From Telepathy to Near-Death Experiences: Consciousness Beyond the Brain in Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets, Set in Prague

I am not really a thriller reader. But when Dan Brown announced a new book set in Prague, the capital of my home country and one of my favourite cities, I knew I had to buy it. Prague is a city of alchemy, mystery, legends, hidden history and mysticism. The perfect backdrop for a Dan Brown story. This book inspired me to record a brand-new podcast episode exploring the fascinating ideas it raises about consciousness, telepathy, and life after death. (Ep 19, season3)

As a teenager, I devoured The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. They blew my mind. I already loved history, geography, ancient symbols, secret societies and global conspiracies, so Brown’s work felt phenomenal. And I was not the only one. The Da Vinci Code sparked a legacy of its own, fuelling conversations about Mary Magdalene, the sacred feminine, hidden gospels, and iconic places like Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

What makes The Secret of Secrets stand out is that the plot revolves around something even closer to my heart as a clinical hypnotherapist: consciousness. Brown’s characters explore the question of whether consciousness is really produced by the brain, or whether the brain is more like a receiver, tuning into a wider field of awareness.

For many of us who meditate or explore spirituality and mysticism, that idea is not new. So when I came across it in the book, it was not the concept that shocked me, but I loved how it was presented. I loved the plot line, and I appreciated the research and years of study Brown appears to have poured in to pull this off. I also found the specific studies he wove into the story fascinating. He did not rely only on spiritual beliefs or myths.

He anchored the novel in real research on precognition and presentiment, and pointed to other so-called anomalies too, such as near-death experiences, unusual language abilities reported after head injuries, epileptic phenomena, and questions about death itself. In my latest podcast episode, I explore these very studies and the wider implications they have for how we understand consciousness.

In this episode, I will take you through:

• A clear overview of the “brain as receiver” idea and why the brain-only model struggles with certain anomalies

• Presentiment research, where the body appears to respond seconds before an event occurs

• The Ganzfeld experiment and what it suggests about telepathy

• Psychologist Daryl Bem’s “Feeling the Future” study and the idea of retrocausality

• How the book tackles fear of death and why that matters for how we live

Listen to the full episode: 

The Inner Glow Podcast, Episode 19, Season 3 — From Telepathy to Near-Death Experiences: Consciousness Beyond the Brain in Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets, Set in Prague

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and also on my website. Simply search for The Inner Glow Podcast and the episode title.

I would love to hear what resonated with you. Will you read The Secret of Secrets?

Do you feel consciousness is more than the brain? What part of the research intrigued you most? Drop me a message on Instagram or Facebook, or send an email and let me know.

With Love,

Stepanka