After several weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) following a lung infection, Mr Pol wakes up from a coma and gradually becomes aware of his situation.

The healthcare team rejoice in the successful outcome of his extubation: “He’s really come a long way! I’m so pleased, after everything that he’s been through… he really fought!”

When the healthcare professionals go into his room, they greet him: “Hello Mr Pol! It’s nice to see you awake! How are you?”

While these professionals seem to know Mr Pol, he recognizes no one.

Intensive care leaves the patient with a kind of shadow and with unknowns that push him to rely on the presence of the Other.

The patient needs the healthcare professional, the psychologist of the unit, to help him to translate what he feels and what he perceives in his environment.

The more the professionals are able to adequately perceive the patient’s feelings expressed through different channels such as words, expressions or gestures—and interpret them in a non-threatening way, the more the patient will feel safe and will be able to take ownership of their experiences and to make sense of them.

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