The first time was terrifying.
Former nurse Kerrie-Ann Thornton, 37, says her first encounter with an extraterrestrial took place when a dark figure suddenly appeared from the back seat of her car as she was driving on a Sydney highway.
"From then on it kept happening," she tells news.com.au.
"It made my life hell until I actually learned to communicate with them and then it settled down. "And eight years later here we are."
Ms Thornton now dedicates her life to serving ''the greys'', which are the "peaceful alien species" she claims to have a contract with.
As a self-professed psychic medium and telepathic communicator, she says she also has contact with other alien races including the Draconians, Reptilians, Annunaki and Illuminati.
Ms Thornton, from Harrington Park, is one of thousands of people around the world who believe in the existence of these so-called extraterrestrial creatures which she claims talk directly to her.
She says the purpose of the communications is so the aliens can pass on messages about living and dead people and animals to "help us".
While some people might call Ms Thornton and her beliefs crazy, she insists she, and they, are not.
"If you want to call me crazy, or I'm just making things up, or an attention seeker, go right ahead," Ms Thornton says.
"It's not my business.
"My job and my business is to deliver messages for the ETs ... it's up to you what you do with those messages."
About 12 people, men and women, pay a $20 entry fee and file into the small function room to watch Ms Thornton become possessed by aliens and deliver messages to them on a sunny Sunday afternoon in March.
They meet in an old country-style motel, tucked behind a used car sales business in Campbelltown, on the outskirts of western Sydney.
"You are invited to ask questions about anything, the ETs themselves, life, the universe, etc and the ETs will answer all questions," a pamphlet advertising the seminar reads.
No "security sensitive" questions are allowed. It's in the best interests of the human race, Ms Thornton says.
It's the first time Ms Thornton has attempted to lend her mind, body and soul to the aliens she claims to have been communicating with telepathically and in person for almost a decade. She says the aliens will possess her to deliver important messages to earthlings.
She says she has been preparing her body "mentally, spiritually and physically" for this moment for seven years.
She warns that "everyone will be running for the door" in the second half of her seminar when she becomes possessed or if the aliens decide to appear in the room.
"I'm told they're going to put on a big show," she tells news.com.au.
"They're calling it 'the Awakening'. They're going to make a statement.
"I won't remember the second half after it's happened."
Guests are told there is nothing to fear and advised not to be alarmed if they "feel something touch [their] shoulder" or if the medium starts levitating.
"There are 30-plus ETs in this room right now ... invisible," Ms Thornton says.
"They're invisible."
John Farnham's You're the Voice starts playing on a small radio at the front of the room. Ms Thornton looks at guests in the front row and tells them: "not my choice".
"You ready guys?' she asks the invisible ETs.
Ms Thornton starts the seminar by giving audience members individual readings she says come directly from the other worldly entities.
She tells one audience member that her dead grey cat didn't like the Whiskers meat she fed it and would have preferred the Kitty Kat brand.
Another woman is asked who "the young child who fell out of a tree and broke their arm" was. She says she has no idea who the psychic is talking about.
Ms Thornton tells another woman that one of the aliens recommends she buys some lotto tickets.
"I had a dream about that last night," the woman says.
"I will definitely buy some now."
The guests all appear to share Ms Thornton's beliefs and cling onto every words she says.
She tells a young woman in the audience she was a medieval princess in a past life who now has healing abilities.
"I can feel it when she hugs me as it's warm," the girl's friend tells the group.
Another guest is asked if she has an older brother.
"Yes," the guest says.
Ms Thornton: "When he was your age was there a car accident not him but could be close friend or family.
"The person driving the other car wants to say he's really sorry and wants to say it was his fault and please accept his apology.
"He didn't mean to cause harm [he] was young and dumb."
The woman she's addressing says this is the first she's ever heard about her brother being involved in a car accident.
"Who likes fish? Ms Thornton asks the crowd.
No one answers.
Ms Thornton: "Gold fish?"
Silence.
Ms Thornton: "Tropical fish?"
One woman raises her hand: "My brother," she says.
Ms Thornton: "Tell him to keep a check on thermometer as it's faulty and you'll wake up with fried fish."
She then turns her attention to another young woman in the audience.
Ms Thornton: "You're having internet trouble."
Guest: "No."
Ms Thornton: "Okay it might be coming. Just watch your internet server, [the provider is] going through issues."
After a short break, tea and biscuits, the second half of the seminar gets under way. This is where things are expected to get especially interesting as Ms Thornton attempts to allow aliens to take over her body. It's the moment guests were warned they might run for the door.
She takes a swig of water and shakes her hands like an athlete preparing to compete. She stares intently at the ground, awaiting for something phenomenal to take hold. Nothing happens.
So she fills the time instead by relaying second-hand messages from the alleged aliens.
Talk turns to celebrities, royals and politicians and which of them are supposedly aliens or hybrids.
"Is Queen Elizabeth a clone?" one guest asks.
Ms Thornton: "No, she's not."
But the same can't be said for Kate Middleton, according to Ms Thornton.
"She is a Draconian hybrid, half-woman, half-, they're 10-foot tall T-Rex type thing," she says.
"She's in the right place to seize power.
"They've designed her specifically to be in that position."
Ms Thornton says the suggestion that the "Queen and Trump are shape-shifters is rubbish".
"They're not aliens," she says.
"Trump has no interest in Americans.
"His only interest is gaining technology, gaining power, gaining money and wanting to take over the world, and this is driven by his ties to Putin and the Illuminati."
A member of the audience raises his hand.
"What is Pauline Hanson?" he asks.
Ms Thornton: "A few people have said she's an alien but she is not. She is someone with morals and integrity."
Ms Thornton tells news.com.au she sees the aliens through her "third eye and physical eyes".
She describes the "typical grey" as being about seven-foot (2.1m) tall with "large heads, black eyes, small nose and mouth, skinny necks, long slender bodies and very muscular".
Ms Thornton also claims to have twice been impregnated by aliens on their "space buses". She says she miscarried several months into each pregnancy.
She believes she was given the ability to communicate with aliens because of her "rare DNA".
"It's something not many people have," she says.
"And another possibility is that I don't care what people think. I will do my job regardless of what people think of me."
Ms Thornton's mother, who also attends the seminar, supports her claims.
"Her DNA is special," her mother tells inquisitive guests.
As the three and a half-hour session comes to a close it becomes apparent Ms Thornton's attempt to become possessed by aliens has not worked. Not today. Her seven years of training for the moment has apparently all been in vain.
"I think they have not done that because they have not got their message across," she tells news.com.au.
"People have understood why they're here and their messages and I believe that they would have done a possession if people did not believe, if they were challenging what they said."
News.com.au reminds Ms Thornton that many sceptics will read this story and not believe her claims.
But according to Ms Thornton, that doesn't matter because all will be revealed later this year.
"They will be showing themselves in the next couple of weeks and months," she says.
"To everybody. To the world.
"They're not waiting for the government to disclose their existence they're going to do it themselves."
She says the aliens "want people to know when they come they're not here to harm anyone".
"They believe that the earth is dying and that we have to go somewhere."
So what are they waiting for?
"That's a good question and I have asked them repeatedly that during the afternoon," Ms Thornton says.
"They just didn't want to."
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