Who Were Betty and Barney Hill?

Betty and Barney hill were a couple who gained fame in the 60s, by being the first to have claimed to be abducted by Aliens. The couple were interracial, and seemed more concerned, before-hand, with the civil rights movement. However, it is fair to mention that Betty’s sister had claimed to have an encounter with a UFO some years earlier.

The event happened on September 19th, 1961, while the couple was driving home from Quebec after a Vacation. At first, the encounter started as Betty observed a strange light in the sky, which she thought was initially a communications satellite. Later on, the unidentified craft came close to their car, and lowered close enough to fill up the entire view of their windshield.

However, after speeding away from the craft, they arrived home without further incident; they arrived home. They did discover that both had fragmented memories of what had happened to them, specifically after having fled the craft. Betty, however, did have recurrent nightmares, and after contacting both the US Air Force and eventually a private UFO Research group, the couple decided to meet with professional investigators and undergo regressive hypnosis.

The couple was taken under Hypnosis by Dr Benjamin Simon on January 4th, 1964. The Doctor, being a skeptic, was taken aback by the tale they told. A small paraphrase follows.

Barney reported that, after the event where he fled from the craft, he felt an overwhelming compulsion to drive into the woods. There, the craft met them with six inhabitants standing beside a road. Barney became so afraid, despite the beings assurances that they would not harm him, that he forced himself to close his eyes throughout the entire encounter. In fact, most of Barney’s regression was so traumatic, that the Hypnotist decided that he shouldn’t remember what happened until he felt Barney was capable of dealing with what happened.

Barney was lead inside a craft, where he and Betty were separated. Barney was led into a room where examinations were done on him.  Though his memories remain fragmented due to his closed eyes, he recounts various experiments.

Betty’s regressive hypnosis was far less revealing. In fact, though their stories coincided, it was actually very similar to the nightmares she had been having earlier.

The Hill’s shared experience definitely gained them notoriety, though originally they didn’t profit from it. Dr Simon purports that Barney’s experience was a fantastic blending of Betty’s Nightmares, and many suggest that he was influenced by Television Shows at the time (most notably; the Twilight Zone).

The influence this couple has had on the world is undeniable. Do you have your own experience, or want to read stories about those who do? Below you’ll find a link to a shared blog I’m creating, as well as an email for submitting your own story.