which raises a question: can John Fuller’s Incident at Exeter, a study of the Exeter, NH UFO sightings, be reissued electronically as well?

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a classic for ufologists, being the first popular researched account of what has become to be known as the alien abduction phenomenon. Fuller, a journalist already known for some work on UFO sightings, covers the story on several levels. The first is what the Hills immediately recalled of their automobile trip, a remembrance with two unaccountable hours and some other oddities, including vague, but increasing anxiety. This led them to individual counselling, their independent sessions being recorded, and much expanded accounts filling the lost time with extraordinary recollections of an alien craft and alien beings. Finally, the author attempts to reconstruct events by correlating their accounts.

An introduction is provided by the psychiatrist who treated the Hills. While not endorsing the objective reality of extraterrestrials, he does vouch for the record and for the honesty of his analysands.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book many, many years ago. Lest anyone think I'm a crackpot, I maintain an open yet skeptical mind in regard to UFOs. The thousands of reported sightings seem to argue against extraterrestrials or "space brothers", whether of the beneficent or malevolent kind. How likely is it that we'd be visited so frequently by a highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization? In the cosmic scheme, are we really all that interesting? I think not. Yet I don't dismiss all sightings as bogus reports or perceptual anomalies or atmospheric disturbances (ball lightning, aurora borealis, rare cloud formations, etc.). None of the theories I'm familiar with seem to adequately explain this phenomenon.

[Unigami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 11 years old, and it scared the crap out of me, especially the sketches of the aliens. This is a classic must read book for ufologists and one of the few that I actually believe.

[CaraDico · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thank you to Knopf Doubleday, John Fuller, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...


“I’d bet almost anything that life from another planet, if formed independently from life on Earth, would be more different from all species of Earth life than any two species of Earth life are from each other.”
–Death By Black Hole, Neil De Grasse Tyson

In September 1961, Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple living in Portsmouth, NH, are on their way home from Montreal when they see a strange aircraft with double windows following them on a dark mountain road. By the time they return home, they have lost two hours with no memory of what happened. Betty is positive that something happened, but Barney sticks to reality, downplaying the nightmares she has been having since they returned home. She believes that what they saw on that mountain road is a UFO. Barney insists she is being dramatic and shouldn’t rely on her dreams for reality.

Betty contacts Pease Air Force Base, in Newington, New Hampshire, and Walter Webb, at NOUFORS Northern Ontario UFO Research, an astronomer and member of NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena). While visiting Webb, he suggested they see a psychologist. Dr. Simon put them both under hypnosis but separately and recorded their therapy sessions. Both Barney and Betty’s stories under hypnosis are exactly the same. They both recalled being stopped by several small men in the road and taken aboard a UFO and examined separately. Dr. Simon remains skeptical throughout the book about whether the event really happened, or their description was based on the nightmares Betty was having. He didn’t think they were lying, but he just felt he didn’t have enough evidence to be convinced the event had happened.

The Interrupted Journey fascinated me. I will admit that I had not heard of Barney and Betty Hill until the book was sent to me. There are parts of the book that are rather dry and sometimes repetitive, but overall, it is a fascinating recap of an event in history that cannot be made up. I can only imagine how this story rocked America in the early ‘60s. The Hills had nothing to gain by telling their story. They are described in the book as a very private interracial couple who went almost a year before deciding to go forward with this story because they were worried about the attention it would bring to them. After reading the book, I was able to delve into some links that the publisher sent me, and it is almost eerie to listen to the tapes of the Hill’s hypnosis. The horror in Barney’s voice is terrifying while his brain is telling him this is not possible. It is the extreme reaction that seals the deal for me. This is a must read for all the skeptics out there. You might just end up a believer.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel “The Interrupted Journey” gives the details of the events of the evening of September 19, 1961, a span when an unassuming interracial couple — the Hills — saw their weekend drive in New England interrupted by a…flying saucer. When they were returned from their UFO experience they went back to their normal life activities but felt something was missing. Then they started to remembered in small glimpses. They wanted to know what they forgot. The Hills were aided in this endeavor by a reputable, rock-solid psychiatrist, Dr. Benjamin Simon, who utilized hypnosis to excavate the Hills’ buried (or blocked?) memories of the close encounter on September 19th 1961. Their stories — told separately in marathon individual sessions — matched one another’s very closely. Husband and wife both spoke of an alien visitation that featured missing time, medical exams and so on. These thorough hypnosis sessions — which often read as decisive cross-examinations — are featured in “The Interrupted Journey” in the form of transcripts. These word-for-word accounts make for absorbing and anxiety-provoking reading. Fuller does well with the remainder of the text too, his prose devoid of unnecessary drama, hysteria, or silliness. Fuller downplays everything in a just-the-facts writing-style that disarms the inner skeptic and generates a fair bit of, uneasiness. The idea of alien visitation is made entirely believable. The Hills don’t seem like attention-seekers. They waited for years to come forward in the public square to tell their version of the story, and then only after a journalist with no morals published their story without permission from them.

In The Interrupted Journey, when Barney first sees the alien leader’s inhuman black eyes glaring down at him it seemed so real that I believed their story. UFOs have been a controversial subject in that many do not believe in them. Those that do believe in them are still considered “crazy.” I myself think that are UFOs as I believed I saw one but did I? I had been so far away from it, I was sure it was one by the way it flew and didn’t fly staying in one spot for several minutes. This book is a fascinating read. Read it if you dare.

I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first famous alien abduction story is told with understatement and neutrality by Fuller in this quite riveting 1960s bestseller. Whatever one believes (and the evidence is at least confronting) this is an eerie tale filled with strange subtle detail, all orbiting around the sheer horror experienced by skeptic Barney Hill as he witnesses something that his brain keeps telling him is outside the realm of possibility. It’s this extreme reaction and cognitive dissonance that keeps returning and haunts the narrative (‘I felt like the eyes had pushed into my eyes’), one centred around lost time, memory and space hidden within multiple frames of remembering. At one point Barney and Betty listen and react to a recording of themselves relating what happened during this lost time while under hypnosis - a recall that in itself they have no memory of and in which they hear themselves liken the lost time to also being under hypnosis. At the same time, within their hypnotic recall - a vivid reliving of the past as if it were the present with full recall of details - they go back to earlier memories recalled in association. It’s an experience of the present detached from any coordinates. Outside hypnosis they keep physically returning to the road where they sighted the UFO, trying to locate the supposed point of abduction - a dark lonely side road neither can fully recall in the daytime - and the dreams of both filter into their experience, although it’s unclear which is influencing which. It’s a unique aesthetic, one I don’t think has been fully captured in film aside from say parts of Close Encounters or The X Files.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I read this book a looooong time ago, in fact not long after its original publication, back in the golden time in the 1960's.
In my teens this book was another very strange thing emanating from the U.S. However, I couldn't punch a hole in it. I still can't. All these decades later Barney and Betty Hill's 'Interrupted Journey' with their alien abduction joins the very many other weird UFO reports from credible witnesses who themselves can't be described as weird.
I remain okay to live with the certainty that not everything has an explanation, no matter how sophisticated the human bean thinks he is.
I recall thinking at the time that it was strange that so many UFO happenings were taking place in the U.S. and occurring during the Cold War, soon after the end of WWII. If any government knew what was behind this phenomenon, they sure weren't telling.

[Suzy Ostapower · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember watching the movie about Betty and Barney Hill when I was a child. There seems to be a resurgence in interest of their story of late. That being said, I find it hard to believe that the two would have concocted a story when they clearly must have had a difficult life being an interracial couple in the 1960’s and bringing more strife to their lives.
The book is written in a style much like a reporter and at times it’s tough to follow. But I give kudos to the author for all of the investigative work that they undertook to bring fresh eyes and information to the Hills’ story. I think humanity does itself a huge disservice thinking that we are the only intelligent beings created by the Almighty.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Netgalley*

[JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
“I felt very weak. I felt very weak, but I wasn’t afraid. And I can’t even think of being confused. I am not bewildered, I can’t even think of questioning what is happening to me. And I am being assisted. And I am thinking of a picture I saw many years ago, and this man is being carried to the electric chair. And I think of this, and I think I am in this man’s position. But I’m not being carried to the electric chair. And I think of this, and I think I’m in this man’s position. But I’m not, but I think my feet are dragging, and I think of this picture. And I am not afraid. I feel like I am dreaming”

[Jonathan Hockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting one to listen to at night. Creates a nice believable atmosphere to the events. I have my doubts about the account if only because she was an avid believer in such things and he, although not a believer, was suffering with various health problems and may have been dragged along in her fervour for it all. Still, it is one of those where there is a chance it could be the real deal.

[Nam KK · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Interrupted Journey" recounts the tale of a couple's travels from Canada to New Hampshire, only to be abducted by aliens. This inevitably raises the question: "Should the statements made by individuals under hypnosis be regarded as truth, a distorted rendition of truth, or simply dreams?"

A good read, though.

[Robin Sperry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on Alien Abduction I've read. The story is told with humility and what seems to be honesty. That both Betty and Barney Hill died without ever trying to cash in on the story and without ever recanting makes it seem believable.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A seminal work of ufology and a must read for any serious student. This event and Travis Walton's experience are the two most legitimate abductions in history.

[Cinnamon Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book which interested me in finding more cases of UFOs.👽
Agent Mulder was right.🌟

[Jessica Berger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably a 5 star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book 50 years ago. I'm just desensitized.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a believer in aliens coming down and abducting people, but this was a great, interesting, and intriguing read.

[Mike Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

23

[Rebekah Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love? Travel, danger, excitement, abduction, hypnosis regression therapy. It’s got everything and what’s more, I totally believe it.

[Juan Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los casos relacionados con el fenómeno ovni más representativos. Una experiencia de abducción extraterrestre digna de ser leída por los amantes de este tipo de historias.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic John G Fuller. Very exciting account of the alien abduction in ‘61

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Betty and Barney Hill case is truly the mother of all alien abduction stories; not only was it the first complete account of alien abduction, it remains one of the most well-documented cases on record. The Hills were not publicity seekers (as an interracial couple in 1964, the last thing they needed was more attention), and the medical psychiatrist who eventually hypnotized them had no interest in ufology whatsoever - in fact, Dr. Simon Hill maintained strict editorial control over the contents of this book, particularly pertaining to his medical observations and the regression session transcripts, and he also penned the forward in an effort to further separate himself from a literal interpretation of the Hills' story. Back then, alien abduction was too wild to even consider a possibility. As active participants in their community, Barney and Betty had nothing to gain - and everything to lose - by going public (and they did so only after their story was leaked to a reporter), making The Interrupted Journey a tribute to their courage as well as a record of the extraordinary event that haunted them for the rest of their lives.

On the night of September 19, 1961, while driving home from vacation through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Hills spotted a strange object in the sky, a light that seemed to follow them on the desolate road. They stopped several times to view the object through binoculars but could not identify it. Whereas Betty's curiosity was greatly aroused by the mystery object, Barney repeatedly attempted to explain it away as nothing out of the ordinary. After getting out of the car and making his way into a field to get a better view of the object, Barney suddenly ran back to the car, exclaiming that they had to leave before they were captured. A short time later, they heard a series of beeps; the next thing they remembered were a second series of beeps, at which time they found themselves some thirty-five miles down the road. Everything in between the series of beeps was a complete haze in their minds. Shaking off the experience, they arrived home some two hours later than expected.

In the weeks and months following this sighting, both of the Hills began experiencing psychological and physiological problems. Betty began having vivid nightmares of the night of the sighting, while Barney's anxiety increased and an ulcer flared up. Tracing the source of their rising anxiety back to the night of September 19, 1961, they were eventually referred to psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Simon, who set out to unlock their amnesiac period of that night via hypnosis. What emerged from those sessions was an extraordinary account of being abducted by aliens, subjected to a series of medical tests aboard their craft, and having their memories tampered with so they would not consciously remember what happened.

Dr. Simon had no interest whatsoever in UFOs and sought to explain the source of their mutually corroborating accounts of alien abduction as some type of dream transference - but he certainly believed that the Hills' regression testimonies were sincere. His main concern, naturally, was in helping the couple relieve their anxiety, and he was successful in doing so. Over the next couple of years, the Hills went on to discuss their story with family and friends - and the story would probably end there if a Boston journalist hadn't found out about it and published an article about it - against the Hills' strong wishes. That opened the floodgates, of course, leading to the Hills' decision to go public in the form of this book by John G. Fuller.

Aside from its historical importance, The Interrupted Journey is a pretty darn interesting read. Whatever happened to them, the Hills were an extraordinary couple, and the story they tell differs in a number of ways from the standard abduction account as we've come to know it today - and since there were really no other cases to compare it with at the time, the author had no real agenda apart from letting the Hills tell their story in their own words, much of it straight from the regression session transcripts.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've got to read it to believe it!

[Roberto Audiffred · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gladly surprised by this book. It is not sensationalistic and it is not written from a gullible or fanatic perspective. The actual conclusion of the psychiatrist who hypnotized the Hills is that the sighting of a UFO was "probable" but the abduction memories were "improbable." However, the mystery remains as to what exactly happened to them. I think the reason this is such a serious book is that when it was written there was still no fanatic beliefs associated with "abductions," as there hadn't been any, so the Hills were hypnotized by an actual professional and not by a random "ufologist."