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Coma Resources
Assisting
People in Unresponsive and Confused States
Many medical processes such as
brain injuries, heart attacks, strokes, or situations near death
result in people experiencing various unresponsive, comatose
and confused states of consciousness. These altered states of
consciousness are often very challenging for family members and
caregivers alike.
New research suggests that in
fact comatose patients can register what is going on around them
but are unable to respond in usual ways. Their expressive behaviors
are limited to behavioral fragments and minimal cues.
Arnold Mindell, founder of Process
Work, always believed that coma patients have inner awareness.
With his wife Amy he developed a method of communicating with
patients in coma that is attuned to their altered states and
minimal communication signals. This method called Coma Work looks
for doorways into the patients' inner experiences. Subtle or
incomplete movements, changes in the rate and depth of breath,
and facial cues are used to unfold an interactive dialogue and
assist in the inner process the patient is experiencing. From
a uniquely positive vantage point Process Work sees life to be
the search for self-knowledge and coma an exceptional life form
that is still meaningful.
Coma Work was developed by Amy
and Arnold Mindell and is described in Arny's book Coma, Key
to Awakening, (Penguin 1995) and Coma, A Healing Journey, (Lao
Tse Press, 1999) by Amy Mindell. Both books are available from
Amazon.com. (Read a review
of this book.) This work, developed as an aspect of Process-Oriented
Psychology, enables relatives and helping professionals to communicate
with and compassionately accompany the comatose person.
If you need further assistance,
please call one of the numbers below. If you are calling for
help with a comatose person, you will be asked to leave your
name, the comatose person's diagnosis and extent of brain injury
(if applicable) and a telephone number, fax and/or e-mail address.
A coma helper will then contact you.
Contact one
of the following for assistance or further information:
comacare.com:
a process-oriented coma care service.
Coma Connection
Coma Communication
Grosse Transformationen
(German)
Pierre Morin at 503.248.9386
email: pierre@creativehealing.org
Gary Reiss at 541.686.8060
email: greiss@igc.org
Ingrid Rose at 503.248.1608
email: ingridrose8@gmail.com
Stan Tomandl at 250.383.5677
email: annstan@islandnet.com
Lily Vassiliou at 503.236.7713
email: lvassiliou@processwork.gr
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Testimonial
"Amy Mindell's book has
been a lifesafer for us and J. because it has helped us reach
him. This past week J. has been more and more responsive. If
we get up close to him and use the approach of breathing with
him he looks at us intently and it is obvious he hears us and
responds with his eyes and facial expressions. I have seen J.
personality emerging at these times - he is a very funny person
and has always made me laugh and now is no exception.
"Amy's book has been a tremendous
help in reaching J. We were finally seeing unbelievable progress,
his expressions, his trying so desperately to speak, and his
participation in conversations through tracking who was speaking."
J.'s Mother, May 2003
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