Podcast Summary: The Telepathy Tapes

Host: Ky Dickens
Episode: S2E5: Animal Telepathy & Consciousness
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the phenomenon of animal telepathy and the broader question of consciousness that extends beyond humans. Building on the show's mission to challenge norms around communication—especially among non-speaking autistic individuals—Ky Dickens investigates stories and evidence suggesting that animals, too, possess rich inner lives and may communicate telepathically with both humans and each other. Through emotional family accounts, expert interviews, and remarkable stories, the episode pushes listeners to rethink what’s possible about mind-to-mind communication and the nature of consciousness itself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trevor and Blackjack: Telepathy Between Non-Speakers and Horses

• [02:52–07:06]
  • Trevor is a nonverbal autistic young man who communicates by spelling with his mother, Laura. Their bond deepened when Trevor began participating in an adaptive horseback riding program.
  • Through spelling, Trevor revealed personal details about the horses’ well-being and internal states—knowledge he could not have acquired by “normal” means.
  • Examples include knowing about the deaths of horses (“Blackjack was sad today because Buck died”) and private human conversations (“We talked about Nikki being pregnant with triplets”), all credited to direct communication with his favorite horse, Blackjack.
  • The communication persisted even at a distance. When Blackjack was ill and had to be put down, Trevor knew beforehand and expressed comfort and continued connection, stating, “I’m okay because he’s going home to heaven and I can ride him every day on the hill.”
    • Laura (05:34): “He spelled to me that he could even talk to him when he wasn’t there, like from our house. He could talk to him telepathically from anywhere that they had that connection.”

2. Animal Communicators: Practical Experience and Skepticism

• Alex Anderson (Animal Communicator, Pet Talk Communications, [07:26–09:41]) shares her origin story—discovering her ability following a crisis with her horse, which communicated “I can’t breathe” telepathically.
  • Alex (07:47): “All of a sudden, in my mind I heard, 'I can't breathe' really loud. And yeah, it shook me a bit.”
  • Her training in neuro-linguistics and hypnotherapy supported her belief in animal telepathy, noting animals don’t have limiting beliefs:
  • Alex (09:56): “Animals don’t [have a highly active conscious mind], so that is the flip side to this. This is the most natural form of communication for them. They have been born with it.”
• Emily Koenig, Danish national showjumper ([10:21–13:42]), recounts how animal communicator Dita Young helped solve a jumping problem. The horse refused jumps because he sensed Emily’s arthritis long before she and her family were aware of it.
  • Dita received impressions (“language and emotion”) from the horse telepathically and relayed them.
  • The horse communicated progress with medication before doctors could see the results.

3. Scientific Investigation: Dr. Rupert Sheldrake’s Research

• [18:18–22:21]
  • Sheldrake’s book "Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" popularized the study of animal telepathy.
  • Experiments involved controlling for mundane cues—owners traveled secretly, yet dogs anticipated their return precisely when the intent to come home was formed.
    • Sheldrake (19:20): “When we do these experiments, the dogs respond when we tell people to come home, when their intention is set to go home, before they've even got into the taxi, the dog starts waiting for them at the window.”
  • Other cases included a parrot (Nkisi) who picked up on the thoughts and dreams of its owner—describing pictures or thoughts she was having, even in separate rooms.

4. Anna Breitenbach and Interspecies Communication

• [22:31–34:06]
  • Anna is a renowned animal communicator who describes telepathy as “a merging of consciousness,” not simple sender-receiver mind reading.
    • Anna (24:57): “What’s really happening is just a direct knowing... It’s not just some impartial observer discerning what is. There’s a real heart-based connection.”
  • She recounts double-blind case studies that convinced her skepticism was misplaced, especially after a startlingly accurate transmission from a dog mourning his owner.
  • Memorable Story ([34:16–36:20]): Elephant conservationist Lawrence Anthony shared that elephants initiated telepathic communication to convey their fears or needs. After reassuring elephants about a new reserve’s safety, they began to use the land within days, seemingly responding to mental images and reassurance.

5. The Lawrence Anthony Elephant Story

• [36:16–39:41]
  • Recounted by Ky’s skeptical father, the story details how elephants, after Anthony’s death, traveled for two days to his home to mourn, despite not having visited in over a year. For three subsequent years, they returned on the anniversary of his death.
    • Ky’s Father (39:41): “So there seems to be some very deep connection between people, animals, maybe everything. There's just no rational explanation.”

6. Skepticism and Acceptance: From Vets to Non-Speakers

• Anna explains how a skeptical veterinarian was converted through her work, especially after a traumatized cat communicated her desire to be named after emotionally significant people in the vet’s life—a detail Anna could not have guessed ([41:18–44:30]).

7. Why Telepathy Exists: Evolutionary and Spiritual Theories

• Dr. Sheldrake (44:38): Suggests telepathy offers survival advantages—such as picking up others’ needs—and that animals are naturally better at it.
  • Sheldrake (44:38): “There’s nothing special about humans in telepathy or premonition... Dogs are more telepathic than most people.”
• The decline of these abilities in humans is attributed to reliance on technology: “When we developed telegrams, telephones, and emails, we didn’t need these abilities as much...”

8. Non-Speakers Reflect on Animal & Human Telepathy

• Philip (49:05–51:12): A non-speaking teen and son of animal communicator Dita Young explains that telepathy with animals and humans feels fundamentally similar—“They’re just souls. I understand oneness. It’s never been different for me.”
• He humorously wishes animals would introduce themselves before starting telepathic conversations: “I always say, hi, I’m Philip. When I greet someone. Often I get startled and then I want to leave.”
• Non-verbal communication, he says, “is the language of the heart. I’d wish that people understood they could communicate without words, because then we’d all speak with our hearts.”

9. Expanding Consciousness: Beyond Animals

• The episode closes with the idea that consciousness and communication may extend to all living things—including trees and rivers.
  • Anna Breitenbach (52:27): “Everything is infused with this life force, whether animate or seemingly inanimate... our human idea of consciousness is more like the lens of our inquiry as we’re looking in at one facet of the diamond of life.”
• Next week’s teaser: An exploration with a non-speaker who communicates with plants and can accurately recommend herbal cures.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 05:34 | Laura (Trevor’s Mom) | “He spelled to me that he could even talk to him when he wasn’t there, like from our house. He could talk to him telepathically from anywhere that they had that connection.” | | 07:47 | Alex Anderson | “All of a sudden, in my mind I heard, 'I can't breathe' really loud. And yeah, it shook me a bit.” | | 09:56 | Alex Anderson | “Animals don’t [have a highly active conscious mind]... Nobody’s ever told them it’s not possible.” | | 14:21 | Dita Young | “When you work at that high a level, you sense each other, you feel one another. You send images to the horse and it performs or it does whatever you need it to do... and that’s telepathy.” | | 19:20 | Dr. Sheldrake | “When we do these experiments, the dogs respond when we tell people to come home, when their intention is set... before they've even got into the taxi, the dog starts waiting for them at the window.” | | 24:57 | Anna Breitenbach | “What’s really happening is just a direct knowing in a much more than verbal way... There’s a real heart-based and care-based connection with that being.” | | 29:17 | Anna Breitenbach | “After that, I thought, goodness me, okay, I’m just gonna trust. And I don't always get it right. A lot of this work, quite frankly, is work on self— continue to get my ego out of the way.” | | 36:48 | Ky’s Father | “I haven't had much faith in religion or belief in things you can't see... But this [elephant] story changed that for me.” | | 39:41 | Ky’s Father | “There seems to be some very deep connection between people, animals, maybe everything. There's just no rational explanation...” | | 49:10 | Philip | “Communication is communication... There might be a slight difference... It feels different talking to someone angry than to someone who is feeling something else emotionally.” | | 50:44 | Philip | “Non verbal communication is the language of the heart. I’d wish that people understood they could communicate without words, because then we’d all speak with our hearts. That would be lovely.” | | 52:27 | Anna Breitenbach | “Everything is infused with this life force... our human idea of consciousness is more like the lens of our inquiry... it doesn't take a mirror self recognition test by a gorilla or an elephant to prove self awareness.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Trevor & Horses Story: [02:52–07:06]
• Alex Anderson, Animal Communication: [07:26–09:41]
• Emily Koenig & Dita Young, Horse Jumping: [10:21–13:42]
• Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, Scientific Testing: [18:18–22:21]
• Anna Breitenbach, Interspecies Communication: [22:31–34:06], [41:18–44:30], [52:27–55:19]
• Lawrence Anthony Elephant Story: [36:16–39:41]
• Non-speaker Philip’s Perspective: [49:05–51:22]
• Closing on Plant & Environmental Consciousness: [52:27–55:19]

Takeaways

• The episode powerfully illustrates that telepathic and intuitive communication can span species and may be a natural, universal capacity—especially for those less entangled in verbal or cultural conditioning.
• Shared stories—from the profoundly personal (Trevor and Blackjack) to the scientifically validated (Sheldrake's experiments) to cultural icons (the elephants mourning Lawrence Anthony)—invite listeners to reconsider the limits of communication and consciousness.
• The episode concludes with the radical (and poetic) suggestion that consciousness and communication are not just the province of humans—or even animals—but are integral to all life, ushering in the next episode's theme: plant telepathy.