The article ends with:<p>> Only now I can wake up any time I want.<p>The author talks about dreams, but dreams are just one aspect of the ICU mental experience. The line between dreams, hallucinations, and memories can collapse.<p>Delirium in intensive care units is extremely common, affecting up to 80% of some patient populations. It is the result of a combination of highly vulnerable patients, extremely stressful situations, abnormal biochemistry, and powerful pharmaceuticals. It is poorly understood.<p>This delirium can pose danger to staff and patient in hospital, and can have lasting cognitive impact on patients once they leave. PTSD-like symptoms are not uncommon and are certainly under-treated. Given how common delirium in ICUs is, most facilities have limited or no psychiatric staffing for ICU mental health support.<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2391269/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2391269/</a><p>I spent three days in a coma as a result of hepatic encephalopathy, among other episodes related to end stage liver disease. Some day I'll write more about the experience. Incredibly vivid dreams are just one piece of it.
This was a really enjoyable read - thank you for posting.
I've always had difficulty remembering my dreams after waking, so I'm almost jealous of the amount of detail and realism he was able to retain, but then again, I guess 3 weeks of nothing but dreaming would do that
I rarely read articles that long, but I found this one fascinating.<p>I can believe it, since I (both unfortunately and fortunately) have the most vivid, realistic, extremely detailed (and sometimes weird and frightening) dreams. Dreams that I can remember after years. Sometimes they change the course of days decisions, even life decisions.<p>I can remember almost every detail, except for one: every time that I wake up in the middle of the night after dreaming the solution to a big (mine or global) problem, or an idea for "the next big thing". I recall saying "Yes! Of course! How could I not think about it before?!". The answer is there, at the tip of my fingers, then I wake up and, frustrated, can't remember what it was. I can remember though that feeling of having the <i>click in my mind</i> about the idea or solution being so rational and possible.