Coma fascinates me.

A person lies in bed, alive, not obviously present, and oftentimes attached to machines. Do they know we’re sitting beside them? Can they hear us talking? Feel our touch? Where are they? Will they ever come back?

When a person is in a coma, their spirit is present, but a huge part of their soul is missing. Imagine a lamp, with spirit the lightbulb and soul the lampshade. Turn the light on. Normally, the light radiates outside the shade, but in the case of coma, only part of the shade is lit; the rest is grey and cloudy. The shade’s form remains, but the absent area is more like an imprint of its original nature. A soul imprint.

I’ve attended to a few people in comas, and all have this in common – they are conscious! And when given the opportunity to speak with someone, they take it.

My Teacher said, “Human beings believe machines can keep people alive, and without them, the person will die. How is a machine more powerful than spirit? Is the machine Divine? Yes, of course, it is the Divine manifesting in the form of a machine that is stimulating body responses. Thus, the body appears alive.

For a Human being to live, at least 50% of their soul must be present and intact. The soul often becomes numb, but remains, as if asleep. Once the body is no longer functioning, the spirit and soul exit.

Is it possible to awaken a sleeping soul? Yes, although the body is its own force. It has a physiological system that must perform in order to house both the spirit and soul. If the body has gone beyond functionality, it can no longer accommodate the spirit/soul unit. Then it will not be possible to awaken the sleeping soul and expect it to live, for the body cannot support it.”

Here is a story about Janika. This is not her given name.

We walked up to the 9th floor in a decrepit, post-communist building (I was in Hungary) where Sara, mother of Janika, graciously welcomed us into her meager home. Her daughter lay in a hospital bed near a large window in the living room. I was literally taken aback. Instead of sleeping peacefully and looking “normal” as I expected, Janika’s eyes were wide open. Her body was thin and distorted, her head moved side to side, and her twisted jaw exposed a jumble of protruding teeth.

We drank tea and ate butter cookies while Sara spoke about her daughter.

Janika was in her early 30’s and had been a beautician. Rarely sick, over a period of two months, she developed appendicitis and a stomach ulcer. Then her appendix burst, and after routine surgery, Janika returned home. 

Ten days later she had the first of three seizures. The third was accompanied by a high fever, and Janika returned to the hospital where an x-ray revealed an inflamed lung. She was given antibiotics, yet continued having seizures. Incorrect charting resulted in over medication which thrust Janika into a coma. The doctors said there was nothing they could do.

Sara wanted her daughter to return to her body. 

I opened a ceremony, walked over to Janika, touched her hand, and looked directly into her eyes. I introduced myself and said I would try to help her. I gazed into her eyes and channel the Light of Love through my hands into her body and soul. She never looked back.

My friend drummed while I journeyed on Janika’s behalf. My teacher and power animal took me up, to stars of an unknown galaxy. We stopped on one. There she was. I reintroduced myself and asked Janika what she needed.

Janika, “I have always been misunderstood. No one has ever known me, not even my mother or sister. I am a distant star, fallen to earth by mistake. Where I am now, I can fly and be the free soul I was meant to be. They have repressed me. Here I am free, and they are repressed. I feel their love but don’t care. The stars are my brothers and sisters. I am free here with the stars.”

I tried persuading Janika to return to her body, but she didn’t want to leave the stars. Especially with her physically distorted facial abnormality. I suggested that surgery might be able to make corrections and then assured her that if she decided to return, she could always leave again. Janika chose to explore that option, and .accompanied by some of her star brothers and sisters, I escorted her to my healing place in the lower world. When she became ready, I restored her into her soul and body.

My Teacher said, “Tell Sara that Janika will begin having dreams. This is all right. It is through the dream state she’ll gain support to reclaim her body. Once she has a feel for it again, she may or may not remain. There is a great amount at play here. She is a strong willed one and will determine her own fate, as well as the fate of the family.”

I carefully delivered the messages to Sara. Tears stream down her face as she tells us she recognizes and feels her daughter.

I had another experience, one I did not share with Sara.

After the healing, I used the bathroom and discovered Janika’s father sitting in the adjacent kitchen. He was there, unknown to me, the entire time. Lurking. Listening. Not joining in with the rest of us.

During the time I spent with Janika, it felt as if she had a secret. I believe this contributed to her ulcer. In the journey, I had felt the energy of “lurking” and only understood it when I encountered the father. In Janika’s life, as told by her mother, she never dated men and spent a great amount of time with one close woman friend.

Did Janika’s father cross boundaries? Did she have a secret life? Janika certainly had unresolved anger toward her family. When she was alive and healthy, she felt powerless. Now, in her weakened state, she experienced having all the power.

I returned to the room and closed the ceremony with prayers of gratitude.

Three days later, my friend received a frantic call from Sara. Janika was having restless sleep and many dreams. She was concerned. My friend reminded Sara about what my teacher had said about Janika making decisions about her future.

Janika did not remain in her body. Her need to have a sense of control over her life was strong, as was her animosity toward her family. She went back to being a free soul in the stars and a semi-comatose woman on earth.

Friends, I encourage you to reread my Teacher’s words (in blue.) They will help you understand Janika, as well as other coma patients. If you’re interested in learning more, I have devoted an entire chapter to coma in my book Unity Begins Within: Spiritual Healing Meets the Four-Petaled Flower.