Who are you… really?

Understandably, not everyone is a nerd like me and does not voluntarily devote entirely too much time to analyzing the people around them, looking for what makes them tick.

I love mysteries and there is no greater mystery to unravel or behavior pattern to notice than that of your average human being — let’s face it, we are a pretty darn entertaining species!

However, I know that no matter how many Myers Briggs personality types someone studies or lectures they sit through on psychology, no one can ever truly know the heart of another human being. It’s why we are so surprised when those nearest and dearest to us become the source of our deepest betrayal.

Over the years I have developed a collection of stories in my head — true tales of spontaneous combustion or the “death” of Ken McElroy in Skidmore, Missouri — and random non-fiction tales of folks who suffer severe brain injuries, experience comas or clinical brain death — and somehow return to life with a new personality, name, or accent.

See? We are fascinating creatures!

Recently, I picked up yet another similar tale and it has made me question — forget anyone else — how well do we really know ourselves?

Clélia Verdier from Lyon, France was 19 years old in June 2025 when she was placed in a medically induced coma following a suicide attempt, resulting in her remaining unconscious for roughly three weeks.

While in the coma, Verdier “lived” what most would term a near “fairy-tale” life.

In this Snow-White state, Verdier experienced a vivid and incredibly detailed life inside of those unconscious three weeks that felt completely real to her.

With aching clarity Verdier says she remembers giving birth to triplets named Mila, Miles, and Maïlée. She recalls holding her babies for the first time, even feeling the intense pang of loss when one of the triplets died shortly after birth.

Verdier would tell nurses, doctors, and later reporters about her imagined life as a mother — regaling her eager listeners with family memories she made putting her babies to bed at night, bathing them, or reading bedtime stories.

Months out of awakening from her coma, Verdier says she is still feeling disoriented and struggling with grief over the loss of the life she imagined living while in her coma.

Her story, and many stories like Verdier’s, are fascinating because they highlight how little we truly know about ourselves and how our brains function.

As a Christian, who admittedly sees the world through a biblical lens, I think it is interesting that Verdier was placed in a medical coma because of a serious suicide attempt, only to wake up after “living” out her reason for continuing to live.

It brings to mind my favorite Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11 [KJV]: “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

So, how well do you think you know you?