Introduction
The impact of Non-Human Intelligence existence has not been considered from the mental health standpoint in spite that this possibility has been in existence for at least 85 years. Throughout history humans have been used to the idea that they are the only form of higher intelligence in the Universe. For millennia, they have believed that they were “the high point in Creation” given that all other forms of life on Earth were of a lower intelligence level. In historical times, religious beliefs reinforced the idea that “all of Creation was made in humans’ service”. These teachings emphasized that “Man should lord over all other living creatures;” and that “the Earth was the center of the Universe.” Yet, in the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud observed that humans had received “three major blows to their narcissism” (their sense of self-importance) ; and that these blows had shaken up their view of the Universe and of humans’ place in it.
- The first one was the Copernican revolution. This first paradigm shift took place in the mid-16th century and shattered the belief that Earth was the center of the Universe. This realization replaced the geocentric (Ptolemaic) view of the Universe upheld until that time with the heliocentric (Sun-centered) model of the Universe. This sun-centered model of the Universe had been proposed by Copernicus and was later confirmed by Galileo and others. The heliocentric model rules science on Earth to this day.
- The second major blow to humans’ narcissism was dealt by Darwin’s theory of evolution in the mid-19th century. This theory proposed in his book “The Origin of the Species” challenged the belief in creation ex-nihilo by an all-powerful God that cared personally for the human race. Contradicting established beliefs, Darwin’s theory posited that humans were not–a unique and privileged species—but a form of life that had “evolved” from primitive species over millions of years. This theory came to challenge the belief in human exceptionalism. This scientific view stemming from the natural sciences dethroned the place of humans as the pinnacle of creation taught by religion. In this new materialist scenario, the only exceptional characteristic still left for human beings vis-à-vis other forms of life was their ability to reason, i.e., their superior intelligence.
- The third blow to human’s sense of importance was dealt by psychoanalysis at the end of the 19th century. This method of investigation of the mind posited that human behavior is–to a large degree–controlled by unconscious forces. The Unconscious discovered by Freud came to replace the Ego as the “master in his own house” as the main force shaping individual destinies. It is this “Unconscious” that French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, using a linguistic framework, named the “Other “in the mid-20thcentury.
In spite of these narcissistic blows, humans continued to hold on to the belief that they still are the only form of intelligent life in the Universe. This anthropocentric view, however, began to be challenged in the mid-20th century with the advent of the unidentified flying objects (UFO) phenomena. These phenomena brought forth the possibility of the existence of Non-Human Intelligence (NHI) i.e., other forms of intelligent life of extra-terrestrial origin. The realization of this possibility resulted from the advances in astrophysics and astronomy that took place in the course of that century. During the course of the 20th century many other scientific breakthroughs allowed for the development of air and space travel later in that century. By mid-20th century–after astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that nebulae, such as Andromeda, were actual galaxies beyond the Milky Way—humans realized that the cosmos was much bigger than had ever been conceived possible before. The corollary of this realization was that other planets could harbor intelligent life, but this possibility was still officially denied by governments and most established scientists. For decades, and to this date, the notion of NHIEO (Non-Human-Intelligence of Extraterrestrial Origin) remained a taboo topic for governments and scientists. In the case of governments—but particularly for the US government–the UFO issue became a particularly hot topic to handle in the context of the Cold War. For decades, the reluctance of the US government to admit the existence of alien Intelligence was grounded on a number of practical reasons. The fear that these UFOs might belong to an enemy nation–and that the public would panic if their existence was admitted as real–were the main driving factors to keep this information above top secret classification. On the other hand–and from a scientific standpoint–the objections to the existence of NHIEO were based on the immensity of interstellar distances alien intelligence had to travel to make it to Earth from extra-solar planets. This physical impossibility resided on the limits imposed on space travel by the universal speed limit dictated by Einstein’s relativity theories: the speed of light.
In the mid-20th century–and coinciding with the possibility of the existence of NHI of extraterrestrial origin—with the development of computers, a new conception of non-human intelligence became possible. Just like extraterrestrial intelligence, this idea appeared first in science fiction and, as years went by, entered factual science. In the 1950s a host of new developments in the area of robotics, cybernetics, and Artificial intelligence became fields of active scientific research. The advances in these fields would materialize half a century later as the realities of the 21st century in which we now face the existence of “Others of non-human origin”. This other form of Non Human Intelligence (NHI) will be the topic of Part II of this post.
The arrival of Non-Human-intelligence of Extraterrestrial Origin in the 21st century: A new paradigm of Being
For decades, the existence of planets circling stars other than the sun was controversial. Even as late as the early 1990s, there was no evidence of the existence of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). In 1994, it was discovered that other stars harbor exo-planets and planetary systems like our own. Thanks to a number of synchronic breakthroughs in multiple fields of science, this area of study developed rapidly in the last five decades originating “the cybernetic revolution”. Because of the advances in cybernetics and astrophysics, we find that thirty years later–at the time of this writing in March 2025–the number of exoplanets detected are around 5,856 with 4,368 planetary systems and 984 systems having more than one planet. At this time, there are another 10 thousand candidate exoplanets under review and scores of new exoplanets are now discovered on a monthly basis with one apparently harboring the signature of the existence of potential life!
The renewed interest in UFOS and extraplanetary NHI in the 21st century
Since 2017, there has been an increased awareness of the UFO phenomena in the United States. This interest has been catalyzed by the release of US navy footage of UFOS and the reports by navy pilots of their existence that were leaked to the press. This information went public that year when the New York Times ran an article on this matter that year and the videos were made public. In the same vein, in the 2020’s–and for the first time in history–the American government admitted that UFOS (now called Unidentified Air Phenomena [UAPs]) are “real”. After a staunch denial of 50 years–and as a result of government whistle blowers coming forward–US congress held hearings regarding this matter in 2023 and 2024. These historic UFO hearings revealed a strong interest in the American public and in US legislators to get to the bottom of the truth about the existence of UFOS. And with this, the possibility that they will reveal the existence of non-human intelligence of extraterrestrial origin (NHIEO) visiting Earth.
If a percentage of UFOs are indeed extraterrestrial crafts operating under intelligent control (and that seems to be the case based on current evidence) humans are now confronted–for the first time in history–with dealing de facto with higher intelligence that is not human. This historical event represents “the Fourth Blow to Humans’ Narcissism”. This is so as the last trait left that made humans still feel superior and different from all other species–intelligence–is no longer unique to our species. This situation gives rise to the existence of a new “Other.” One that we cannot yet comprehend, but that we will have to reckon with in the upcoming years. Especially, this will be the case, if as a result of this US government’s movement towards “disclosure,” we have to accept that—not only we “are not alone” in the Universe–but that intelligent beings (or vehicles) are visiting our planet and have been doing it for years. The lingering problem in this regard is the enigma of the intentions of this Other NHIEO that remain unknown.
The impact of the realization of extraterrestrial NHI existence on mental health
The impact on humans mental health of this realization can hardly be predicted at this time. Confronted with the enigma of “the Desire of this new extraterrestrial Other,” the reactions from human subjects can range from anxiety, to fear, to panic. Official disclosure may lead to situations of mass hysteria, to the upheaval of religious beliefs, and/or to a new form of spiritual awakening. Moreover, other forms of social unrest may result from this worldview shattering revelation. This knowledge could lead to rioting and chaos for fear of invasion and/or end-of the world expectations. Even though these fears are to some extent justified, it is possible that the public is today much better prepared mentally to accept this new reality than the preceding generations in the 20th century. All we can say about this situation at this point in time is that this “disclosure”–if it ever become official and final–will have a profound, traumatic–and revolutionary effect–on people’s minds. These mental and social effects are all within possibility if the existence of extraterrestrial NHI happens to be the new reality humans are confronted with in the 21st century.
Things to ponder about the effects on mental health of these new psycho-social realities
The situation created by the appearance of non-human intelligence is unprecedented in history but appears inevitable. Therefore, there are no guide posts from the past to fully gauge the impact of these unprecedented realities on the human psyche. It is clear, however, that we are now on the threshold of a new Age that is radically different from the two previous scientific revolutions on people’s lives. In this new era, we will have to get used to the idea that we will share our world with other forms of intelligence imbued with wills of their own. The difference this time around is that these extra-planetary intelligences may not be based on biology as humans are, which determines certain inherent limitations. These entities may be unlimited, non-human–biological or non-biological–and therefore incomprehensible for humans, if they prove their existence. The question is, what will be the Desire of these Other alien intelligences be regarding humans?
Further posts on this topic are coming up. If you found this post interested let us know by giving it a like and subscribing to the blog