John Simmons-Morehouse, of the respected London-based paranormal research group, Scientists and Citizens for Understanding the Unknown, agrees - to a point.

"If you are certain you are in the presence of a benevolent being, by all means, listen to what he or she has to say," he told me in a transatlantic telephone interview. "But if you aren't sure, or if you have a 'bad feeling' about the situation, you'd be foolish to remain in such a vulnerable position. I would strongly advise you to run."