Close Encounter Club

There’s a claim that if you smoke DMT and look into a diffracted laser… you can see the code of reality.Some swear it’s real. Others call it bullsh*t.So we tested it.In this episode, Josh takes DMT on camera and describes everything he experiences in real time—from preparation and Wim Hof breathing to his first trip… and finally, the moment he looks into the laser.What he sees is unexpected: cascading red pixels, layered depth, and massive geometric structures that seem to exist beyond the surface of the wall. Using AI, we recreate the experience to help visualize it.We also sit down with Danny Goler before and after the experiment—guiding the process, breaking down what happened, and discussing how to deal with the ontological shock that can follow.Was it just perception… or something more?

Is there new evidence that supports Bob Lazar’s story?In this episode of Close Encounter Club, we sit down with Luigi Vendittelli, director of S4: The Bob Lazar Story, to discuss his four-and-a-half-year journey working directly with Bob Lazar and bringing this story to life.Luigi shares what it was like gaining Bob’s trust, recreating the S4 facility in extreme detail based on Lazar’s memory, and the process of building a documentary that explores one of the most debated stories in UFO history. He also discusses a piece of evidence he believes supports a specific claim Lazar made in 1989.We also explore:The challenges of recreating S4 and the craftWhat Bob Lazar is like beyond the headlinesHow Luigi’s perspective evolved over timeThe psychological impact of engaging with this topicWhy this story still resonates todayWhether you’re skeptical or open-minded, this conversation offers a deeper look into the human side of Bob Lazar and the ongoing questions surrounding his story.Luigi’s documentary, S4: The Bob Lazar Story, releases on Amazon Prime Video on April 3rd.Listen to Close Encounter Club on all platforms.https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub

What would you do if you stood beneath something you couldn’t explain… for 30 minutes?In this episode of Close Encounter Club, an anonymous witness shares one of the most detailed and unsettling encounters I’ve ever heard.In the summer of 1982, deep in a remote forest in upstate New York, two college students found themselves standing beneath a silent, hovering object. No sound. No movement. Just… there.But what makes this story truly disturbing isn’t just what happened during the encounter.It’s what happened after.From psychological effects to unexplained physical changes, this is a case that continues to raise more questions than answers.This is not a story about belief. It’s a story about experience.📘 Read the full account here: The Orb Incident: https://a.co/d/04Ws4fYn🎧 Listen to Close Encounter Club on all platforms🔗 https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub#ufo #uap #alienencounter #highstrangeness #unexplained #paranormal #ufocommunity #podcast #closeencounterclub #mystery

Is empathy simply the ability to understand another person’s emotions… or could it represent something far more mysterious?In this episode of Close Encounter Club, we explore the neuroscience of empathy and the controversial question of whether empathy might resemble a form of emotional telepathy.Modern research has revealed that when two people share an emotional experience, their brains can sometimes begin to synchronize. Using brain imaging and hyperscanning techniques, neuroscientists have observed moments where neural activity aligns between individuals during touch, conversation, and shared emotion. These discoveries raise profound questions about how human minds communicate.We examine the science behind empathy, including how different regions of the brain — such as the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and temporoparietal junction — contribute to emotional understanding and affective resonance. We also explore fascinating research showing how empathy can actually reduce physical pain, including studies where partners’ brain activity becomes synchronized during moments of distress.From brain-to-brain coupling and hyperscanning studies to controversial telepathy experiments such as the Ganzfeld protocol, this episode explores the boundary between established neuroscience and unexplained phenomena.Could empathy simply be the brain’s ability to read subtle signals from others?Or might it hint at a deeper form of human connection that science has only begun to understand?Topics explored in this episode include:• The neuroscience of empathy• Cognitive vs. affective empathy• Brain-to-brain synchronization and hyperscanning• How empathy can reduce pain in others• Telepathy experiments and the Ganzfeld protocol• Consciousness and the possibility of shared mental statesWhether you approach this topic with skepticism or curiosity, this conversation explores one of the most intriguing questions in neuroscience and consciousness research: how deeply connected are human minds?

Three people were sitting at a dinner table when they noticed an elderly man walking slowly through their backyard.He looked completely normal.He didn’t react to them.He didn’t seem lost or confused.Concerned, one of them went outside to help him.When she reached out to touch his shoulder, he vanished instantly.What followed that night made the experience even harder to explain. Lights turning on by themselves, the sound of luggage being pulled through the house, and a bathroom flooded with no source of water.In this episode of Close Encounter Club, we hear a firsthand account of an encounter that challenges our understanding of reality, perception, and what it means when something impossible behaves like it belongs.This is the story of The Vanishing Man.👉 Follow Close Encounter Club, share this episode with someone curious, and continue the conversation.https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub

What if something showed up in the sky… and it shouldn’t have been there?In this episode of Close Encounter Club, we analyze real footage captured by Justin during a strange aerial sighting now known as The Henry Tic Tac UFO Incident.The object moves steadily across the sky.No wings.No visible propulsion.No obvious explanation.Together, we walk through what was seen, what wasn’t seen, and why this case sits in that uncomfortable gray zone between mundane and anomalous.We examine the footage, discuss known aircraft behavior, explore possible explanations, and confront the hardest part of all: staying grounded when something simply does not make sense.This episode isn’t about jumping to conclusions.It’s about asking better questions.Was it a balloon?A drone?A misidentified aircraft?Or something else entirely?You decide.🎧 Listen to the full episode of Close Encounter Club wherever you get your podcasts.👕 Support the show and grab exclusive CEC merch from Reverie Tees:https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftedbyReverie?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=4433946388&from_page=listingUse code CLOSEENCOUNTER for 5% off your order.If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about UFOs, consciousness, and unexplained experiences, consider subscribing and joining the club.https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub

In this episode of *Close Encounter Club*, Justin and Josh are joined by Danny Goler, an independent researcher and creator behind *Code of Reality*, whose work explores perception, consciousness, and informational structure through experimentation and long-form inquiry.The conversation examines why statements about history, spirituality, and meaning are often misinterpreted as belief claims, and how collapsing those categories can shut down productive discussion. Danny explains why acknowledging something as “real” does not automatically imply faith, doctrine, or religious identity, but instead raises deeper questions about how humans assign meaning to experiences across cultures and time.This episode also dives into the DMT laser phenomenon, the idea of informational structure underlying reality, and why some experiences resist easy classification within existing scientific and philosophical models.Rather than offering conclusions, the discussion focuses on the gaps. Where language fails, where categories break down, and where curiosity should begin instead of certainty.More from Danny GolerWebsite: https://codeofreality.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DanGoThoughtsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannygoler👉 Follow Close Encounter Club, share this episode with someone curious, and continue the conversation.https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub

In this episode of Close Encounter Club, Justin and Josh speak with Fred Roehl, an Alaska Native subsistence hunter and founder of Subarctic Alaska Sasquatch, about one of the most intense wilderness encounters ever shared on the show.What began as a gold expedition in remote Alaska escalated into a prolonged and terrifying ordeal involving multiple unknown beings Fred refers to as the “hairy man.” Over the course of a single night, Fred and his family experienced coordinated rock throwing, close-range encounters, and a moment where he realized he was no longer a hunter, but prey.This episode explores the encounter itself, the cultural oral history surrounding similar beings, and the long-term psychological impact of surviving something that does not fit neatly into known wildlife behavior. We also pause to examine broader patterns found in other high-strangeness encounters, without rushing to conclusions.Listener discretion is advised. This episode contains intense descriptions of fear, trauma, and life-threatening situations.Fred Roehl is the founder of Subarctic Alaska Sasquatch, where he documents encounters, oral history, and research related to unexplained wilderness phenomena in Alaska.Subscribe to Fred’s YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCcCU9zeM05A1pLz3DxQPIWw Subarctic Alaska Sasquatch Website:https://subarticalaskasasquatch.com🎧 Follow CEC on all social media outlets🔗 https://linktr.ee/closeencounterclub

What happens when a scientist known for his precision and skepticism has a paranormal experience he can’t explain? In EP 21: The Physicist Who Saw a Ghost, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Dr. Melvin Vopson, a theoretical physicist whose groundbreaking research on the Mass–Energy–Information Equivalence Principle suggests that information has mass — and could be the missing link between energy, matter, and consciousness itself. But before diving into his work, Dr. Vopson shares a story that left even him questioning the limits of science: a firsthand ghost encounter that defies logical explanation. What begins as a conversation about data, energy, and the nature of reality quickly turns into a profound exploration of the intersection between physics and the paranormal. Dr. Vopson opens up about how this haunting experience reshaped his understanding of consciousness, the afterlife, and the possibility that the universe itself is an intelligent information system. In this episode, you’ll hear how a rational scientist came face-to-face with the unexplained, why his research could bridge the gap between ghosts, physics, and digital reality, and how information might be the true essence of existence. This is one of the most mind-bending and human conversations ever recorded on Close Encounter Club — where science meets the supernatural. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree

Dr. Jeff Meldrum (1958–2025) was one of the world’s leading experts on Sasquatch, footprints, and human evolution. As a professor of anatomy and anthropology, he brought scientific rigor to a mystery often dismissed by mainstream science — the search for Bigfoot. In this exclusive conversation, Dr. Meldrum discusses the evidence for Sasquatch, including footprint casts, the Patterson-Gimlin film, and the mysterious Sierra Sounds. He explains how the mid-tarsal break in the foot could separate Sasquatch from humans, why bones may never be found, and how drones, DNA, and even AI could change the future of Bigfoot research. This was one of Dr. Meldrum’s final recorded interviews before his passing on September 11, 2025. His legacy as “the Sasquatch scientist” continues to inspire researchers and believers around the world. Was Bigfoot simply myth and folklore, or is there enough evidence to suggest something real is still walking the forests of North America? Join Justin as he honors Dr. Meldrum’s work, reflects on how this conversation changed his own perspective, and pays tribute to a man who followed the evidence wherever it led. 🎧 Listen, Follow, and Explore: CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube 🌲 Explore Dr. Meldrum’s Work: Relict Hominoid Inquiry

At a Fleetwood Mac tribute concert in Palm Springs, Keston and Andrea witnessed something impossible: the band slowed, their bodies slumped, and for a few surreal seconds it felt like time itself froze. Even stranger—the moment was captured on video, complete with a bizarre audio anomaly. In this episode of Close Encounter Club, we unpack their story and explore what might explain it: 👁 Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and how the brain can warp time 🧗 Albert Heim’s near-death fall and extreme time dilation Was it psychology, neurology… or a true break in reality? 🔎 Listen now and decide for yourself. CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube

A peaceful cabin retreat should have been the perfect family getaway — until it wasn't. In this chilling firsthand account, Robert Maxwell from the Cabin in the Woods YouTube channel describes the unnerving sequence of events that unfolded deep in the woods, including a rock thrown toward his daughter. Was it a curious animal, a calculated warning, or proof of something far more mysterious? Join Justin and Josh as they piece together Robert’s harrowing family vacation, analyze the possibilities, and confront the question: could Sasquatch really be watching from the shadows? 🎙️ Listen, Follow, and Explore: CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube 🌲 Robert Maxwell Links: Cabin in the Woods YouTube

A former Marine is sent to a secret radar site on Eglin Air Force Base… and discovers they're tracking something far more mysterious than enemy aircraft. In this episode, William Ray Carter reveals what happened inside Site C-6 — a massive radar installation hidden in plain sight. What he saw, what he overheard, and what no one will officially confirm… until now. 🔍 Are we really alone? Or has the military been watching something they won’t admit exists? 🎙️ Listen, Follow, and Explore: CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube

What happens when a lifelong skeptic, a science communicator, and an astrophysicist sees something in the sky he can’t explain? In this episode, we step back from the eerie and the unexplainable… and zoom all the way out. To galaxies, black holes, and the limits of what we think we know. We talk with Ethan Siegel about the moment that shook his worldview—and what it really means to stay grounded in science while keeping your mind open to the unknown. Whether you're here for the mystery or the math… this one will rewire your brain. 🎙️ Listen, Follow, and Explore: CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube 💥 Ethan Siegel Links: 🎧 Starts With A Bang (Spotify) 🧠 Starts With A Bang Blog 🧬 Support Ethan on Patreon 📖 Infinite Cosmos: Visions From The James Webb Space Telescope 👧 The Littlest Girl Goes Inside An Atom (Children’s Book)

What does an unexplained encounter sound like from the outside looking in? In this Close Encounter Club bonus episode, host Justin Gearheart sits down with Ryan, husband of Jennifer Jones, to hear his first-hand account of the chilling night his family experienced what they came to call “The Breathing.” From his bedroom, Ryan was pulled into the experience when Jennifer and their son heard something outside the second-story window — a deep, metallic, labored breathing unlike anything he had ever encountered. He recalls the sound in vivid detail: slow, powerful, mechanical yet organic, and so close it felt pressed against the wall of their house. The moment he pulled back the curtains, the breathing stopped. Ryan shares his honest, skeptical perspective: weighing possible rational explanations, ruling out machinery or neighbors, and grappling with the eerie fact that there were no vibrations despite the sheer volume of the sound. He also reflects on the connection between this strange event and Jennifer’s sudden, unexplained recovery from years of debilitating back pain — something he admits defies explanation. This conversation offers a grounded, outsider’s view of an encounter that challenges logic and raises unsettling questions about what might be lurking just beyond our perception. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.  

What if a mysterious sound in the night could change your life forever? In this episode of the Close Encounter Club, host Justin Gearheart sits down with Jennifer Jones of Knoxville, Tennessee, who experienced one of the most chilling and transformative encounters we’ve ever covered. It began with an unexplainable sound outside her second-story window — a deep, mechanical-yet-organic breathing that filled her entire room. Days later, something even stranger happened: Jennifer’s decades of chronic spinal pain vanished completely. Backed by years of documented medical records, MRIs, and neurology visits, Jennifer’s story raises profound questions. Was this a case of spontaneous healing, or could it have been an extraterrestrial intervention? During a QHHT (Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique) session, Jennifer recalled the presence of Arcturian beings, said to be advanced extraterrestrials known for healing and guiding humanity. In this episode, you’ll hear: Jennifer’s medical history and the severity of her back pain. The night she and her family heard “The Breathing.” How her pain disappeared overnight after the encounter. Insights from her QHHT session and connection to the Arcturians. Commentary from Scully, our AI researcher, exploring scientific and psychological explanations. This isn’t just a UFO story. It’s about healing, consciousness, and the unexplained mysteries that push us to rethink reality itself. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a friend who loves the paranormal, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

Courtney has been seeing ghosts for as long as she can remember. At first, she kept it to herself—unsure if anyone would believe her. But after opening up, she realized this ability wasn’t just hers alone. It ran deep in the family. What began as a secret became a calling. She started Jaunty Haunts, a podcast where ghost stories are shared with humor, honesty, and just the right amount of spookiness. Now she’s built a community for people who’ve experienced the unexplainable and don’t want to feel so alone anymore. In this special crossover, Courtney joins Justin and Josh to talk about hauntings, family secrets, and why making space for joy and weirdness might be the best way to navigate the paranormal. Got a story to share? Email us at [email protected] 🎧 Follow Close Encounter Club for firsthand experiencer stories and expert insights into the unknown. Listen to the Jaunty Haunts Podcast CEC Instagram CEC TikTok CEC YouTube  

Some nights unfold like scenes from a horror movie. In EP13: That One Night, host Justin Gearheart sits down with Annie, who shares a terrifying childhood memory that has haunted her for years. What began as two kids heading outside to grab a DVD turned into a night of pure fear — an old powder-blue pickup truck, flashing headlights in the dark, and a sudden eruption of car alarms from every vehicle in the lot. The most chilling part? Annie and her friend remember it vividly, but the adults upstairs — just a few feet away — heard nothing. No alarms. No chaos. Nothing at all. This episode marks the first appearance of Scully, our AI researcher built to keep Close Encounter Club grounded, skeptical, and scientific. Together, Justin and Scully break down the events, explore possible explanations — from electromagnetic interference to altered perception — and ask the questions that matter: What really happened that night? Was it human, paranormal, or something we don’t yet understand? If you’re fascinated by paranormal encounters, UFO phenomena, unexplained mysteries, or consciousness research, this is a story that will stay with you long after you finish listening. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

What if contact with extraterrestrials wasn’t a single moment — but a lifelong relationship? In EP12: The Night Family, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Reddit experiencer ForbiddenSnackie, who has shared her extraordinary story with rare openness and detail. From early childhood drawings of purple aliens with suction-cup fingers to vivid onboard memories of telepathic star navigation games, Snackie’s story reveals a reality where encounters aren’t isolated events — they are part of an ongoing connection. Raised in a Mormon household, Snacky grew up with both spiritual and paranormal frameworks that shaped her understanding of what was happening. Over time, she uncovered memories of being aboard craft, interacting with beings she calls her “night family,” and even learning directly from them through consciousness-based teaching tools. These encounters blurred the line between dream, memory, and lived experience, echoing the themes we’ve heard in other Close Encounter Club episodes — yet with a uniquely human depth. In this episode, you’ll hear: Childhood encounters, drawings, and early memories of aliens. How her family sometimes experienced these events together — and sometimes forgot them. Inside-the-ship experiences, from organic architecture to telepathic technology. Snackie’s reflections on consciousness, time, and the afterlife as explained by the beings. How she reconciles lifelong encounters with skepticism, memory gaps, and the challenges of sharing her story. This is one of the most detailed and personal alien contact stories ever shared on Close Encounter Club. It raises not only questions about UFOs and abduction, but also about consciousness, memory, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a friend who’s fascinated by the unknown, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

Can past life regression unlock healing, reveal hidden traumas, and even connect us to lifetimes lived beyond Earth? In EP 11: Steve Burgess – Past Life Regression, Healing & Consciousness, host Justin Gearheart speaks with world-renowned hypnotherapist Steve Burgess, who has guided more than 15,000 sessions of regression therapy. With decades of experience and books like The Power of Past Life Regression and Adventures of a Hypnotherapist, Burgess shares remarkable stories of clients who uncovered ancestral trauma, revisited ancient lifetimes, and even explored memories of other worlds. From healing chronic pain and depression through regression therapy to cases of clients recalling detailed historical events they couldn’t have known, Steve reveals how revisiting locked-in emotions can transform lives. He also opens up about cutting-edge work in surrogate regression (healing one person or even animals by working with another) and what happens when clients regress into lifetimes as extraterrestrials. In this episode, you’ll hear: What hypnosis really is — and what it isn’t. How past life regression differs from standard hypnotherapy. Powerful client stories of healing depression, migraines, phobias, and chronic pain. Cases where regression revealed past lives as historical figures or even star beings. How regression therapy connects to consciousness, meditation, and spiritual awakening. Whether you approach with skepticism or curiosity, Steve’s insights challenge conventional ideas about memory, trauma, and reality itself. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

A quiet night at an Australian golf resort turned into one of the most astonishing UFO encounters we’ve ever covered. In EP 10: The Wyong UFO Incident, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Clark Watson about a sighting that began as a distant flashing light over the coast and escalated into aerial “orbs” accelerating and chasing each other with impossible agility—then forming a rotating “wheel of light.” Moments later, a vast, organic-looking triangular craft hovered silently above the hotel, moving like a second hand across the sky. Afterward came the strangest twist: missing time and disappearing videos that should have captured the triangle. Clark—now a field investigator with MUFON Australia—walks us through every detail: the irregular strobing, the darting movements that left light trails, the spoke-like wheel pattern, the texture and concave edges of the triangle, the overwhelming “ontological shock,” and the realization that raw phone footage rarely matches what witnesses perceive. We also explore why oceans might be hotspots, how consciousness could shape what we observe, and why disclosure without mental-health scaffolding could do more harm than good. If you’re drawn to UFO sightings, alien encounters, paranormal phenomena, consciousness research, and unexplained mysteries, this episode delivers a rare combination of vivid testimony, on-the-scene video context, and hard questions about reality itself. 👉 Follow Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and check our Linktree for all platforms and extras: Linktree

What if aliens weren’t just visiting — but actively planning to replace humanity? In EP 9: The Rising (Part 3), host Justin Gearheart concludes his three-part conversation with Jeff Selver, whose lifelong contact story pushes into the most unsettling territory yet. Traveling alone across Canada in 1998, Jeff was taken in broad daylight by a massive cloaked craft. Inside, he met the Twins — two identical Gray beings who revealed a disturbing truth: humanity had failed to protect Earth, and a program was already underway to create the “new human.” What Jeff saw shocked him — medical beds with exhumed bodies, a warehouse of hybrid forms growing in tubes, and a telepathic message that nuclear weapons marked humanity’s last chance. Through holograms, he was shown Earth’s biosphere collapsing, consumed in flames, and rebuilt under alien stewardship. At the heart of this revelation was something even stranger: an encounter with the ship’s consciousness itself — a radiant intelligence the beings called God. In this episode, you’ll hear: Jeff’s daylight abduction and meeting with the Twins. Evidence of cattle and human mutilations tied to hybrid creation. A vast underground facility producing hybrid bodies. Telepathic warnings that Earth’s future depends on intervention. A direct encounter with the consciousness field aliens identify as Creator. This final installment of The Rising is not just an abduction account — it’s a glimpse into an alien agenda of replacement, evolution, and planetary stewardship that forces us to question humanity’s place in the cosmos. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

What if a voice in your head told you to drop everything and leave — and it ended up saving your life? In EP 8: Escape from Lahaina, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Michaela, a cruise ship bartender whose mysterious intuition led her to quit her job in Hawaii just one week before the deadly Lahaina wildfires. Without warning, a clear voice in her mind urged, “Leave now. Get off the ship. Don’t come back.” She listened — and days later, every hotel, restaurant, and street she’d stayed in was gone. Michaela shares her journey from heartbreak in Maryland to an unexpected calling in Maui, and the strange guidance she’s felt ever since. She describes the moment she touched the ancient banyan tree in Lahaina and felt an electric surge assuring her she made the right choice, and the deeper connection between intuition, consciousness, and quantum mechanics that continues to shape her life. In this episode, you’ll hear how Michaela’s inner voice returned after Lahaina — offering messages of reassurance and warnings about “what’s to come” — her perspective on the New Jersey drone and orb sightings, her belief that the mind and universe are connected through frequency, and the life-changing effect of Moldavite, a green meteorite crystal she swears awakened her senses. This is a story about intuition, fate, and the unseen forces that protect us, raising questions about whether these inner voices come from within — or from somewhere far beyond.   👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a friend who’s fascinated by the unknown, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

What if an alien abduction didn’t just take you aboard a craft — but let you pilot one to a hidden city on Venus? In EP 7: The Rising (Part 2), host Justin Gearheart continues his conversation with Jeff Selver, whose story pushes far beyond a typical UFO encounter. After being shown visions of the afterlife in Part 1, Jeff’s experiences escalate into direct, physical contact with extraterrestrial beings — encounters that include red orbs, full abductions, piloting a UFO, and exploring a vast city on Venus. Jeff describes being taken aboard a silver craft, meeting multiple non-human species, and experiencing moments of both ecstasy and trauma that challenged everything he thought he knew about reality. From intimate interactions with alien hybrids to conversations with a compassionate Elder Gray, his journey reveals a tapestry of genetic experiments, consciousness transformation, and interplanetary travel unlike anything ever shared on the Close Encounter Club. In this episode, you’ll hear: Jeff’s contact on a remote island and the arrival of a mysterious red orb. The terrifying moment of paralysis followed by overwhelming compassion from the Elder Gray. How he was guided to pilot a UFO through space. His journey to Venus, where he discovered a hidden alien city. The unsettling biological encounter that left him questioning consent, duality, and destiny. This is one of the most extraordinary and controversial abduction accounts you’ll ever hear — a story that blends UFO phenomena, consciousness exploration, and cosmic mystery. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.  

What if a dream of your own death wasn’t just a dream — but a memory from another lifetime? In EP 6: I Forgive You, host Justin Gearheart sits down with Michael Clifford, a retired audio engineer whose life has been shaped by vivid dreams, powerful premonitions, and what he believes are glimpses of past lives. From a chilling black-and-white dream of being shot during a robbery in the 1940s to saying the words “I forgive you” with his last breath, Michael’s story weaves together themes of karma, synchronicity, and the unseen forces that ripple across generations. Michael also shares his journey into spirituality, beginning with Christian Science self-healing practices, lucid dreams, and premonition dreams that later came true in extraordinary ways — including one that led to a $4,000 casino win. But the most startling moment came decades later at a DMV, when a chance encounter with a stranger seemed to confirm the karmic echoes of his past-life dream. In this episode, you’ll hear: Michael’s eerie premonition dreams and how he tested them. His vivid past-life dream of being murdered in front of his children. The powerful moment he chose forgiveness, even in death. How a real-life encounter decades later mirrored the dream. Reflections on karma, reincarnation, and how our souls may be interconnected. This conversation dives deep into reincarnation, forgiveness, and unexplained phenomena that challenge how we think about life, death, and consciousness itself. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a friend who’s curious about past lives, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.

What if the UFO phenomenon isn’t benevolent at all — but something far darker? In this Close Encounter Club bonus episode, host Justin Gearheart sits down with Matt Hurley, founder of BadAliens.info, one of the most controversial and unflinching resources on UFO research. Matt’s work focuses on the disturbing side of the phenomenon: abductions, cattle mutilations, missing persons, and even cases of human mutilation that echo the same patterns. Joined by Josh Barretto (from EP 4), this conversation pushes into territory many ufologists avoid. From the unsettling overlap between paranormal “hitchhiker” effects and abduction cases, to the possibility of cryptids as holographic projections, Matt argues that UFOs are not purely interdimensional mysteries — they are physical beings competing for Earth’s resources. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why Matt shifted from ancient aliens research to investigating darker encounters. Shocking parallels between animal and human mutilations. How poltergeist activity and the hitchhiker effect may tie into abductions. Theories about hybridization programs and implanted imagery. Candid takes on disclosure, whistleblowers, and whether governments are complicit. ⚠️ Listener discretion is strongly advised — both in this episode and on Matt’s website — as graphic cases are discussed that may be disturbing. This is not the “love and light” version of UFOs. This is the shadow side — and once you hear it, you can’t unhear it. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.  

What happens when an alien encounter shatters everything you believe about reality? In EP 5: The Rising (Part 1), host Justin Gearheart speaks with Jeff Selver, an author and consciousness researcher whose extraordinary abduction story began when he was just 16 years old. Jeff describes being taken aboard a craft, encountering a female Elder Gray, and experiencing revelations about DNA manipulation, implants, time distortion, and contact that stretched into the afterlife itself. From the moment he was frozen in place under the night sky to the overwhelming telepathic communication that followed, Jeff’s story pushes far past the boundaries of a typical UFO encounter. Inside the craft, he witnessed organic, living technology, underwent medical procedures, and was shown holographic visions of humanity’s future. Most shocking of all, Jeff recalls being transformed into pure consciousness — a state of bliss and unity that left him questioning whether he had glimpsed the soul, the afterlife, or even God. In this episode, you’ll hear: Jeff’s abduction at age 16 and his first meeting with the Elder Gray. Memories of earlier childhood contact events unlocked during the encounter. Implant procedures and the strange absence of scars afterward. A consciousness transformation that revealed his higher self. Visions of Earth’s future, alien DNA connections, and the role of “agents of change.” This is one of the most intense and detailed abduction accounts ever shared on the Close Encounter Club. It’s a journey into UFO phenomena, consciousness, spirituality, and the unexplained mysteries that may redefine humanity’s place in the cosmos. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and check out our Linktree for more ways to connect.  

What if the scariest moment of your life wasn’t a dream — but something sitting at the end of your bed? In EP 4: Noble Park, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Josh from Melbourne, Australia — the very conversation that would later lead Josh to become the producer of Close Encounter Club. This is where it all began. At just 18 years old, while alone in his family’s creaking, century-old home, Josh witnessed a shadow on his roof one night — and the following evening endured four hours of terror as an unseen presence entered his room, opened and closed his door, and sat heavily on his bed. When he finally looked at the clock, two hours had disappeared. That night in Noble Park became the catalyst for Josh’s lifelong exploration of the paranormal, spirituality, and consciousness. In this episode, he reflects on growing up in an evangelical Christian household, leaving religion behind, and seeking truth through Freemasonry, philosophy, and firsthand experiences with UFOs in the remote Yukon wilderness. In this episode, you’ll hear how Josh experienced the terrifying bed encounter that defies explanation, his reflections on missing time and its possible connection to abduction phenomena, and how this story eventually led him to connect with Justin — forming the creative partnership behind the Close Encounter Club. This is not just a paranormal account, but the origin story of how the show came to be — a raw and compelling journey into fear, transformation, and the search for meaning in the unknown. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

What if a ghostly black dog could decide your fate? In EP 3: Black Dog of Hanging Hills, host Justin Gearheart explores one of Connecticut’s most enduring legends with guests Tristan and Christina, who encountered something unexplainable on a hike near Castle Craig. The folklore says that if you see the Black Dog once, it brings joy. Twice, it brings sorrow. And the third time… it means death. Tristan, a schoolteacher and avid hiker, had long been fascinated by the story. But when he and his wife Christina saw a strange, blurry, almost pixelated black dog cross their path, the legend became real. Both witnessed the figure, shimmering with an aura, yet behaving like no ordinary animal. It left no tracks, acknowledged no humans, and vanished as quickly as it appeared. In this episode, you’ll hear Tristan describe his lifelong connection to folklore and hiking, Christina share her perspective as a natural skeptic who was stunned into belief, and how the experience changed their views on the paranormal. Their story, told side by side, raises unsettling questions: was it a ghost dog, a trick of perception, or proof that some legends walk among us? This isn’t just local folklore. It’s a chilling glimpse into paranormal encounters, urban legends, and unexplained phenomena that refuse to stay buried in history. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

What’s really flying over New Jersey — hobby drones, advanced tech, or something we can’t explain? In this Close Encounter Club bonus episode, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Retired Air Force Major Ben Hewitt, a veteran aviator and former air battle manager with over 20 years of global military experience operating the E-3 AWACS surveillance platform. Ben has tracked drug runners in South America, coordinated missions in the Middle East, and overseen radar operations capable of detecting objects across hundreds of miles. Now, he shares his perspective on the mysterious “drone swarms” spotted in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and beyond. This raw, unfiltered conversation dives into how radar really works, what counts as a legitimate unknown, and why some sightings can’t be explained away as planes, satellites, or hobby drones. Ben also reflects on the stigma aviators faced when reporting anomalies, the cultural shift since 2017, and the eerie sense that we’re being “warmed up” for a larger revelation. In this episode, you’ll hear how Ben’s military training shaped his view of UFOs, why the official explanations for the New Jersey sightings don’t add up, and how both government responses and public videos paint two very different pictures of what’s in our skies. The conversation expands to UFO whistleblowers, quantum computing, simulation theory, and whether humanity is brushing against a great filter moment in its evolution. This isn’t a polished interview — it’s a candid talk with someone who’s seen the world from a radar screen and knows the difference between noise and something truly anomalous. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this bonus episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

What if a single sentence spoken in the middle of the night could predict tragedy? In EP 2: Milford Has Been Shot, host Justin Gearheart speaks with Christopher from Omaha, Nebraska, who shares a chilling family story that has echoed through generations. In the 1960s, Christopher’s mom suddenly jolted awake during The Tonight Show and declared, “Milford has been shot.” Hours later, the phone rang with the devastating news that her brother Milford had been killed — exactly as she had said. That wasn’t the only time fate intervened. Decades later, Christopher found himself in a bar having a casual conversation with a stranger who told an almost identical story from his own family’s past. The synchronicity was so unlikely that the odds defy imagination — a one-in-250 quadrillion chance. In this episode, you’ll hear how Christopher’s mother’s premonition unfolded, why his skeptical father and brother never forgot it, and how a chance barroom conversation reopened a mystery that had been buried for decades. You’ll also hear about Christopher’s own journey as an open-minded skeptic, from experiments testing whether unseen forces could hear his thoughts to moments of mindfulness and even a possible astral projection experience. This is a story about synchronicity, fate, and premonition — and the possibility that something beyond us may be nudging events in ways we can’t explain. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

What if your faith and your reality collided in the middle of the night? In EP 1: The Miters Hill Incident, host Justin Gearheart introduces the very first Close Encounter Club story — and it’s one of the most unsettling we’ve ever covered. Miriam, a 26-year-old makeup artist from Monterrey, Mexico, describes the night she awoke to find a Gray alien with soulless eyes standing in her home. Alongside it was a strange, shifting, black smoke-like entity — something she could only compare to Venom. Frozen with fear, Miriam tried to wake her husband, who slept through the entire event. As the being moved closer, raising its long, disjointed fingers toward her face, Miriam did the only thing she could: she prayed. In that instant, both entities vanished. The next day, while hosting a small gathering for her birthday, her husband and friends witnessed something extraordinary outside — flashes of greenish-blue light over Cerro de las Mitras and a massive craft streaking across the horizon. For Miriam, this chilling confirmation proved she hadn’t been dreaming. In this episode, you’ll hear Miriam’s account of the gray alien and the shadowy entity in her room, how prayer in the name of Jesus ended the encounter, and how her husband’s UFO sighting the very next night cemented her belief that what she saw was real. The experience forced her to reconcile faith, spirituality, and extraterrestrial life in ways she never imagined. 👉 Follow the Close Encounter Club, share this episode with a fellow seeker, and explore more at our Linktree.

Teaser #1 for the Close Encounter Club podcast.