heroic death.
Yet another, more modern, version of time distortion occurs in stories (whether true or not) of alien abductions. These are often frightening experiences, though sometimes the aliens encountered are friendly. In many cases, a common feature is that when the person is fortunate enough to be returned to earth, a distortion of time has occurred. As with faerie stories, this time distortion can go either way -even much more or much less time has passed than the “victim” believed.
We can, of course, simply categorize all of these tales as just that -tales, based on superstition, imagination or just plain fabrication, perhaps with alcohol or drugs thrown in the mix. However, when we consider the enormous number of such tales that are similar in so many respects, we might just as likely consider that there may be something to them. Could there not be a myriad of realities, some of which, under certain conditions, overlap with our own?
Shamans have traditionally believed something similar. Shamanic journeying involves visits to other realities and interacting with spirits and beings who reside there. Another aspect of shamanism is the belief that the dream world is just as real as the waking world, and that we are actually “journeying” to these Otherworlds when dreaming. That is why we often encounter people in dreams who are deceased in “real life.”
It would be difficult, probably impossible, to prove in a rationalistic way that any of these tales or experiences represent actual shifts in reality or visits to Otherworlds. Those interested in pursuing this possibility, however, might do well to study folklore alongside some modern theories of philosophy and physics and consider