Backster and Primary Perception
Cleve Backster’s work in the late ’60s and early ’70s was an important impetus for the best selling book THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. In the ’80s and 90s, his work was chronicled by Robert Stone in THE SECRET LIFE OF YOUR CELLS and many periodicals. His research journey started with the 1966 almost accidental rediscovery that plants are sentient and respond to the spontaneous emotions and strongly expressed intentions of relevant humans.3 (For example, J. Chandra Bose of India had demonstrated a similar principle in the early part of the 20th century.) Using an instrument to measure galvanic skin responses (GSR), a part of his polygraph or lie detector stock-in-trade, Backster attempted to determine whether it would measure the moment of rehydration of a plant whose roots were freshly watered. It did not, but, to his surprise, the GSR meter registered his threat to burn the plant leaf when he spontaneously thought of the idea.
Subsequent to his accidental discovery, in an amazing series of experiments, he demonstrated that the expression of genuine emotion and intent by humans caused measurable reactions (“Primary Perception”) in the cells of leaves, fruits, and vegetables. They also reacted to behaviors or changes in states of animals and insects. Conversely, in what Backster labeled “fainting,” plants ceased their normal functioning when horrific treatment (burning, scalding, and chemical destruction) was continued on the parallel materials or the presence of hostile individuals was introduced into the lab. This reaction seems to correspond to Shock Syndrome in humans. More detailed protocols demonstrated that plants possess some discriminatory capability, making them capable of distinguishing individuals who have either destroyed related plants or have very positive intentions. Plants seem to know who has the sentiment to become a “green thumb.”
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