Cleve Backster
In 1966, Backster conducted an experiment where he attached polygraph electrodes to a plant and observed its responses to his thoughts, including the intention to harm it.
Cleve Backster was a former CIA polygraph expert and interrogation specialist. He is known for his controversial experiments on plant sentience and his theory of "primary perception," which suggested that plants have consciousness and can respond to human thoughts and intentions.1
In 1966, Backster conducted an experiment where he attached polygraph electrodes to a plant and observed its responses to his thoughts, including the intention to harm it. He claimed the plant showed a measurable reaction, leading him to believe in a form of ESP in plant life. He published his findings as "Evidence of a Primary Perception in Plant Life," which became the subject of the bestselling book The Secret Life of Plants.1
Backster's work, while widely criticized by mainstream scientists for lacking scientific rigor, caught the attention of Hal Puthoff, who was interested in exploring the boundaries of Animate Physics. Backster also conducted experiments with Ingo Swann, who later became a key figure in the Stargate Project.1
Sources
- Jacobsen, Annie. Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis. Little, Brown and Company, 2017. ↩
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