uNHIdden sets out Protocol for supporting ‘experiencers’ and people affected by ontological shock

uNHidden held a meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine on 16th July to bring together health providers, professional bodies and other mental health charities to explore how to support ‘experiencers’ and mitigate ontological shock.  It was agreed that a public health model was appropriate, based around three layers: 1. primary prevention for the well population; 2. secondary prevention for people at risk of a health problem; and 3. tertiary prevention for people with a health problem.

We held a further meeting on 8th October at which our Protocol for how this public health approach might be developed was discussed with attendees.  It was agreed that this should be circulated more widely – to seek comments and suggestions – and we are pleased to be publishing it today.  In particular, there are seven research projects that we have identified to help turn the Protocol into something that is more robust and underpinned by academic rigour and data.

We note that, in January 2010, the Royal Society held a two-day Discussion Meeting considered the detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society.  It noted that, “should it turn out that we are not alone in the Universe, it will fundamentally affect how humanity understands itself.”  The findings were written up in a paper, Dominik and Zarnecki (2011) [1], which stated:

 “If extra-terrestrial life happens to be detected, a coordinated response that takes into account all the related sensitivities should already be in place.”

uNHidden’s challenge to governments is, more than 14 years on – where it that co-ordinated response?

[1] Dominik, M., & Zarnecki, J, ‘The detection of extraterrestrial life and the consequences for science and society’, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 13th February 2011. Available at: The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org)