Debra Jordan Kauble: Life Beyond “Intruders”
Our Shifting Reality By CJ Arabia
January 2026
Debra Jordan Kauble is an absolutely fascinating human being. She’s got a biting sense of humor, quick wit, and is passionate about making the world around her a better place. She is always going out of her way to help others, speaking at events, and zoom meetings, and never charges for her appearances. She just wants to be there and share her story with others in hopes that it will help someone else who may be where she was 40 years ago.
You see, in the 1980s Debra and her family were going through a series of bizarre and unexplainable experiences at their home in Indiana, and they weren’t sure what to make of it until Deb met artist and UFO abduction researcher Budd Hopkins.
Budd introduced the world Deb and her story in 1987, under the pseudonym “Kathie Davis” in his best-selling book “Intruders: The Incredible Visitations at Copley Woods.”
The book was such a hit that they even made a two-part television miniseries in the 1990s that was loosely based on Deb’s story. For dramatic effect the television miniseries did not stick strictly to Deb’s story and instead incorporated the stories of several of Bud’s witnesses into one, as film and television tend to do.
If you’re interested you can check it out on YouTube.
I’m not going to go into the details of Deb’s story in this article. You can watch the above videos, check out countless podcasts and interviews online, or read the books. Yes that’s right books - Deb also penned her own book about her experiences called “Extraordinary Contact: Life Beyond Intruders” and it’s available online and anywhere books are sold. You really get a feel for who Deb is as a human being in her book. To hear the events told in her own words is a profound treat, and if you want to learn more about her story, it’s the best way to explore her experiences and what she’s learned from them.
Debra is truly a groundbreaker in the world of UFO Experiencers. One of the first to go public with her story, she’s been doing the UFO circuit for longer than just about anyone out there in the UFO world.
I met Deb recently and I think it’s safe to say that we’ve become friends. I think it’s impossible to meet Deb and not fall in love with her. She possesses a casual charm, integrity and disarming honesty that is rare in the world today.
Being one of the first public experiencers hasn’t been easy. Deb’s been through a lot over the years. She’s full of wisdom and I wanted to talk to her and get some of her keen insight to share with other experiencers out there who are living in the fringes... having experiences, not feeling part of the crowd, and maybe wondering if they too would like to go public with their stories as well.
Here is a recap of my recent talk with her:
CJ: Are you still having contact? Anyone else in your family continuing to have contact?
Deb: Not physically, at least I don't think so. And I don't think anyone in my family is either. If they are, they aren't saying anything to anyone. I HAVE been having more lucid dreaming. And I have had a couple of waking experiences that seem more like paranormal than extraterrestrial in nature (although, I think all that is the same thing).
CJ: When was the last time you had contact? Do you miss it?
Deb: The last time I had physical contact that I remember was back in 1992. I didn't miss being snuck up on, but after that last time, it was a good while before the "second phase" of contact, as I called it, began. And while I was relieved, a part of me deep inside felt a bit abandoned here.
CJ: What made you decide to come out and reveal your true identity?
Deb: Intruders was written by a researcher. It was from Budd's point of view. I wanted to tell my story from MY point of view... the witness, because MY theories were beginning to be a bit different than his. I was losing my fear and growing through it, and I wanted to share this with folks out there like me who were dealing with this stuff. I had been lucky to have so much support from Budd, my family and friends (mostly because a lot of them had experienced this stuff WITH me) and I was learning that was not the norm. I wanted to pay forward the support I had gotten and give it to others. When I wrote Abducted with my sister, we both agreed that if we were going to tell our stories in our own words we should "own it". Using our real names for the first time was our way of standing by what we said. Despite the protection anonymity may have given us in the beginning, how could we expect others to believe what we were telling them if we couldn't even use our real names? Somehow we both felt protected... we knew this was the right thing to do for us.
CJ: Do you have any advice for others who feel they have had or are having contact?
Deb: Reach out and connect with others, but listen to your instincts. As with anything, there are unscrupulous folks out there. There are a lot of good support groups online and in-person meetings who offer support and also can sometimes guide you to professionals who can help you even further… (CERO and the John Mack Institute come to mind). I didn't have this kind of support 42 years ago and I think it would have been so much easier if I had. We didn't have the internet ,or email, or cell phones back then. Sometimes I felt like I was pretty isolated for long periods of time. That is why I was SO grateful for the support I did get from the people in my circle. Keep a journal. I have kept one for decades. Sometimes it helps to get things out of your head and onto paper. It gives you a new perspective and can even sometimes help you figure out what really happened. It is SO very easy to go down the rabbit hole of just assuming EVERYTHING strange is "them" or "paranormal". The truth is that 95% of the time (or more) there IS a prosaic answer to what you witnessed, and if you dig deep enough you can find it. I was my biggest skeptic for years. (I think skepticism is healthy. Debunking is NOT.) I always try to find the simplest answers. I also tried to learn as much as I could about the things that scared me the most, because I believe knowledge is power. I think this is what led me to become a MUFON investigator for several years, and then a Paranormal researcher.
CJ: What have you learned about coming forward and becoming a public figure with your true identity? Advice or words of advice or caution to others who are thinking of going public with their experiences?
Deb: I have learned that people are usually surprised that I don't necessarily have the same theories and ideas about what happened to me that Budd did. I'm not talking about the facts. They don't change. I am talking about how I chose to deal with it and grow from it. Budd once told me that I should never give "them" credit for what I did for myself. I came to understand why he felt that way as a researcher from his perspective. I WAS broken when I found him and he was one of the most compassionate caring people I ever met. (When I first connected with him I was HOPING he would help me figure out that this WASN'T what l suspected it was. That was not to be.) Seeing good people so damaged had to have had a profound emotional effect on him. But I ALSO understood that WITHOUT the experiences (basically without "them") I would NOT have been able to achieve what I had in my personal growth, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. (Another reason I wanted to write my books... to show experiencers what is possible.)
CJ: What would you say to the skeptics? Those who have never witnessed anything don't believe or have doubts?
Deb: I understand. Had I not witnessed what I have, AND not had other folks with me when I had these experiences, I would also have a hard time accepting it. (It took me years to do that.) Remember, it was never only just me. There were other folks involved… there were witnesses in nearly every experience I had. I, myself, doubted my own sanity at times, but the fact that I wasn't alone, is what pulled me back. You are entitled to your feelings and I respect that. I am not here to try to convince you to believe me. I am just here to tell you what I remember. Do with it what you feel comfortable with.
CJ: If you could share one message with people today, what would you like the world to know or know about you?
Deb: Listen to witnesses with an open mind. The truth will make itself clear in time. And prepare yourself for the fact that the world around you is bigger than what you can observe with your eyes. Keep your mind open to every possibility.
If you’d like to contact Deb or learn more about her, visit her website: https://www.debshome.com/
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A longtime UFOlogist and lifelong Experiencer, C.J. Arabia is both Chief Investigator and ERT Case Manager for Southern California MUFON.
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