Plants Are People Too

Imagine a being that can sense your presence from a mile away. This being feels pain when harmed and communicates without words. Would you think this was a magical creature from a fairy tale, or perhaps an entity from outer space? It may surprise you to realize that these beings are all around us—plants.

Modern scientific research is catching up to what many ancient cultures have known for thousands of years—that plants are far more sentient than we have realized (Gagliano, 2017). Though often dismissed as passive, mindless organisms, plants demonstrate awareness, communication, memory, and even social behavior. In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer teaches us: In several Native American languages, the word for "plant" translates to "those who take care of us.” There is so much more to learn about plants!

My purpose in this writing is to share what I’ve discovered during my studies of life and land— that plants are conscious beings, far more sentient and complex than we know, and are deserving of respect, protection, and relationship—just like any other sentient form of life.

Plants experience the world through a sensory system; different from ours but similar in many ways. They do not have sensory organs in one central location like human eyes and ears, but they can experience sight, sound, touch, and the presence of other beings with decentralized systems that run through their whole bodies. Phototropism, the way that plants orient toward light, is a clear example of their sensory intelligence.

Studies show that plants can detect vibrations from a caterpillar chewing on leaves and respond by producing defensive chemicals (Gagliano, 2017). Mimosa pudica plants have been shown to 'remember' harmless stimuli, as demonstrated in Monica Gagliano’s groundbreaking experiments.

Peter Wohlleben, who spent decades in one of the last remaining old-growth forests in Europe (2016), describes how trees transmit electrical impulses, similar to a nervous system, to warn other plants of danger. Roots also use fungal networks, known as mycorrhizae, to share information and nutrients—similar to human neural pathways. He shares a touching story of discovering a tree stump being kept alive by surrounding younger trees who were sending sugars and nutrients to their tree mother, even though she had been cut down.

Yogananda (1946), who brought yoga to the western world in the early 20th century, and Backster (2003), who conducted some of the groundbreaking experience in our modern era showing the sentience of plants, both recount experiments where plants exhibited measurable signs of distress when harmed, further suggesting that they experience a form of pain or fear.

Plants also communicate in complex and intelligent ways. Their communication is not just theoretical—it is scientifically validated. Trees release airborne chemicals to alert nearby plants of insect attacks (Wohlleben, 2016). Underground, the 'Wood Wide Web' connects roots through fungal networks to share resources and information—an intelligent, cooperative system (Wohlleben, 2016). Backster (2003) observed that houseplants can respond to their caretakers’ presence and emotional states, even from a distance. Yogananda (1946) noted improved plant growth when exposed to music or positive speech. Just like humans!

Plants can also differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar organisms. Gagliano (2017) presents evidence that some plants change behavior based on familiarity, mirroring human-like social interactions. These patterns suggest a collective intelligence—an ecosystem-level consciousness—where each plant contributes to the whole.

Plants and humans share key traits, such as circadian rhythms and learning behavior. They adapt to light, seasons, and external stimuli (Wohlleben, 2016; Gagliano, 2017). Both species respond to sound and electromagnetic frequencies. Backster (2003) showed that plants react to musical tones, just as humans do emotionally and physically.

Plants suffer when isolated and thrive in cooperative communities—much like humans (Wohlleben, 2016). Trees in cities without companions can “forget” how to communicate, and do not thrive in growth and health above or below ground. Many indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions recognize plant consciousness. Kimmerer (2013) shares indigenous beliefs that treat plants as relatives and teachers. Yogananda (1946) frames all life as expressions of a unified divine consciousness.

How can we create a more harmonious, interconnected world? By acknowledging plant sentience and transforming how we relate to the natural world. Viewing plants as conscious beings discourages destructive practices like deforestation and mono-agriculture (Kimmerer, 2013). Eco-psychological practices like forest bathing reduce stress and enhance human well-being. This is practiced in Japan, and doctors are even known to write prescriptions of forest-bathing for people struggling with things like depression and anxiety. Even caring for houseplants has been shown to improve mental health (Gagliano, 2017). Any gardener will tell you that hands in the soil and a day in the garden can completely shift your emotional and energetic state.

Legal efforts are now emerging to grant personhood to trees, rivers, and forests. This reflects a growing ethical shift that values nature’s rights (Kimmerer, 2013). Recognizing plants as sentient beings is a beautiful component of a spiritual awakening. As we dissolve the illusion of separation, we begin to live in unity with all life (Yogananda, 1946).

Plants are not just decorative life forms for us to use and abuse—they are intelligent, aware, and communicative. They sense, feel, and adapt to their environment (Gagliano, 2017; Wohlleben, 2016). From chemical messages to social behavior, plants exhibit many qualities we associate with personhood (Backster, 2003).

Rather than seeing plants as something separate from us, that is solely there for us to extract value from, we can relate to them as partners in the dance of life. As Kimmerer (2013) writes: the forest is not a resource, but a family. We can conduct little experiments and create new habits to explore this new understanding of plants as sentient beings. Walk through a forest. Hug a tree. Tend a garden. Name your houseplant. Talk to it. Sing to it. Care for it. This is how we can live in harmony with our plant siblings: not above nature, but part of it.

References

Backster, C. (2003). Primary Perception: Biocommunication with Plants, Living Foods, and Human Cells. White Rose Millennium Press.

Gagliano, M. (2017). Thus Spoke the Plant: A Remarkable Journey of Groundbreaking Scientific Discoveries and Personal Encounters with Plants. North Atlantic Books.

Kimmerer, R.W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions.

Wohlleben, P. (2016). The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World (J. Billinghurst, Trans.). Greystone Books.

Yogananda, P. (1946). Autobiography of a Yogi. Self-Realization Fellowship.