The Secret of Secrets and Beyond
Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s new top bestseller describes The Secret of Secrets as the possibility that science can prove there is something beyond the threshold of death. That concept inspired my banned TEDxDuke2022 talk on The Spiritual Alphabet Soup of Death and Dying which was crafted to fit the “Liminal” theme for the event. My 12-minute review of NDE, NDA, SDE, and ADC highlighted the scientific evidence about each of these abbreviations for mystical states around the time of death.
Brown’s book is the 6th thrilling adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon with an encore role for noetic scientist Katherine Solomon who previously was featured in The Lost Symbol. Her character is reported to be loosely based on my friend parapsychologist Marilyn Schlitz, an actual noetic researcher who was former president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. We met a few decades ago at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, NC, where we have both been board members.
Marilyn has been passionate about non-local consciousness research for many years. My favorite paper of hers was an enhancement of the classic Ganzfeld (full-field) experiments done with Juilliard students. One subject watched a provocative video while another in an isolation chamber attempted to receive the images and later choose the correct video from 4 different choices. The original studies were statistically significant at 33% correct, but she got 50% for all students and 75% for the musicians.
The book is a wild ride through the latest revelations in the field of consciousness research featuring out-of-body and near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, remote viewing, psychedelics, brain implants, mind control, and virtual reality. It is set in Prague which in Czech is translated as Praha meaning Threshold, and the story includes a bonus visit from its legendary Golem. Secrets is Brown’s riskiest dive yet into the world of conspiracies featuring the CIA and their venture capital spin off In-Q-Tel.
Research in remote viewing was sponsored by the CIA for several decades through Project Star Gate from 1972 to 1995 despite denial of its existence until declassification of records in 2017. My friend and fellow board member from the Rhine Center, Joe McMoneagle, is the most famous psychic spy from that program known for remote viewing an advanced Russian submarine in 1979 that none of his military colleagues believed could exist until it was confirmed by satellite imagery a year later.
The CIA has also been interested in terror management theory, one of Katherine Solomon’s research areas exploring death anxiety as the greatest motivator of human behavior. However, in my TEDx talk I make the point that learning about NDEs and related topics is a proven way to decrease the fear of death. For that reason, I am participating in an upcoming online summit, Between Worlds: A Global Gathering on Death, Dying, and Sacred Transition, to be held on November 3 & 4, 2025, with replays later.
I’m a presenter at the Between Worlds Online Gathering — a sacred two-day event exploring how we can reimagine death, dying, grief, and transition through ceremony, community, and healing. Together, we’ll weave wisdom from ancient traditions, modern death care, and soul-level healing practices. This gathering is for anyone drawn to conscious end-of-life care and transformation. Topics include conscious dying & afterlife journeys, home funerals & natural burial practices, grief circles & healing rituals.
My presentation will focus on Healing the Physical Symptoms of Grief in the form of sinusitis, postnasal drip, and lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis which represent somatic metaphors for trapped tears and inner crying. EFT, expressive writing and dreamwork in my coaching practice can be used to release these emotions from the body which result in imbalances of the 4th chakra and the metal element in Chinese medicine. After-death communications may also facilitate the healing process.
