Coma and Locked-in States

Coma (short for comatose) is a place between life and death.

Coma (short for comatose) is a place between life and death. Wikipedia defines it, among other things, as ‘a profound state of unconsciousness’ and adds, helpfully, that ‘a comatose person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain, light or sound, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions’. Unless he happens to be Rom Houben.

Rom Houben is a Belgian man who had a car crash 23 years ago and was diagnosed as being in a coma. Three years ago, scans using new technology showed his brain was functioning normally. Doctors claimed he was not in a coma but a ‘locked-in state’ where the brain is conscious but the body totally paralysed. Houben is now said to be able to talk to the outside world through ‘facilitated communication’. Footage shows ‘facilitator’ Linda Wouters holding Houben’s hand and using his finger to type on a keyboard, while he appears slumped over it with his eyes closed. Wouters guides Houben’s fingers and using pressure signals, selects the letter Houben wants. Recounting his ordeal, Houben has said: “You hear, see, feel and think but no one can see that. You undergo things. You cannot participate in life” and “I screamed, but there was nothing to hear. So I dreamed myself away”.

Since the widespread viewing of the footage, Houben’s communication abilities have been questioned. One explanation is that it is similar to the movements on an Ouija board, where the therapist subconsciously moves Houben’s hand and fingers. Sceptics don’t think much of the ‘facilitated’ mode of communication. They have a reason.

A similar test was done in the 90s on autistic children who, like Houben, ‘suddenly awoke’ from their long sleep and started sounding like normal children. Except, these children weren’t ‘normal’. It was their facilitator ‘talking’.

The thing about coma is the people that suffer the most are the ones that are not in a coma. Near and dear ones of a coma patient cling to the faith that the body is not completely brain dead. That is the tragedy of conviction.

A positive way of dealing with coma is to communicate with the patient in the way people nurture plants. Talk, play music, hold arms and tend to him or her with love.

About The Author

Avinash Subramaniam