Unresponsive but Not Necessarily Unconscious: An Introduction to the Special Focus Unavailable

A growing body of evidence from empirical research reveals that humans may be outwardly unresponsive but still experience episodes of disconnected consciousness (e.g., Martial, Cassol, Laureys, & Gosseries, 2020; Darracq et al., 2018; Sanders, Tononi, Laureys, & Sleigh, 2012). Disconnected consciousness refers to the mental experience of events, in the absence of concurrent awareness of the sensory environment, while in an outwardly unresponsive state (Martial, Cassol, et al., 2020; Sanders et al., 2012). This construct is distinct from everyday examples of internal awareness, such as mental imagery, inner speech, or mind-wandering, because these need to entail either disconnection from the outside world or unresponsiveness. Canonical examples include dreaming during sleep (Baird, Mota-Rolim, & Dresler, 2019; Siclari et al., 2014) or during clinical states, such as general anesthesia or cardiac arrest (Martial, Cassol, et al., 2020; Bonhomme et al., 2019; Sanders...