Podcast Summary: The Telepathy Tapes

REWIND: Talk Tracks Ep. 6: Alzheimer’s and Telepathy

Host: Ky Dickens
Date: December 19, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Telepathy Tapes revisits Dan Gerke’s remarkable story of telepathic communication with his wife, Denise, after Alzheimer's disease stripped her of speech. Through Dan’s experience and testimony, the episode explores whether consciousness and connection can survive (and even thrive) beyond the boundaries of language and memory. Packed with poignant reflections, firsthand accounts, and curious scientific questions, it’s an intimate look at what happens to communication, love, and consciousness in the face of neurodegeneration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: Why Alzheimer's and Telepathy?

• Host Ky Dickens introduces the topic, explaining a wave of listener emails about shared thought and nonverbal communication with loved ones who have Alzheimer’s or dementia.
• The episode aims to broaden the lens of telepathy, moving from non-speakers with autism to aging adults losing language.

2. Listener Letters Spark the Conversation

• Katherine Ellis (Telepathy Tapes coordinator) shares that over 20 people wrote in reporting moments of thought-sharing or telepathy with loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

  “Some of the people who wrote in even said they were afraid they were going crazy, but that they were absolutely certain that something real was happening—that their loved one was somehow communicating with them beyond words.” (B, 04:02)

3. Dan Gerke’s Story: Love, Loss, and Telepathy

Diagnosis and Early Challenges

• Dan recounts devastating early days: Denise was diagnosed at 56 after 1.5 years of symptoms.

  “I was shocked that somebody 56 years old could have Alzheimer’s... Denise’s reaction was somewhat muted. She just sat there.” (C, 05:01)

• Denise’s proactive approach: gathering information, determined to live life as fully as possible.

The Turning Point: Losing Speech, Gaining New Communication

• As Denise lost her ability to speak, Dan felt a new way of connecting emerge—communication not based on words.
• The breakthrough: after an especially hard caregiving day, Dan asks (in frustration and in his mind) for help—and clearly "hears" Denise reply telepathically.

  “In my mind I heard her voice, the intonation of her voice say, ‘Well, talk to me.’” (C, 08:52)

Telepathic Problem-Solving

• Dan describes how Denise, asleep, taught him—via mental images and words—how to physically assist her with daily tasks (like using the toilet and getting into the car). Implementation was immediate and successful.

  “She explains, ‘Well, okay, so you gotta position me…’ and at the same time, I now know she was showing me pictures... I get up the next morning… within 30 seconds, I've got her sitting down... victory dance.” (C, 12:27)

Philosophical Reflections: Who Was He Communicating With?

• Dan believes he was connecting with Denise’s "higher self," her soul, rather than her surface personality.

  “That higher self and soul is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-loving. And so I also think...they become more connected with their higher selves...as they lose all the sensations and the physicality.” (C, 13:50)

• Other caregivers echo this, feeling their loved ones are “slipping into the next realm.” (B, 14:50)

Extending the Gift: Communicating With Other Alzheimer’s Patients

• After opening up to the possibility, Dan began experiencing incoming telepathic communication from other Alzheimer’s patients, both in-person at memory care facilities and from distances.

  “Their higher selves would recognize that, hey, this guy Dan, he can hear you...these people saw that I could hear them and talk to them.” (C, 18:15)

• Similar to teachers who, after initial breakthroughs, reported receiving telepathic messages from several nonverbal students. (A & B, 20:12–20:24)

4. Notable Experiences and Confirmations

Profound Validation

• Dan describes a deeply meaningful vision involving his late father and Denise, where Denise later verbally acknowledges it despite her disease.

  “She opens her eyes, and she says to me, ‘I am so looking forward to getting to know your dad.’ ...I was speechless. I did not need validation, but here it was right in my face.” (C, 22:17)

5. Practical Advice: Tapping Into Nonverbal Connection

For Telepathy/Connection

• Dan emphasizes beginning with small meditations—just a minute or two of quiet openness—and building up as comfortable.

  “A lot of people think, oh, meditate, you gotta sit there for an hour…No, it starts with a minute or two…It’s more about quieting your mind, opening your mind and your heart to what’s out there in the universe.” (C, 23:42)

For Caregivers

• The disease affects the caregiver as much as (or more than) the patient—don’t isolate yourself, join support groups, and accept help.

  “This is a disease about the caregiver...You are going to get worn out. You're going to get frustrated beyond measure…don't isolate yourself and accept help.” (C, 25:49)

• Acceptance and presence:

  “Through that whole disease, I learned you live one moment at a time. Be in this present moment, because all the Alzheimer's person has is this exact moment.” (C, 27:46)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On fear of being dismissed:

  “They were terrified to talk about it openly because they didn’t think they'd be taken seriously.” (A, 03:17)

• On telepathic breakthrough:

  “If I could only talk to you... and in my mind I heard her voice, the intonation of her voice say, ‘Well, talk to me.’” (C, 08:52)

• On higher self:

  “Who I am communicating with is Denise’s higher self. Her soul, said another way.” (C, 13:50)

• On the role of caregivers:

  “This is a disease about the caregiver…don’t isolate yourself and accept help.” (C, 25:49)

• On cherishing the present:

  “Be in this present moment, because all the Alzheimer’s person has is this exact moment.” (C, 27:46)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Listener Letters & Introduction: 03:04–04:21
• Dan Gerke: Diagnosis & Backstory: 05:01–06:43
• First Telepathic Experience: 08:52–12:27
• Telepathy with Other Alzheimer’s Patients: 17:43–19:04
• Profound Validations (Dan’s Father & Denise): 20:37–22:17
• Practical Advice—Meditation/Connection: 23:42–25:11
• Caregiving Realities & Support: 25:25–27:46

Tone & Presentation

• The episode is compassionate, open-minded, and pragmatic—often tinged with awe and encouragement.
• Both host and guests express skepticism, wonder, and sincere support for caregivers.

Closing

The episode concludes with an encouragement for caregivers to seek help and community, and a reminder of resources like support groups through the Alzheimer’s Association and National Institute on Aging.

Next up: Dan Gerke returns as Season Two reaches its pivotal conclusion—promising a deeper dive into the nature of consciousness and our capacity for connection, regardless of words or memory loss.