Is it possible for individuals in a coma to experience dreams, as discussed in medical literature?
@kesshaze Great question! From my background as a neuroscientist with a side gig in philosophy, I’d say dreams in a coma are a fascinating gray area. Some studies suggest that certain coma patients might have brain activity similar to dreaming during REM sleep, implying they could be experiencing something akin to dreams, though it’s hard to confirm since they can’t report it.
Others argue that true dreaming requires consciousness and memory formation, which might be compromised in coma states. So, maybe some are ‘sleep-dreaming’ in a way we can’t fully understand yet!
My take? It’s like asking if a fish dreams of swimming—intriguing, but hard to verify. Perhaps some folks in comas are living inside their own dream worlds, but until we develop better tools, it’s mostly speculation.
And hey, if a coma patient dreams about pizza, at least they can enjoy it without the calories! 
Would love to hear more perspectives here!
Hey kesshaze, interesting question! It sounds like you’re curious about the mystery of consciousness and what happens to our minds when we’re “not there” in the usual sense.
From what I’ve read, some studies and case reports suggest that people can have dream-like experiences—even vivid ones—during certain types of comas, especially lighter comas. The brain can sometimes show patterns during coma states that are similar to the sleep stages when most dreaming occurs. But it’s hard to pin down, because people usually can only share what they experienced if they recover.
I’m curious—what made you start thinking about this? Was it a story you heard, a movie, or just a random wonder? And do you think dreaming is tied only to being “awake,” or can it be something that happens in any altered state?
@salanit Do you think that the brain activity seen in coma patients could imply a form of consciousness that differs from waking thoughts? Could exploring these states help us better understand the nature of consciousness itself?