When you hear the phrase 10 alleged ultra you probably picture cloak‑and‑dagger conspiracies and dimly lit basements where the world’s most bizarre experiments are allegedly conducted. Yet, over the decades, a surprising amount of evidence—whistle‑blower testimonies, declassified documents, and occasional leaked photographs—suggests that many of these shadowy programs may have existed, at least in a research or prototype phase. Below we dive head‑first into the ten most talked‑about secret initiatives, from super‑soldier training camps to alleged UFO recovery missions.

10 Alleged Ultra: The Shadowy Projects Unveiled

10 Project Mannequin

According to a handful of whistle‑blowers, Project Mannequin is a joint venture between the NSA and Britain’s intelligence community. While the program’s exact scope remains murky, the central claim is that it focuses on creating and training “super‑soldiers.” These operatives are allegedly deployed for UFO retrieval missions and high‑security lockdown tasks. A more sinister subset, dubbed “sleepers,” is said to be mind‑controlled and remotely triggered to execute lethal assassinations without any awareness of their actions.

If that isn’t outlandish enough, the narrative continues with reports that many of these elite operatives are recruited through kidnappings or long‑term grooming by military and elite families, who allegedly enroll their children in exchange for undisclosed rewards.

The supposed nerve centre of the operation lies deep beneath Berkshire, Southern England—about 60 metres (roughly 200 ft) underground. Besides the super‑soldier training, the facility is rumored to host remote‑viewing sessions aimed at gaining political and military leverage. Some insiders even allege that “astral attacks” are launched from this subterranean base under the Mannequin banner.

One of the most high‑profile individuals to claim involvement was Max Spiers, whose death under mysterious circumstances shortly after making these assertions remains unsolved. Whether the claims hold water is a matter of debate, but the story continues to fuel speculation.

9 Project Bluebird/Artichoke

Unlike the more outlandish Mannequin tale, Project Bluebird—later renamed Artichoke—has a firmer footing in documented history. Most readers are familiar with the notorious MKUltra, but its predecessor dates back to the early 1950s, emerging in the wake of World War II and the controversial Operation Paperclip. While no direct link ties Nazi scientists to the program, researchers often point to the work of José Delgado, who pioneered electrical brain stimulation as a humane alternative to lobotomies. His findings may have inadvertently supplied intelligence agencies with a blueprint for mind‑control experiments.

The shift from Bluebird to Artichoke appears to have been motivated by security concerns and an effort to obscure paper trails. The projects collectively represent a pattern of “black‑budget” initiatives that became increasingly routine throughout the twentieth century, pushing the boundaries of ethical research in pursuit of strategic advantage.

8 Project Dreamscan

Project Dreamscan sits on the fringe of documentation, but its alleged methods are well‑known. The CIA’s forays into remote viewing during the Cold War are widely acknowledged, driven largely by fears that the Soviet Union was conducting similar psychic espionage. Dreamscan supposedly aimed to push remote viewers beyond mere observation, enabling them to infiltrate a target’s mind while the subject slept, thereby subtly influencing thoughts and decisions.

According to some reports, these dream‑state infiltrators accompanied high‑ranking officials to United Nations meetings, using their abilities to sway foreign diplomats. Rumors even suggest that famed psychic Uri Geller may have been enlisted for such covert operations.

Adding a sci‑fi twist, a declassified CIA memo from 2017 allegedly claims that Dreamscan participants could be dispatched not only across the globe but also to other planets and even different points in time—both future and past. While most dismiss the temporal travel angle, the notion that the astral plane could serve as a conduit for time‑bending missions remains a tantalizing, if controversial, hypothesis.

7 Project Stargate

Project Stargate epitomizes the Cold‑War era’s obsession with psychic warfare. Officially labeled a “psychotronic research” program, it gathered seasoned remote viewers in the late 1970s and encouraged them to train newcomers, effectively creating a clandestine school of psychic operatives funded by the United States government.

Proponents argue that these remote viewers were employed in a new form of “psychic warfare,” subtly influencing foreign leaders and gathering intelligence that conventional means could not obtain. Some accounts even claim that the United States occasionally “loaned” its most gifted psychics to allied nations for discreet, private missions.

The program seemingly vanished in the 1990s, at least under the Stargate moniker, leaving behind a legacy of declassified documents and lingering questions about the true extent of its achievements.

6 Project Rainbow

Project Rainbow is a tangled web of alleged experiments that straddle the line between science fiction and classified research. Its roots are said to trace back to the infamous Philadelphia Experiment, a tale many dismiss as myth, yet the project allegedly also intersected with the Phoenix Time‑Travel Initiative—some claim these were merely two names for the same clandestine effort.

The primary focus, according to whistle‑blowers, was the creation of temporal tunnels and wormholes, essentially attempting to manipulate space‑time. A secondary, more terrestrial goal involved weather manipulation—a field that has gradually migrated from conspiracy theory to a subject of genuine scientific inquiry in recent years.

Intriguingly, proponents argue that the very technologies born from these time‑and‑weather experiments seeded fully functional mind‑control devices. The convergence of weather engineering and psychic influence paints a picture of a program that blurs the boundary between believable research and speculative fantasy.

5 Operation Sleeping Beauty

Operation Sleeping Beauty is said to have emerged from the same weather‑control research that birthed Project Rainbow. The alleged goal: develop electromagnetic weaponry capable of subtly altering the mental state of enemy combatants, granting the U.S. military a decisive psychological edge on the battlefield.

Although concrete evidence remains elusive, conspiracy circles maintain that the program never truly left the drawing board, continuing in secret to this day. The envisioned weapon would disorient foes to the point of surrender, all while the affected soldiers remained blissfully unaware of any external influence.

This clandestine approach, if real, would generate profound fear among adversaries, leveraging confusion as a strategic asset. While the concept sounds like a page from a thriller, its proponents argue that the technology is well within the realm of possibility.

4 The Mindwreaker Project

Closely linked to the weather experiments of Project Rainbow, the Mindwreaker Project—sometimes called Mindwrecker—supposedly pursued the creation of a weapon that could induce artificial paralysis through purely mental means. The premise hinges on observations that certain electromagnetic fields, originally designed for atmospheric manipulation, could also disrupt neural pathways.

According to the most outlandish claims, the technology was reverse‑engineered from alien spacecraft recovered in secret facilities, an assertion that adds a layer of extraterrestrial intrigue to an already eyebrow‑raising narrative. Some researchers contend that the Reagan administration green‑lit the program as one of its final covert undertakings.

Whether any of this is fact or fiction, the story underscores the lengths to which shadow agencies might go in pursuit of a battlefield advantage, blurring the line between cutting‑edge science and speculative myth.

3 Project Sigma

Project Sigma stands out as perhaps the most provocative of all the alleged programs, offering a tentative explanation for the long‑standing phenomenon of alien abductions. The story begins with a purported secret meeting between President Eisenhower and two distinct extraterrestrial races: the Greys and the Nordics.

According to whistle‑blowers, the Greys presented advanced technology that Eisenhower deemed more valuable than the so‑called “green technology” offered by the Nordics. Fearing that the Soviets might acquire this tech, Eisenhower allegedly struck a deal with the Greys, resulting in Project Sigma—a hybridization initiative designed to combine human and Grey DNA.

The Greys, whose own genetic material had supposedly suffered severe radiation‑induced degradation, needed a new breeding pool. In exchange for access to human subjects, they allegedly agreed to conduct abductions, ensuring the victims would retain no memory of the events and would be returned unharmed. This narrative attempts to link the wave of Grey‑alien abduction reports from the 1960s onward to a covert government‑alien partnership.

2 Project Moon Dust

Officially, Project Moon Dust was tasked with retrieving debris from Soviet satellites that re‑entered Earth’s atmosphere, a mission that spanned continents—from the deserts of South Africa to the peaks of the Himalayas. However, several researchers, most notably Clifford Stone, claim the true objective was far more sensational.

Stone alleges that many Moon Dust missions actually recovered crashed UFOs, which were then whisked away to secret U.S. air bases and research labs for reverse‑engineering. He famously remarked shortly before his 2014 death, “While we were doing this, we were telling the American public there was nothing to it [UFOs].”

According to Stone, each mission featured a mysterious individual added at the last minute—someone who wasn’t an official Army officer but possessed the full knowledge of the recovered craft. While skeptics demand more proof, the claims add a compelling layer to an already enigmatic program.

1 The CHANI Project

The CHANI Project—short for Channeled Holographic Access Network Interface—has been described by some researchers as an “orgasmic interaction between science theory and spiritual awareness.” In essence, the program allegedly modernized classic remote‑viewing and psychic techniques, fusing them with cutting‑edge computer software to create a digital “channeler.”

This digital entity purportedly communicates with an enigmatic presence known only as “the Entity,” which claims to act on behalf of “the Elders,” the supposed creators and overseers of the universe. The concept echoes ancient mythologies, such as the nine creator gods of Egypt, suggesting a continuity of humanity’s quest to contact higher powers.

Proponents argue that experiments in the 1950s and 1960s—offspring of MKUltra and earlier psychic research—successfully opened a conduit to this cosmic consciousness, hinting at a bridge between technology and the metaphysical realm.

Accounts of the “Shadow People” are some of the most chilling and outrageous of all strange phenomena. Perhaps not least is that no one appears to know exactly what they are, where they come from, or why. Yet sightings of them continue to be reported around the world. And what’s more, they appear to be increasing.

Of course, we should take most of the suggestions on our upcoming list with a large pinch of salt. However, they are intriguing, nonetheless. And very much worthy of our consideration, if only on a temporary basis. But who or what are the shadow people? Well, that is where we will start our list.

Related: 10 Paranormal Mysteries That Are Not Paranormal Mysteries

10 Who or What Are the Shadow People?

The shadow people are essentially exactly what their name describes—a human-shaped shadow that people often see, usually from the corner of their eye for a brief second. They then disappear again as quickly as they were noticed.

These figures are often seen for a period of several days or weeks before incidents usually begin to escalate. This sometimes results in the shadow person rushing toward them before disappearing at the last moment. Or, in extreme cases, a person might wake to find the shadow person sitting or pressing on their chest. Some people even speak of these shadowy entities trying to choke them.

Shadow people are perhaps the thing of urban legend to most of us. However, the number of people who claim to have seen these strange entities is not to be taken lightly. There might one day be a rational explanation for the strange creatures. At the moment, though, they remain a complete mystery. There are, however, several potential and speculative explanations for just what the shadow people might be.^[1]

9 They Are Actually Ghosts

Perhaps the most obvious explanation is that what people are seeing is a ghost or a spirit. This is perhaps one of the most palatable answers to those in paranormal circles. And many sightings of shadow people often occur alongside a whole host of other paranormal activities.

The claims of these mysterious entities actually being ghosts are perhaps more credible than we might think. Especially when we note that some sightings speak of these shadowy figures not being a complete figure. For example, only the head and shoulders might be visible. Or even just the legs. Many people who report seeing “ghosts” also speak of how the apparition was not a complete form of the person. They instead often describe a partial view (the head and shoulders, for example).

Of course, anything that is unexplained and mysterious often falls into the box labeled “ghosts.” So, it should not surprise us that the connection to such entities from the other side is made. There is also, though, another popular theory.^[2]

8 They Are Aliens Using Advanced Cloaking Technology

Okay, those who are regular readers of my lists will be waiting for this one. So, let’s get it out of the way early. According to some researchers, the shadow people are aliens. And what’s more, they are using some type of advanced cloaking technology. Of course, many people find the idea of aliens to be silly in itself. Much less having aliens using such technology to make them invisible.

We should note, though, the claims of many people who have suffered alleged alien abduction. Many often recall seeing the strange shadowy creatures in the weeks leading up to or after the abduction. On some occasions, these shadowy entities have even been captured on video.

Incidentally, the notion of making oneself invisible is the stuff of science fiction to most people. However, as we will discover a little later on our list, some scientists suggest similar ideas regarding invisibility. If invisibility was something that could be achieved, the results would likely be similar to the descriptions of shadow people from around the world.^[3]

7 A Result of Astral Projection

Another suggestion from some researchers is that shadow people are actually the result of people astral projecting. Essentially, the shadow is the essence of their energy. Or, to put it another way, their soul.

As crazy as the idea might sound to most of us, astral projection is something that many people claim to be able to achieve. And what’s more, these claims have been around for decades, if not centuries. So might it make a certain amount of sense? Let’s assume a person—or the energetic essence of that person—was able to leave their body. Might they leave behind a “shadow” of themselves as they did so?

Like the idea of ghosts and aliens, most will dismiss the notion of astral projection outright. However, many mainstream scientists have carried out in-depth research on the subject. And what’s more, the findings, while not conclusive, certainly suggest there might be more to the idea than many might think. Of course, whether astral projection and the shadow people are connected is a debate in itself.^[4]

6 Hypnagogia: Walking Sleep/Sleep Paralysis

Perhaps the most rational explanation is that sightings of the shadow people are simply hypnagogia. This is essentially when a person wakes up, but the body and brain remain in sleep. This often results in seeing imagined sightings. And quite often, in this position, a person can’t move. Indeed, many people feel completely paralyzed for several seconds.

Some people, though, believe they can see things that aren’t there. In our contemporary era, this would appear to be shadow people. And these are perhaps created purely in a person’s panicked mind. Perhaps in these moments, simply due to them having read about them, they then recall them in such a moment of panic.

We should note that stories in the Middle Ages, for example, often spoke of demonic entities. These demons would sit upon a person’s chests, waking them in the middle of the night. Of course, belief in such demons was particularly rife during these times. And that might explain why so many reports were made in that bygone age. Also, it could explain why sightings of shadow people are high in our modern age.^[5]

5 Remote Viewing Experiments

Another idea that many people dismiss with little research is the notion of remote viewing. Like astral projections, this is essentially where a person “leaves their body.” And what’s more, they are able to travel great distances and view what they are seeing. Once more, this is an area that has been extensively studied by intelligence agencies. And it would appear these went beyond just leaving one’s body to view the room next door. Some experiments, at least according to leaked documents, have seen people remote view entire other planets.

According to some, the sightings of shadow people are likely to be the essence of those who are conducting remote viewing. Of course, if there is any truth to this, then the people who claim to see these strange figures might wish to ask themselves why someone would wish to remote view them in the first place.^[6]

4 A “Real” Product of the Human Mind

Perhaps the most likely explanation when all is said and done is that the shadow people are nothing more than the product of the human mind. And there are various branch-offs from this idea alone.

The first consideration would be that sightings of shadow people are simply people seeing things that aren’t there. Perhaps due to stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, or all of those.

It is also noted that many people who suffer from drug addiction might “see” shadow people. This is particularly the case with drugs such as “uppers,” which essentially keep people awake. In part, this explanation comes down to exhaustion. As well as the consequence of a drug-addled mind.

Of course, perhaps the simplest explanation is that people simply confuse shadows for figures. For example, let’s imagine someone lying in bed in the dark. Shadows in the room might quickly take on a different form than they would in the light.^[7]

3 Evidence of Entities from Another Dimension

Rather than aliens or ghosts, some researchers have suggested that the shadow people are actually very much human. Only they are coming here from another dimension. It is a suggestion that is perhaps even more ambiguous than ghosts or aliens. However, it is certainly one that might make us ask some intriguing questions about the nature of our reality.

Of course, why these entities from other dimensions might be visiting us in the first place is a question in itself. Might they indeed be far more advanced than us and are coming here to study us for reasons currently unknown?

All possibilities are on the table until an explanation comes to light. As we will discuss a little further in our last point, though, many mainstream scientists are seriously examining the reality of other dimensions. Perhaps the shadow people will one day prove to be a consequence of these other realms.^[8]

2 They Are Actually “Invisible” People

We mentioned above on our list the notion that some people believe the shadow people to be aliens. And what’s more, they are making use of advanced cloaking technology to make them invisible. An idea that sounds pure nonsense, even to many who believe in the possibility that aliens exist. However, modern science suggests that should an “invisibility cloak” exist, it might not leave someone completely unseen. They might instead have a shadowy presence. Basically, they would likely appear in a similar way to those who claim to have seen the shadow people.

Of course, scientists are confident that they are close to overcoming this issue. And they just might achieve complete invisibility in the near future. For now, it is the claims of some that shadow people are actually the results of experimental cloaking technology, possibly by the intelligence agencies. Of course, it is a theory that most dismiss outright.^[9]

1 Evidence of an Overlapping Universe

Maybe one of the most bizarre suggestions is that the shadow people are the result of an overlapping universe. And that these shadowy figures are very real people who exist in their own dimension or realm. This differs from the idea of entities from another dimension that we examined earlier. These sightings of shadow people are not a case of these creatures entering our realm of existence purposely. They are instead a case of a clashing of universes.

This might sound crazy at first. We should perhaps consider, though, that some scientists in the mainstream are looking at the idea of multiple universes. As well as other dimensions that might exist all around us. And what’s more, these other universes might, on occasion, “crash” into each other. Some have even suggested that such feelings as déjà vu might be explained by these theories. It is certainly an intriguing thought… and might be proven to be accurate one day. For the time being, though, all suggestions, guesses, and speculative theories remain on the table.^[10]