As much I hate to admit it, I have a reputation for being the proverbial people pleaser. Well, at least I used to.

Strange as it may sound, (and perhaps to the glee of many in the UFO/UAP community), the “doormat” aspect of my personality was finally put to rest in my forties after a lengthy encounter with a large, luminous, white orb. That’s right. A fifty-minute close encounter with a plasma-like ball of white light was able to accomplish that which I was unable to. It strengthened me by helping me to alter unhealthy and deeply ingrained patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.

Looking back, it’s a little embarrassing to admit that I used to live my life as a people pleaser, however, such an outcome is hardly a surprise. After all, as a youngster I witnessed several domestic violence incidents at the hands of a raging alcoholic. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can still hear the screams, the slamming of vodka bottles and the slumping of my mother’s body onto the floor at the hands of my father. To this day, I love both of my parents and mean no disrespect by discussing these issues in the public domain. (May my dad rest in peace.) The reason I’m doing this is to reach others with similar backgrounds. Maybe some of what I’m sharing here will help at least one other person. With any luck, it’ll help more.

The fact of the matter is, as a kid, I learned to keep my mouth shut as a result of everything I saw and heard at home. I watched, listened and soaked in everything like a sponge, but for the longest time, I said nothing at school about the atrocities at home. By watching my parents’ emotional unavailability and dysfunctional interactions, I also learned that I wasn’t worthy of love and that I must never outshine someone else, especially if they suffered from a fragile ego or chemical dependency. Equally impactful was how I learned to shy away from standing up for myself, even if a kid on the playground bullied me. (It took me weeks to months to correct such behavior from another child.)

Later, because I was an empathetic person, my popularity increased in Florida where I attended high school. Any counselor would say that such outcomes are predictable when someone grows up in a family ravaged by mental illness, domestic violence and addiction. Those who are most fortunate make many friends at school, as this creates a safe space away from home. Those who are less fortunate suffer worse outcomes.

As it turned out, thanks to my friends, a couple of caring adults and some help from above, I was able to beat the odds of becoming an alcoholic myself. As an adult, I sought help for depression and anxiety. I married and had a child. (Not to brag, but to this day I pride myself on being a very good parent despite having little to model my behavior from.) I graduated from college and went on for additional training in massage therapy. I also owned two nanotechnology start-ups and founded Alien Experiencers Network. But there’s a lot more to my story than meets the eye.

After I grew up and left home, I figured out that, unlike my mom, I could make reasoned arguments on important topics – but only ever so gently. The thing is, if someone said “no” to a particular idea, then it was NO. Period. Hard as I tried, I just couldn’t quite make it over the hurdle of defending the logic, experience, expertise and intuition behind my viewpoint, though heaven knows I wanted to. I’d push for what I knew with every fiber of my being was right - but only so hard. Then I’d back away, like the good, placating person I’d been trained to be. With my doormat behavior now firmly in place, I ended up negatively impacting my emotional and physical health. Eventually, I put my financial future at risk as well.

The years ticked by, and my doormat status extended to include life beyond my own family’s home. Need someone to work lots of extra hours for free? I was your gal. Need someone to tiptoe around Person X, Y or Z’s ridiculous, narcissistic behavior? I was definitely your gal. To my chagrin, for nearly three decades, there was seemingly no end to what I would do to please others. As a result, I smiled on the outside, but inside I was furious. Ironically, I was desperate not to repeat the mistakes of my parents, yet despite my best efforts, I often found myself behaving similarly to them.

To be clear, there was no physical violence in my adult home, and for that, I was extremely thankful. But there wasn’t a strong marital connection, either. How could there be when I kept my most authentic thoughts and feelings squirreled away? And so it was, several years into my marriage (which looked good on paper), that I had effectively become the queen of codependence. This meant that I endured a heck of a lot of tiptoeing around lots of different people – until that orb showed up.

However people choose to label these mysterious balls of light - UFOs, UAPs, angels, foo fighters or light beings - I can tell you without a doubt that it had an intelligence to it. It was loving, kind, gentle and wise. Admittedly, it took me awhile to get over my initial fear, but approximately fifteen minutes into our close encounter, I realized Mr. Orb wasn’t there to harm me. That's when my fear morphed into total, complete and utter fascination.

Today, as I look back on that “alien experience”, I believe the orb visited to remind me that there is more to life than feeling afraid, angry and trapped by other people’s expectations. It reminded me that I am worthy of genuine affection. It prodded me to shine brightly and not to allow those who do not have my best interests at heart to hold me back from achieving my personal best. It also forced me to recognize that I needed to take responsibility for myself because I am stronger, smarter and braver than I ever gave myself credit for being. As it turned out, by ruminating on the negative, I had forgotten that I had repeatedly demonstrated adaptability, intelligence, temperance, justice and wisdom in between the instances where I had allowed people to walk all over me. I believe that orb recognized that I had reached a point in my life where I needed someone outside my sphere of influence to highlight these lessons.

Eventually I came to the realization that, in its own unique ways (which were sometimes harsh after our initial meeting), the orb had given me the courage to let go of toxic familiarity. This allowed me to flourish while establishing Alien Experiencers Network, which in turn helped others to grow as a result of their own alien experiences. Perhaps most of all, through its initiation by way of an amazing spiritual awakening, the orb reminded me that I am a child of God/the universe/nature, and as such, I am connected to everything. Coming to this realization was something more beautiful, magnificent and awe-inspiring than I had ever imagined.

So it is, after a lifetime of anomalous experiences, and a tremendous amount of prayerful contemplation, that I have officially decided to establish a You Tube channel in 2023. My goal is to regularly engage the public on what is arguably one of the most important topics of our time: the spiritually transformative nature of ET, UAP/UFO, and paranormal/supernatural experiences. There’s a lot to this topic. It covers not only the physical and psychological impacts of contact and close encounters, it also addresses the changes to the trajectory of an individual’s personal and spiritual development (a HUGE topic). Additionally, I will present how ET technology interacts with the human energy system, what a transhumanist future may look like, the impacts of government reluctance to fully disclose the truth, soul walk-ins, genetic manipulation and much more. Nearly every aspect of this overarching topic impacts each of us spiritually, emotionally and intellectually - even if it's one person at a time, as in cases of individual close encounters and direct contact. Then again, these private contacts are often shared with at least one other person, which at a minimum, doubles their impact. Talk about a grass roots movement!

Please know that I consider my work in this field to be an honor and a privilege. I would also like to state that I am approaching this project with a humble and truth-seeking heart, because while I believe that humankind’s future presently lies in the balance, with any luck, one day soon it’ll lie among the stars.

Stay tuned, more information will follow in early 2023…

Wishing you love and light,
Donna M. Atwood

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Donna M. Atwood, founder of ALIEN EXPERIENCERS NETWORK is also an American writer of suspenseful paranormal and science fiction as well as non-fiction. In fiction, she draws upon her B.A. in psychology to develop flawed and complex characters, while her background as a nanotechnology start-up owner serves as the foundation for her sci-fi's exciting, futuristic technologies. In addition, as a trained massage therapist and ET/UAP/paranormal experiencer, she is comfortable exploring some of the more esoteric aspects of the human condition. Donna M. Atwood is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the American Massage Therapy Association, the New York Writers Association and Rave Reviews Book Club. Additionally, she proudly supports the Phoenix, Arizona chapter of the Mutual UFO Network. Currently, Ms. Atwood resides in Tucson, Arizona where, when not working, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, including her granddog, Luna. She has also been sighted around Sedona, Arizona where she partakes of its vibrant arts community, New Age shops, and world-class hiking. But more than anything else, when it comes to her work, Ms. Atwood loves connecting with other experiencers around the world. She believes there is nothing more important than sharing contact experiences and learning from and supporting one another.

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 For those of you wondering if you might be a starseed (a highly evolved soul whose origin is from the stars or a higher dimension), here are fifteen signs for you to consider:

1. As a child, you didn't quite fit in. You sensed/understood things most other kids never even thought about. This made it hard for them to relate to you and vice-versa. 

2. Deep down, you have a desire to go "home" and understand that your place of origin is off-planet.

3. Since childhood, you've had strong psychic and paranormal experiences. (Dreaming into the future, seeing UFOs, contact with aliens, seeing spirits.)

4. To say you're highly sensitive is an understatement.

5. You know you're here for a really important reason, even if you're not yet sure what your mission might be.

6. You're highly empathetic.

7. Others see your inner, Divine light and may comment that you almost glow.

8. You feel your inner, Divine light radiate outward and strive to use it for the greater good.

9. There's a timeless quality to you. You believe values matter. Ethics are highly important to you.

10. You care about people and are deeply connected to nature, animals and the universe.

11. As an adult, you don't completely fit in. Others may view you as a bit different, even though they consider you to be a nice person.

12. You may not relate very well to your family. They may feel so different from you that you've wondered on and off (especially as a child) if you were adopted.

13. You are instantly cognizant of the energy of others, be it positive or negative.

14. You are gifted, psychically-speaking. You are able to energy-heal or channel with relative ease.

15. Somehow you know or suspect you are a starseed who has been placed upon this planet to help aid in humankind's ascension.

It is my sincere hope that you have found this post to be helpful. Please feel free to share your starseed-like experiences here. I'd love to hear from you! 

Blessings and best wishes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

D. M. Atwood is an American writer of suspenseful science fiction, paranormal and horror. She draws upon her B. A. in psychology to develop flawed and complex characters while her background as a nanotechnology start-up owner serves as the foundation for her sci-fi's exciting, futuristic technologies. In addition, as a trained massage therapist and ET/UFO experiencer, she is comfortable exploring some of the more esoteric aspects of the human condition. D.M. Atwood currently resides in Arizona.

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