How does a person make sense of their life when things begin to go bad? Editors George Howard and Edward Delgado-Romero posed this question to several psychologists, counselors, and therapists, to have them talk about a time in their lives when things began to go bad. When Things Begin to Go Bad presents thirteen personal narratives focused on hope-rather than despair and darkness-and deals with issues including health problems, racism, homophobia, disability, dysfunction, and death. The hope generated by these stories provides a realistic and mature trust that there is something to be learned when dealing with difficult issues. These inspiring stories provide fresh insight into how people can make sense of difficulties through the writing of personal narratives. The stories included in this volume have an application for psychological treatment and research, and represent a chance for people to relate their stories to those of others.

The power of imagination, group psychology, and the concept of "fantasy prone personalities," are explored by Bartholomew and Howard as they probe the history of how UFO stories are spread. The impact of "collective delusion" enhanced by the media can be dangerous, leaving great pain and tragedy in its wake. Included are detailed descriptions of the United States airship flap of 1896-97; the imaginary sightings of Thomas Edison's "electric star" of the late 1800s; Canada's phantom balloon wave of 1896-97; the New Zealand zeppelin scare of 1909; the British UFO panic of 1912-13; phantom German air raids and spy missions over Canada, New York, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Africa during World War I; Sweden's ghost rocket crisis of 1946. These are all reports of UFOs before the famed Roswell incident and the emergence of flying saucers since 1947.
The authors examine collective behavior, fallible human perception, deviance, religion, popular culture, history, the role of the media, and relationships to the paranormal. From alien contact with humans to well-organized cults, UFOs and Alien Contact is gripping, humorous, and at times horrifying.