Psychotherapist to Present Clinical Research of How Close Encounters lead to Spiritual Enlightenment

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) April 27, 2006 -- For thousands of years, claims of contact with other-worldly beings have been made by every religion known to humankind. Today, these claims are still being reported.

After 13 years of clinical research, Dr. Janet Colli has discovered that there is a consistent and strong spiritual component with those who believe they have experienced other-worldly visitations such as "close encounters" with extraterrestrials.

"There is a correlation between 'close encounters' and the world’s great religious and wisdom traditions," says Colli.

A Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Colli is a psychotherapist who believes that these experiences are a crossing over between the material world and what in Eastern philosophy is called the "subtle realm," a spiritual dimension.

In her book, "Sacred Encounters: Spiritual Awakenings During Close Encounters," she writes in detail about what appears to be happening during and as a result of such encounters. She presents case studies such as "Hayley," who transitioned from trauma to interspecies communicator, and "Joy," who was initiated into a full-fledged mystical experience.

Colli’s clinical research brings together the psychology of close encounters, spiritual experiences, and the ultimate human experience — enlightenment.

"Eastern mystics have sought enlightenment for millennia, enshrining it in ancient lineages," explains Colli. "Yet few Westerners realize that many of these same gurus have long been communicating with so-called alien beings."

Startling evidence relating "close encounters" to Sufi, Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions will be presented at the 31st annual conference of the International Institute of Integral Human Sciences (IIIHS) in Montreal, Canada, in May 2006. For more information, see: http://www.iiihs.org

The IIIHS is a non-profit organization affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. It serves over 10,000 general members and students from many nations promoting the convergence of new sciences with spirituality, creating inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding for world peace.

Colli will be one of more than 60 speakers to address the IIIHS, with other distinguished professionals such as medical doctors, psychiatrists, physicists, psychologists, spiritual leaders, as well as a former NASA astronaut.

Her conclusions are consistent with the research of the late Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry, Dr. John E. Mack, author of "Passport to the Cosmos."

Mack listened to the similar testimony of more than 200 experiencers from the West and from indigenous cultures. He wrote that our western culture needed to redefine our worldview to accommodate the evidence of this paradigm shifting phenomena.

According to Colli, the current surge of "subtle realm" encounters has unveiled the hidden dimension that surrounds us all — the realm of angels and aliens. She believes that those among us who consciously sense the subtle realms herald a critical stage in human evolution.

Colli believes that this paradigm shift can help prepare the modern world for our next evolutionary leap as we awaken to the fact that we are "not alone" in the Universe; otherworldly beings are playing a pivotal role in the evolution of human consciousness.

Species Shift were the words communicated to "Hayley" by her "visitors." By altering her and others, the shift would move like a wave through our species—by some kind of inner connection we all share. "The experience truly has changed me . . . and made me feel like I found God," says Hayley.

Colli takes issue with the conclusions drawn by Drs Richard McNally and Susan Clancy ("Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens") of the Harvard Department of Psychology. Their studies document Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in "alien abductees."

PTSD is a condition that results from specific traumatic experiences, such as the Vietnam war. Yet McNally and Clancy maintain that the trauma indicates the power of the imagination when stimulated by the media, "New Age beliefs," sleep disturbances, and hypnosis by therapists.

"Their conclusions go against 100 years of trauma research into the causation of PTSD," Colli rejoins. She explains that there is no documented medical research to her knowledge that shows that PTSD has ever been caused by imagined experiences.

Colli also points to a 1997 Journal of Scientific Exploration study of recorded EEGs and brain mapping of "close encounter" experiencers that revealed patterns previously measured in an advanced subject in the state of yogic ecstasy or "samadhi," or what is considered to be profound meditative union with God. http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v11n4a1.php

Regarding the skeptical claim that there is no evidence of life in the Universe, Colli refers to a 2005 article in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/sitesia.aspx/page/358/id/455/l/en

In this article, physicists argue that new developments in physics and astrophysics, as well as highly credible UFO accounts, provide evidence in favor of our planet being embedded within an enormous galactic community of intelligent worlds.

Some of this evidence was presented by the late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings in his unprecedented February 2005 two-hour Primetime special "UFOs – Seeing is Believing."
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Primetime/

Jennings’ millions of viewers were shown a small portion of the 150 interviews conducted by ABC regarding the enigmatic issue of UFOs and extraterrestrial encounters. Jennings concluded that many UFOs were indeed unidentified and that science needed to take a closer look at the issue.

When looking at the question of "close encounters," Colli agrees that science is needed to verify her claims that extraordinary experience is a portal to a biologically-based transformation of the human personality.

Colli elaborates that common "value changes" as a result of close encounters include increased interest in spirituality; increased appreciation of nature and of life; increased self-acceptance as well as concern for others.

When looking at these transformative aspects, Colli calls "experiencers" the evolutionary forerunners that will usher in higher consciousness on a collective level.

"The stakes are high," says Colli. "Humanity stands to gain enormously from this venture. For when we reach into the depths of ourselves, we will simultaneously travel to the farthest reaches of the universe."

She will be sharing her insights at Montreal’s IIIHS conference on May 6th and May 8th, 2006 and is available for media interviews.

Contact information for media interviews

Contact: Janet Colli, Ph.D.
Tel: 206-329-9235 (Seattle)
Tel: 360-678-7737 (Whidbey Island)
http://www.SacredEncounters.com/
email: becolli (at) mindspring.com


The International Institute of Integral Human Sciences (IIIHS)
Montreal, Canada
Contact: Dr. Marilyn Rossner, Father John Rossner
Tel: (514) 937-8359
http://www.iiihs.org
Email: info (at) iiihs.org

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Dr. Janet Colli
206-329-9235
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