Last night I was watching the X-Files episode "Sunshine Days", which was a S9 or S10 ep with Doggett and Reyes. Anyway, the premise was that a guy (played by Michael Emerson) had electromagnetic powers, and could project different environments. He projected the interior of the Brady Bunch house. When Doggett, Reyes and Scully asked him to project something else, he projected AN ISLAND. So, that got me thinking that maybe this is all some kind of electromagnetic manipulation on the part of Ben (or someone else).