Who is Cleve Backster?

There's a book called "The Secret Life of Plants" published in 1973 by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. It reads like it's written for a science periodical, but if you can make it through it, you'll read about Cleve Backster. Cleve Backster is an American polygraph scientist (i.e. lie detector). He just happened upon the more esoteric approach to plants one day in his lab, when he decided to attach the polygraph electrodes to a Philodendron sp. leaf. The results were amazing!

Backster tried many experiments. For example, he tried damaging parts of the plant (e.g. pouring boiling water on leaves, tearing, etc.), and he'd watch the polygraph print out. He'd set the clear intention that he would damage the plant, and the plant would react with an "excited" response. Then he'd pretend he was going to damage the plant, but not really intending to - and the plant wasn't fooled, and had no response. What this shows to me is that there is an energy to our thoughts and intentions, and that the plant picks up on this energy, especially when it's health is at risk!

Backster also tried bringing in another person, to come into the lab at a time that Backster didn't know, and damage the plant. Later, Backster would bring in other random people into the lab to be in physical proximity to the plant and test the plant's response. When the plant damager would come into the room, the plant would give an excited response. Backster found that plants responded to not only their own well being, but produced excited responses when in a room next door, live shrimp were being cooked alive in boiling water. I think in the book there was speculation that this could be used in murder cases - why don't the police think to test the plants in the room where the murder occurred! The plants know who did it!

Unfortunately, Backster got a lot of ridicule for his experiments, and many failed at replicated his experiments. The term, "The Backster Effect" was coined as Backster seemed to be the only one who could have these results. However, I think this is because most scientists didn't take seriously that their own thoughts and intentions, and the thoughts and intentions of all those in the lab affect the results! Trust me, I have a Bachelor of Science, and the flaw in the scientific method is that scientists think they can step back from their experiment, from Nature, to study it. They don't account for their own influence on the experiment! For example, I had a friend in university that was studying squirrel behaviour. She would basically sit in their habitat and observe. I'm sure she learned many things, but I suspect the squirrels would change their behaviour because there was a human in their home!

Cleve Backster is not only an polygraph expert, but is now known for his work with the lie detector and biocommunication with plants.

Written and Researched by Kim Tanasichuk. Copyright © 2007-2009 Kim Tanasichuk. All Rights Reserved. You may not reproduce any content on this website without the written permission of Kim Tanasichuk.

Videos About Cleve Backster

Videos courtesy of Youtube and Google Video and Copyright to Their Owners

Cleve Backster - from the Secret Life of Plants