Podcast Summary: The Telepathy Tapes

Host: Kai Dickens
Episode: S2E10 - "Cognitive Decline and Higher Consciousness"
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Telepathy Tapes delves into the intersection of cognitive decline (such as dementia and Alzheimer's) and the possibility of telepathic or non-verbal communication—particularly connection with the "higher self" even when language and memory fail. Through a blend of personal stories, scientific insights, and conversations with mediums and researchers, Host Kai Dickens explores whether communication and consciousness persist beyond the brain’s decline and if telepathy might serve as a bridge when words are lost.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Why Look at Dementia and Telepathy?

• Kai Dickens outlines the theme: Data and science are useful, but what about mysteries science can't yet measure—like the existence of the soul or higher self?
• The episode asks: When language disappears due to disease, is there still a way to connect—perhaps telepathically?
• Inspiration: Experiences with non-speaking autistic individuals challenge the assumption that cognition and connection are confined to the brain.

2. Rebecca’s Journey: From Skepticism to Hope

[03:26] Rebecca’s Introduction & Background

• Initially called in to translate for a non-speaking autistic child’s telepathy trials in Season 1.
• Professionally, Rebecca is an animator, not involved in ESP or unconventional science.

[04:48] Her Initial Belief System

• Entered skeptically, expecting to spot the trick as an "animator’s eye."
• "By the end of the second day, I genuinely felt, okay, if people don't believe this, I don't even need to convince them anymore because it's real whether someone believes it or not." (Rebecca, 06:37)

[06:51] Rebecca’s Family Story

• Her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2016 led to gradual, then severe, decline: wandering off, not recognizing loved ones, ultimately requiring nursing care.
• Profound family impact, especially for her mother struggling with guilt and grief.

3. Widening the Lens: Telepathy Beyond Autism

[11:39] Listener Emails and Emergent Stories

• Kai received multiple emails claiming telepathic connection not just with non-speaking autistics, but also with dementia, coma, or stroke patients.

[13:20] Dan Gerke’s Story

• Dan, a medium, first connects telepathically with his wife Denise, who suffered early-onset dementia.
• He describes conversations with her higher self while she was non-verbal and asleep, helping with care challenges like using the bathroom or getting into the car.
  • "She starts explaining. And again, I'm hearing her voice and I'm looking down next to me, right? She's fast asleep, not moving a muscle." (Dan, 14:21)
• His gift expanded—sometimes receiving messages from other living dementia patients, often without prior contact.

[16:40] Insight:

• Dan is described as a medium for the living (not just the deceased), using telepathy as his mechanism.

4. Further Testimony: Mediums and Caregivers

[17:08] More Medium Stories

• Elodie and Sean Collins: Mediums report similar experiences communicating with non-verbal or comatose people through telepathy—regardless of age, illness, or whether the person is alive or deceased.

[18:27] Jane’s Real-Life Example

• Elodie helped Jane locate a missing family member with dementia—describing physical injury and specific geography (e.g., scratches, near a culvert), without prior info. This led directly to the rescue.
  • "And sure enough, they had all the marks, like from branches and things like that." (Jane, 22:23)

5. Rebecca’s Experiment: Telepathy with Her Father

[26:49] Preparation and Approach

• Rebecca decides to try connecting her father (Pedro, who only speaks Spanish) with Dan Gerke, who only speaks English.
• Dan asserts: "Language is not a barrier. As far as telepathy goes." (Dan, 27:11)

[32:33] The Session: Experiences and Evidence

• In-person meeting at Pedro’s care facility with Dan attempting to connect telepathically.
• Evidential messages:
  • Desire for more flavorful food (consistent with Pedro’s lifelong Tabasco habit).
  • Apology and regret for being “a difficult person”—information privately shared with his wife before Alzheimer's, and unknown to Dan.
  • Concern about Rebecca’s car (Pedro was a mechanic; Rebecca’s car was found to have a dangerous fuel leak after she returned home).
    • "Two weeks ago, I was going over a speed bump... I need to check my car." (Rebecca, 36:24)

[34:00] Memorable Exchange:

• Pedro says, "You have to turn on your mind so you can talk."
• As they discuss with Dan, Pedro describes telepathy as "talking through the wind," gestures to his temple, and points at Dan, reflecting a non-linear, frequency-based understanding.

6. Anomalies: Language, Cognition, and the “Wind”

[40:17] Language Paradox

• Rebecca realizes she didn’t translate Dan's English responses for Pedro, yet Pedro replies appropriately, suggesting communication occurred telepathically rather than verbally.

7. Additional Observations: Dan’s Facility Experience

[41:50] Other Patients Respond

• While leaving, Rebecca observes multiple non-verbal patients in the facility showing excitement and flagging Dan down, seeking connection:
  • "Normally, nobody speaks there... but it felt like there were smiles, there was wide eyes." (Rebecca, 43:28)

8. Emotional Impact and Acceptance

[44:16] Results for Rebecca and Her Family

• Closure and comfort: Rebecca’s father lucidly tells her he understands why he’s in the facility and expresses love, ending years of silence.
  • “He goes, I understand. It's okay... and it. And it's okay. So it's like, thanks.” (Rebecca, 46:51)

9. Scientific and Spiritual Reflections

[49:28] Dan and Rebecca Discuss the “Other Side”

• Dan theorizes that as the disease progresses, people become less connected to the physical and more attached to the spiritual plane.
  • "...they become less and less connected to the physical world, and they're more and more connected to the spiritual plane..." (Dan, 49:28)

[52:31] Dr. Neil Theise's Perspective

• Terminal patients, including his mother with Parkinson’s and dementia, commonly see or speak with deceased loved ones.
• These experiences are more common than believed (over 88% in hospice, per Dr. Christopher Kerr's research).
• Patients report deathbed visions, sometimes with telepathic (non-verbal) communication—supporting the idea of the brain as a filter, not a generator, of consciousness.
  • "Are they really perceiving less or are they perceiving more?" (Dr. Theise, 59:23)

[55:49] Quantum and Spiritual Insights

• Dr. Theise’s mother describes experiencing "space" and "time" as particulate, aligning with ideas from quantum physics and Buddhism.
  • "She said... space. I said, really? What's that like? She said, well, it's not at all what I expected and it's just so beautiful..." (Dr. Theise, 55:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rebecca: "By the end of the second day, I genuinely felt, okay, if people don't believe this, I don't even need to convince them anymore because it's real whether someone believes it or not." [06:37]
• Dan Gerke: “I’ve come to believe that who I am communicating with is Denise’s higher self...all seeing, all knowing, all loving.” [15:44]
• Elodie (medium): “It’s all telepathy. And I have done sessions where I'm communicating with someone's mom...but she's still living. She has Alzheimer and has been nonverbal for years.” [17:08]
• Pedro (via Rebecca): “See the wind? Do you see the wind out there? That's how we talk.” [38:17]
• Rebecca: “My dad wouldn't be talking about telepathy... that's totally abnormal for my dad...” [39:21]
• Dr. Neil Theise: "She made this gesture...said, well, it’s not smooth. It’s like chopping carrots, it's in pieces and it’s just so beautiful. And time is like that too.” [55:49]
• Dan Gerke: "As the disease...progresses, they become less and less connected to the physical world, and more and more connected to the spiritual plane..." [49:28]
• Dr. Theise: "In the dying brain, the filtering of the greater consciousness that underlies everything, the filtering is diminished. You're getting a more pure reflection..." [59:23]
• Rebecca: "He gave me that gift when his last words to me were that [he was okay], and he literally used his words, which is very rare." [47:47]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:48] Rebecca’s initial beliefs
• [06:51] Rebecca’s father’s decline and impact on the family
• [13:20] Dan Gerke’s first telepathic connection with his wife Denise
• [18:27] Jane’s story: Telepathy helps find missing loved one with dementia
• [34:00] Key moment: Pedro describes “turning on your mind” for telepathic communication
• [38:17] Pedro’s metaphoric description: Connecting “through the wind”
• [40:17] Language paradox during telepathic exchange
• [41:50] Other patients in the facility respond to Dan
• [44:16] Back to hope: did the experience provide comfort and closure?
• [49:28] Dan on people with Alzheimer’s becoming “more connected to the other side”
• [52:31] Dr. Neil Theise’s scientific and personal insights on end-of-life visions
• [55:49] Quantum and spiritual perspective from Dr. Theise’s mother
• [59:23] Telepathy and thinning of the veil in dying patients

Flow and Takeaways

• The episode masterfully weaves scientific, anecdotal, and spiritual perspectives, moving from family drama to high theory, showing an openness to the inexplicable and the mysterious.
• It honors vulnerability in facing cognitive decline while suggesting that new (sometimes deeper) modes of connection may become available when the familiar ones fall away.
• Strong message: Even as bodies and brains decline, consciousness—and the longing for genuine connection—may transcend physical limits.

Next Episode Tease

The season continues with an exploration of "mindsight"—the ability for children to see through a blindfold—drawing a parallel to the openness at both ends of life’s spectrum.