Jay Shetty & Ky Dickens ON Link Between Telepathy and Autism

Have you ever wondered if genuine telepathy exists—or if we might one day communicate without speaking at all?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty sits down with documentary filmmaker Ky Dickens to explore the fascinating world of non-speaking individuals. Non-verbal children appear to share information, ideas, and even emotional states through telepathy. Ky Dickens describes her transformation from a social-justice filmmaker focused on issues like healthcare and paid family leave, into a profound investigator of consciousness.

New Territory

Ky Dickens opened up to Jay Shetty about the beginning of The Telepathy Tapes; she was focused on creating documentaries aimed at driving social policy changes. The filmmaker hadn't explored spirituality or organized religion on a deeper level until she lost two close friends, whose deaths made her question the purpose of our existence. Grieving and seeking answers about what happens after we die, Dickens stumbled upon neuroscience expert Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, whose work focuses on the link between autism and telepathy.

Intrigued, Dickens decided to look deeper into the topic. She told Jay Shetty that it was fascinating to see all the accounts of people who claimed that non-verbal autistic children could read other people's minds and could communicate through telepathy. She was overwhelmed by the testimonies of mind-reading phenomena, so she could not ignore this topic, so she felt compelled to create a documentary to capture their stories.

From Savant Syndrome to Telepathy Research

Ky Dickens shared with Jay Shetty how Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell came to research the topic of telepathy. She was initially studying the savant syndrome in autistic children, an affliction where a person displays remarkable skills or knowledge (such as mathematics, music, or languages) without any formal instruction.

During her research, parents of some savant children insisted there might be more than just enhanced memory or pattern recognition at play. Some of them seemed to read entire books in another room through a sibling's eyes. Others knew details of their parents' day without seeing or hearing about it. These testimonies led Dr. Powell to research telepathy and ESP (extra-sensory perception) in non-speaking children.

However, this research topic hurt Dr. Powell's reputation when she published findings that contradicted materialistic views. Licensing boards questioned her sanity, proving once more that standard science doesn't see "taboo" phenomena with good eyes. Yet Dr. Powell continued her work, firmly believing the accounts from families with autistic non-verbal children.

Encounters That Redefined Reality

Ky Dickens shares with Jay Shetty her first-hand experiments, which she conducted independently of Dr. Powell. She wanted to see if telepathy in non-speaking children could be explained in a different way. In her research, she met a family whose child accurately communicated specific words and information to his mother, despite being unable to see the flashcards.

The filmmaker describes to Jay Shetty how she tried multiple variations of these telepathy tests, yet the results were consistent and supported Dr. Powell's theory. Children unable to speak could read their parents' minds with remarkable consistency, and the experiences even stretched to knowing where their relatives are, what they do in their absence.

Spelling to Communicate

Ky Dickens told Jay Shetty that many non-verbal individuals use a spelling system to help them communicate with others. Since they lack fine motor skills like speaking, they can only point to letters and numbers using their gross motor skills.

While major organizations dismissed spelling as "pseudoscience," Jay Shetty and Ky Dickens discuss if it can be seen as a valid form of expression. In the past, spelling involved touching the patient, which may be considered leading. Yet, the filmmaker explains how the no-touch spelling approach generates consistent results.

Ky Dickens experienced this phenomenon first-hand - she was surprised by a child who had knowledge of complex math or could read entire novels, although they had never learned it in a formal sense. Seeing this, families began to wonder what else their children could do or what other information they could have.

Mind-Body Disconnect

Ky Dickens shares with Jay Shetty that many of these children also suffered from apraxia, a condition showing a disruption between the brain's commands and the body's movements. She explains that while many non-speakers have been diagnosed with autism, it may be more accurate to focus on apraxia instead. These people generally don't feel their body fully, to the extent that some don't even understand they have multiple fingers unless actively trained to perceive them.

Typically, we assume that people's behavior is in line with their inner thoughts. However, for those with apraxia, their body doesn't follow the mind, and if they can't speak, it is even more difficult for others to understand what they want, need, or think. So, Ky Dickens shares examples with Jay Shetty, where parents discovered their children's preferences or knowledge only after starting to use the spelling method to communicate.

Similarly, some monks can disconnect from pain, like touching a hot plate without reflexively pulling away. This indicated a deeper link between the mind and body, or the ability to bypass the body's usual alarm system. So, for non-speaking individuals, their daily experience may be more focused on consciousness, since their bodies' signals are unreliable.

Investigating "The Hill"

Ky Dickens shares with Jay Shetty about "The Hill", a concept of a telepathic chat space that multiple non-speakers from around the world seem to reference. Different individuals from different parts of the world mentioned communicating with other non-speakers on "The Hill."

The filmmaker explains to Jay Shetty that some people with whom she interacted block out noise with pillows covering their ears to focus better in this intangible space. Although it may sound unbelievable to many, Ky Dickens no longer believes it to be a made-up concept because of how often she hears it from people with no apparent connection, scattered around the globe.

Remote Viewing, Animal Consciousness, and CIA Research

Jay Shetty and Ky Dickens discuss the history of telepathy research that implies humans and animals possess unseen bonds. The filmmaker mentions CIA's Project Stargate and Project Grill Flame—efforts from the 1970s and 1980s to harness remote viewing, where individuals claimed to see distant or hidden objects by focusing their minds. Although secret to the public, the declassified documents reveal that some participants showed remarkable precision even in difficult circumstances, such as being in submarines underwater.

Similarly, Rupert Sheldrake's work on animal telepathy shows that they know what humans think, from cats sensing when their owner started driving home to entire herds of elephants mourning a human friend on the anniversary of their death.1 Ky Dickens tells Jay Shetty that telepathic phenomena are not new, but they have been overshadowed by mainstream science, which is focused on more measurable, material concepts.

However, Jay Shetty is familiar with spiritual traditions (especially in the East), that have long claimed consciousness to be non-local or outside the physical body. You may increase awareness by practicing certain yoga techniques or by facilitating experiences that extend beyond the standard perceptions.

The Threat of Stigma and the Need for Ethical Research

When investigating phenomena that cannot be explained by modern science, researchers may face defamation. Dr. Powell risked her career by publishing a book on telepathy; licensing boards attempted to revoke her credentials until they evaluated her mental state. Jay Shetty and Ky Dickens discuss how mainstream science often denies or dismisses inquiries that challenge materialistic views.

Yet the filmmaker is adamant that any future research must respect the dignity and autonomy of non-speakers. The primary goal should be to provide them with better educational resources (such as free or affordable spelling training centers), not testing them in lab environments. Dickens shares with Jay Shetty her dream of creating community spaces where non-speakers and scientists can meet and interact on equal footing.

Ky Dickens is concerned about the potential exploitation of non-speakers. They can be vulnerable, especially if they rely heavily on someone to help them stay grounded. So, the filmmaker told Jay Shetty that ethical protocols must ensure that no one feels like a mere subject of experimentation, but like dignified humans.

Living With Openness to Telepathy

Jay Shetty and Ky Dickens discuss the potential reasons why people shy away from the concept of telepathy. For many, the idea of someone else hearing their private thoughts is uncomfortable, even frightening. However, the filmmaker explains that several teachers have unexpectedly experienced a form of telepathy after working closely with a child familiar with the spelling method. They begin to hear entire sentences in their mind, an occurrence both intriguing and rattling at the same time.

To Dickens, this is proof that love, presence, and trust play a crucial role in experiencing telepathy; she believes it is more likely to happen between individuals who share genuine care and trust for one another. It can also happen in everyday life, like when someone you thought about calls you. While some circumstances may be dismissed as coincidences, repeated patterns leave many wondering about what lies beyond conscious awareness.

Seeing Things in a Different Light

After working for so long with non-speakers, Ky Dickens sees her fate deeply connected to their destinies and their families'. She admitted to Jay Shetty that she no longer doubted telepathy or other similar phenomena. In her view, non-speakers are guiding us toward a broader understanding of consciousness altogether - some are even able to predict future events, pick up foreign languages telepathically, and communicate with loved ones who have passed away.

Jay Shetty observes how these testimonies mirror Eastern philosophies that teach that consciousness is eternal, filled with knowledge, and grounded in love. Looking toward the future, Ky Dickens remains passionate about this topic and hopes for a renaissance in understanding consciousness and interconnectedness, rather than focusing solely on physical or technological advancements. She emphasizes that if we do live in a universe in which telepathy and shared consciousness exist, then we need to cultivate compassion both in our actions and thoughts, benefiting each other.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode “Telepathy Tapes Creator Ky Dickens Reveals Shocking NEW Evidence on the Link Between Telepathy and Non-Speakers with Autism” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.