1. A method for analysis of the extent of conscious awareness and/or likelihood of recovery of a patient comprising: applying to the patient a sensory stimulus sequence generated by a stimulator; while applying the stimulus sequence, carrying out an EEG or MEG on the patient to record waveform signals from an array of sensors on, in, or near the head of the patient; wherein the stimulus sequence comprises a compressed stimulus sequence that elicits at least five indicators across a spectrum of brain functions comprising sensory processing, perceptual processing, attention/alerting mechanisms, memory retrieval, and language; using software provided in a processor to process the waveform signals in order to locate waveform peaks, identify the evoked responses contained in the waveform and obtain quantitative measures of these evoked responses; wherein the software uses an automated peak localization method that performs a mathematical decomposition of an averaged waveform to identify all peaks in the waveform signals; and wherein the software then applies identification criteria to choose a candidate peak of interest; and using the software to generate and communicate scores based on the quantitative measures that are indicative of the extent of conscious awareness and/or likelihood of recovery of the patient.