Frequently Asked
Questions & Answers

 
         
 
  I frequently receive many questions about my work and ACERN and felt it advantageous to share some of these with you.  
       
   
Question:
 I would like to explore the specifics of what ACERN provides in an informative and positive light. I
have read the history of ACERN on the website and have gathered some information from that.
I just want some more detail.
Answer:
Fine! The purpose of ACERN is to help those feeling isolated or fearful with Anomalous
Experiences, who want to understand what is happening and have no-one to turn to!
It is the only professional resource in Australia.
 
Question:
What type of counselling/support do you provide for your clients?
Answer:
I am a former nurse/ midwife, but have practiced for the past 15 years as a professional
counsellor and hypnotherapist. When an individual first contacts me, I suggest they fill in a
questionnaire and personal history sheet (See Questionnaire on this web site). This is to help
them decide for themselves if their experience echoes contact experiences. The personal
history is also for them to quantify how these experiences have impacted on them, and also
acts as a 'trigger' for them to put some of the 'missing pieces' together. They have a choice
whether they wish to send this onto me, or if they still wish to come and see me.

So initially I will act as a counsellor, and listen to their experiences, non -judgementally
and with acceptance of their experiences, whatever they may be. For many this is healing in
itself as they will say just to speak openly 'is like a weight off their shoulders.'
 
Question:
What is involved in the process?

Answer:
The above is part of the process, and from their personal history I ask them what it is they feel
they most need!   ie

*on-going support? 
such as Counselling
* Connecting with others?
If they require validation of their experiences and need to talk with others then they can come
to my monthly support group meeting.
* Buddy system
Connecting with other experiencers via email or phone to chat informally!
*Help with coping ie re fear?
I can provide them with coping strategies!
*Information etc............?
Again I have information and resources to offer!
This way I can assist them to find the help they feel they most need.
* Therapy:
If they want to explore their experience in more depth ie regression, then we set a time aside
to do this, regression therapy takes 2-3 hours per session, and through this they can
explore an experience more throughly.and gain some understanding of it!
 
Question:
What usually leads people to seek help?
Answer:
It can be a life crisis, a fear they may be crazy, a sighting of a UFO, reading or seeing something
on TV, book or radio that highlights this experience.They may just feel an obsessive desire to
understand why they feel the way they do, and this maybe accompanied by unusual
phenomenon.
 
Question:
Why do you think people are afraid to come forward about alien encounters?
Answer:
For most times it is Fear! The fear that they maybe crazy, or seen as crazy! Derision and
judgement by others. Fear of the unknown, fear of what is happening to them etc.
 
Question:
What effect does an alien encounter have on a persons life?
Answer:
In my book Awakening the sub-heading is how Et Contact transforms the individuals life,
on every level! It acts as a catalyst for change both physically emotionally psychologically
and spiritually! They become multi dimensionally aware, and very psychic! Initially through
that transition though they may go through a process of fear, and denial to seeking of
information and realisation that this is real for them.then comes the crisis of paradigms
when they have to acknowledge that their understanding and programming of reality is
limited and they have to embrace a multidimensional reality! In my book I call this Contact
the chrysalis for change!
Ultimately they move to a place of integration and acceptance, and learn to live without the
conflict and learn and grow with this as part of their expanded reality!
 
Question:
Can they lead normal lives after an encounter?
Answer:
What is normal? But yes they can.but with an expanded sense of self, and a deeper
awareness of who and what they are............they just learn not to speak to those who they
know have a closed mind set to this, as it is pointless, and only leads to frustration for them!
 
Question:
How many people have ACERN counselled?
Answer:
Last count over 700
 
Question:
What is involved with the buddy system?
Answer:
Those who wish it and have experiences can be a 'buddy' to someone who needs a bit of
on-going support as a listening ear to others with this so that they do not feel so isolated!
Usually those who partake in this are fairly comfortable with the experiences by this time.
 
Question:
How many staff does ACERN have?
Answer:
ACERN has myself as Principal, I am the connecting point. But I have many
referral resources re therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, Doctor and
complementary therapists etc...........but no-one works for me as such they are all
independent.  ACERN due to its nature is unfunded, so I fund it. as there is no other way
to do this. Hopefully the sale of my book and video "Expressions "will enable me to keep
it going.
 
Question:
Do you have clients from interstate/overseas?
Answer:
Yes I do, I hear from those not only interstate, but also been resourced from USA, UK,
France, Singapore and Japan
 
Question:
Are there any other organisations like ACERN?

Answer:
As far as I am aware just in America ie ACCET ( Academy of Clinical Close Encounter
Therapists) California.

This is an organization of Professionals ie Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers,
counsellors , nurses, Doctors etc.with over 105 members world wide. I am a clinical
member of ACCET and modeled ACERN on it!

PEER ( Program for Extraordinary Experience Research ) USA, founded by
Professor DR John Mack Of Harvard UNiversity also offers information and support
 
Question:
How do you deal with skeptics?
Answer:
With openness and honesty, I will tell them to go and read some of the enormous scientific
and documented evidence out now in every good bookshop, before they dismiss it! And
that the most skeptical of all are those with this experience, as they have to prove to
themselves they are not crazy, and for those who work in the field we come a close se
cond as we don't want to lose our credibility either, so as groups we are the most skeptical.
And any question they may come up with we have certainly asked those same questions,
and some more! So generally they give us no surprises! And everyone is welcome to
struggle with this, we certainly did! Although I will have to say that balanced
skepticism is healthy, there is a small percent that even if they saw a UFO on their front
lawn they would say it was a fire engine
 
Question:
How do you work out if someone has genuinely had an encounter and is not just making
it up?
Answer:
To be honest I don't think anyone who has come to me up to date has made it up! And why
would they what have they got to gain, except ridicule and disbelief from most people, or
the diagnoses of mental illness!
For many people coming to me it takes a huge effort and they are often very nervous,
many would rather believe they are crazy than believe this.
But to answer how to I know? Well so many have the same indicators of the experience,
unexplained marks and scars on their body, they have several members of the same
family with similar experiences, missing time episodes, and some are traumatised, and
fearful! Many are very emotional about it, and continually question their sanity.
 
Question:
What are your personal beliefs about alien encounters and why do you think they make
contact?
Answer:
My personal philosophy is "We don't know what we don't know!" Socrates is quoted as
saying"Wisdom is knowing how little we know" Well I have learnt that science has not
got all the answers to explaining what reality is, and certainly I have read enough to
know that human beings have a enormous range of experience that doesn't fit the
'third dimensional reality box! Ie Remote viewing, out of body experiences, clairvoyance,
telepathy etc..............non -of this scientifically quantifiable yet! So just because we
cannot quantify this does it mean its not real, we cannot quantify or prove LOVE is real,
but no one denies that exists!
Therefore I say that this whole experience is certainly real in both reality mindsets!

In regards the reasons for Contact, well I think that there are probably a multitude of
them as there are many different beings that are seen, and may have many different
agenda's ....(See Expressions OF ET Contact. a visual Blueprint? A video from
ACERN that show drawings of the beings.............)
But, what their ultimate agenda is no-one can say! But for those who try and say they
are coming to take over the planet, I think they suffer from a limited mindset and
paranoia, as the truth is that if these beings chose to, they could have done that
centuries ago, and haven't so why now?they have the kind of technology that is so in
advance of ours they could do whatever they wanted and what would be the purpose
of accelerating human abilities, increasing psi abilities, healing and multi awareness,
etc.if their ultimate purpose is to destroy us, to me that's illogical!
 
Question:
From what I read of the history of ACERN, it says that the reason you wanted to start
ACERN was because you had counselled a large number of people with encounter
experiences in your counselling practice. Could you just expand that with some more
info...eg: how many, etc.
Answer:
When I got my first client, I had already read about Abduction through Dr John Mack
Book "Abduction" and as he was a psychiatrist and the book was very grounded, I felt
this experience was very credible. I also had read Whitley Striebers Book Communion.
I am a very eclectic reader, so I was at least partially informed of this, and open minded.
When I got my first client and he was so credible it made it even more tangible for me, as
I saw how real it was for him and his family, and how it impacted on their lives. But, at that
time I still believed this was a very unusual and 'rare' occurrence! But from that time, other
people contacted me and said similar things, so after getting several people to see me and
all clearly looking for support I was considering running a support network when I
was approached by the ASPR ( Australasian Society for Psychical Research) UFORUM
group ( of which I was a member) and asked if I would join up with a social worker
(who was also an experiencer) and form a support group.

We did this and advertised in an alternative magazine and 12 individuals turned up.That
was the beginning. Since then word has got out over the years, and after media,
newspaper articles, radio, TV etc...........and lectures here, Nationally and overseas
.......ACERN is becoming well known as an Australian resource, and I have referrals from
ACCET in America for example. But I decided to give it the name ACERN and make
it more credible within the therapeutic community. Through the numbers that reached me
finally it crept up from 50 to 100 until it was several hundreds and now after 7 years over
700 have been in contact with me. What people need to understand is that for everyone
who opens up to their Contact experience, they realise that it is not just them
having it in their family, as its intergenerational and siblings, parents and their own
children may be having it too, so for every one ..maybe 5 others may be involved!
 
Question:
I realise that you have an oath of confidentiality and without breaching that, could
you give me some examples of some of the encounter experiences your clients have had?
Answer:
Look, maybe you would like to read the intro of my book, (refer to "Awakening") which
gives you a classic example in it..........but also mentions less well known examples, if
you need to have more let me know (This is still not fully edited..but will give you a
better idea)