Brainkind’s Pieter du Toit sheds light on recovery, and meaning after coma experiences

Brainkind’s Clinical Director, Pieter du Toit, recently spoke with the BBC about the complex experiences some people report during recovery from severe illness and coma.

The feature followed the story of Keenan Acton, a gym owner from Wrexham who spent more than four weeks in an induced coma after collapsing during a fitness event in 2024.

During his recovery, Keenan experienced vivid and emotionally powerful memories which he described as feeling entirely real, including memories of family life and the birth of twins.

Eighteen months later, his wife Olivia became pregnant with naturally conceived twins.

Speaking with the BBC, Pieter discussed how modern neuroscience increasingly understands consciousness not as a simple “on/off” state, but as something that can fluctuate across a spectrum during severe illness and recovery from brain injury.

He said: “When someone is in an induced coma, the brain is not simply switched off,”

Pieter explained: “Different brain networks may remain active at different times, particularly during phases of recovery, sedation changes, or partial awareness.”

Research in disorders of consciousness has shown that some patients who appear outwardly unresponsive may still retain varying degrees of internal awareness or experience. Recovery from severe brain injury is often dynamic, with the brain moving through transitional states rather than returning abruptly from unconsciousness to full awareness.

Pieter described how the brain naturally attempts to organise fragmented sensations, emotions, memories, and experiences into meaningful narratives.

He said: “Our minds are constantly constructing meaning and coherence,

“Particularly during periods of altered consciousness, people may experience vivid dream-like or symbolic narratives which can feel deeply real and emotionally significant.”

He added that the themes which emerge in these experiences are often closely linked to a person’s underlying values, fears, hopes, relationships, and sense of identity.

“What struck me in speaking with Keenan was how strongly his experiences reflected things that mattered most to him: family, survival, purpose, and connection.”

While Keenan understandably experienced the later twin pregnancy as highly meaningful, Pieter emphasised the importance of approaching such experiences thoughtfully and carefully.

“Science would generally understand these kinds of apparent predictions as coincidences shaped by memory, emotion, and the way human beings naturally look for patterns and meaning,

“At the same time, experiences like these can still carry enormous personal significance for individuals and families,” he said.

Pieter also highlighted how stories like Keenan’s can help increase public understanding of brain injury and recovery.

Pieter said: “There is still a widespread assumption that consciousness is entirely absent during coma or severe illness, but modern research suggests the picture is often far more complex,

“These experiences remind us that recovery is not only physical or cognitive, it is also deeply personal, psychological, and connected to identity.”

Following the interview, Pieter has been approached to act as a spokesperson for the British Psychological Society.

As the UK’s largest charitable provider of brain injury rehabilitation services,  Brainkind supports people living with the long-term effects of acquired brain injury through specialist rehabilitation and community services across the country.

For more on Keenan’s story, please click on the links below:

The online story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr413pn3719o

The Sounds podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nl9z47

The iPlayer film: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002vf7q/it-happened-to-me-1-i-lived-another-life-in-a-coma