What happens during and after a coma?

What happens to a person in a coma? What do they experience?

• Always wondered if they just dream and dream... I also don't really understand how a coma works, how does a person get so badly injured that they can't start-up again?

• Answer:

  I've read an article about a man being in a coma for 26 years; they thought he was brain dead and didn't hear or feel anything, but actually, he was very aware of everything that happened around him. To survive the boredom and endless frustration, he created a virtual world for himself to live in. It was only after 26 years that a neurologist found that he was not braindead, and he had heard everything that had happened around him. This patient is not the only one who's had the experience of hearing everything around them, yet not being able to react in any way. Of course, there are patients who don't have this kind of coma. They can still dream though (which can even be noticed by the movement of their eyes while they are dreaming). A coma exists by the dysfunctioning of (a part of) the brain, due to an accident, drinking too much alcohol,...