Cleve Backster
Encyclopedia
Cleve Backster is a best known for his experiments with biocommunication
in plant
and animal
cells using a polygraph
machine in the 1960s which led to his theory of "primary perception
." Backster began his career as an Interrogation
Specialist with the CIA, and went on to become Chairman of the Research and Instrument Committee of the Academy for Scientific Interrogation. He is currently director of the Backster School of Lie Detection in San Diego, California
.
when the plant was harmed or even threatened with harm. He argued that plants perceived human intentions, and as Backster began to investigate further, he also reported a finding that other human thoughts and emotions caused reactions in plants that could be recorded by a polygraph
instrument
. His work was in part inspired by the research of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, who claimed to have discovered that playing certain kinds of music in the area where plants grew caused them to grow faster.
He termed the plants' sensitivity to thoughts "primary perception," and published his findings from the experiments in the International Journal of Parapsychology
. The article was met with wide criticism of his research methods. However Backster gained the interest of other researchers and expanded his experimental range to test for primary perceptions in other life forms such as yogurt, bacteria
and human cells.
Since then Backster has presented his work at numerous scientific meetings including those of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), founded by astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology
in Palo Alto, CA.
s work is most famously discussed in The Secret Life of Plants
by Peter Tompkins
and Christopher Bird
. His work is discussed in his book, published in 2003, titled Primary Perception. The book was translated into Chinese
in 2006 and Japanese
in 2007.
He was a guest on June 27, 2007 on the popular evening radio show, "Coast To Coast AM", during which he discussed with host George Noory
and with callers to the program his experiments with primary perception and findings of an interconnection between all living cells. He had been a guest several times before on Art Bell
's Coast to Coast, as well as on Jeff Rense
's radio shows, and has presented papers at many international conferences and meetings as well as those in the U.S.A.
Backster's "Primary Perception" theory was a subject of the Discovery Channel
television show MythBusters
. The team attempted to reproduce Backster's experiments using a polygraph
and an EEG machine
. It reproduced the plant experiment and initially got the polygraph reaction predicted by Backster's work. The team was unable to coax any measurable response out of yogurt cultures, white blood cells or eggs and the EEG test was also negative. Backster responded on a 2008 radio broadcast of "Coast to Coast AM". Italian public television RAI
produced, in 1975, a four parts serial based on Backster's work and titled "La traccia verde" (the green trace).
Biocommunication (science)
In the study of the biological sciences the general term biocommunication is used to describe more specific types of communication within or between species of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Communication means sign-mediated interactions following syntactic, pragmatic and semantic rules....
in plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
cells using a polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
machine in the 1960s which led to his theory of "primary perception
Plant perception (paranormal)
Plant perception or biocommunication may denote not only that plants are sentient - they can certainly communicate through chemical signals and have complex responses to stimuli - but that may respond to humans in a manner that amounts to ESP and that may be interpreted as experience of pain and...
." Backster began his career as an Interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
Specialist with the CIA, and went on to become Chairman of the Research and Instrument Committee of the Academy for Scientific Interrogation. He is currently director of the Backster School of Lie Detection in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Primary perception
His course of study changed in the 1960s, when he reported observing that a polygraph instrument attached to a plant leaf registered a change in electrical resistanceElectrical resistance
The electrical resistance of an electrical element is the opposition to the passage of an electric current through that element; the inverse quantity is electrical conductance, the ease at which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels with the mechanical...
when the plant was harmed or even threatened with harm. He argued that plants perceived human intentions, and as Backster began to investigate further, he also reported a finding that other human thoughts and emotions caused reactions in plants that could be recorded by a polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
instrument
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
. His work was in part inspired by the research of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, who claimed to have discovered that playing certain kinds of music in the area where plants grew caused them to grow faster.
He termed the plants' sensitivity to thoughts "primary perception," and published his findings from the experiments in the International Journal of Parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
. The article was met with wide criticism of his research methods. However Backster gained the interest of other researchers and expanded his experimental range to test for primary perceptions in other life forms such as yogurt, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and human cells.
Since then Backster has presented his work at numerous scientific meetings including those of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), founded by astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
in Palo Alto, CA.
Backster School of Lie Detection
The Backster School of Lie Detection is located in San Diego, California, and is the longest running polygraph school in the world. The school was originally founded in New York City in 1960, shortly after Mr. Backster left his position with the Central Intelligence Agency. Backster founded the CIA's polygraph unit shortly after World War II.Popular culture
Backster's biocommunicationBiocommunication (science)
In the study of the biological sciences the general term biocommunication is used to describe more specific types of communication within or between species of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Communication means sign-mediated interactions following syntactic, pragmatic and semantic rules....
s work is most famously discussed in The Secret Life of Plants
The Secret Life of Plants
The Secret Life of Plants is a book by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, described as "A fascinating account of the physical, emotional, and spiritual relations between plants and man."...
by Peter Tompkins
Peter Tompkins
Peter Tompkins was an American journalist, World War II Office of Strategic Services spy in Rome, and best-selling occult author....
and Christopher Bird
Christopher Bird
Christopher Bird was a best-selling author, specialising in unconventional beliefs. His notable works included The Secret Life of Plants which was co-authored with Peter Tompkins and The Divining Hand: The 500-Year-Old Mystery of Dowsing...
. His work is discussed in his book, published in 2003, titled Primary Perception. The book was translated into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
in 2006 and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
in 2007.
He was a guest on June 27, 2007 on the popular evening radio show, "Coast To Coast AM", during which he discussed with host George Noory
George Noory
George Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
and with callers to the program his experiments with primary perception and findings of an interconnection between all living cells. He had been a guest several times before on Art Bell
Art Bell
Arthur W. "Art" Bell, III is an American broadcaster and author, known primarily as one of the founders and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM. He also created and formerly hosted its companion show, Dreamland...
's Coast to Coast, as well as on Jeff Rense
Jeff Rense
Jeff Rense is an American conspiracy theorist and radio talk-show host of the Jeff Rense Program, broadcast on US satellite radio via Republic Broadcasting Network and Internet radio....
's radio shows, and has presented papers at many international conferences and meetings as well as those in the U.S.A.
Backster's "Primary Perception" theory was a subject of the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
television show MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
. The team attempted to reproduce Backster's experiments using a polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
and an EEG machine
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
. It reproduced the plant experiment and initially got the polygraph reaction predicted by Backster's work. The team was unable to coax any measurable response out of yogurt cultures, white blood cells or eggs and the EEG test was also negative. Backster responded on a 2008 radio broadcast of "Coast to Coast AM". Italian public television RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
produced, in 1975, a four parts serial based on Backster's work and titled "La traccia verde" (the green trace).