consciousness / reflection
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consciousness
The state of being conscious; the ability to perceive one's surroundings and think. You can 'die Besinnung verlieren' (lose consciousness, faint) or regain it.
Nach dem Sturz verlor er für einige Minuten die Besinnung.
After the fall, he lost consciousness for a few minutes.
The noun 'die Besinnung' is derived from the verb 'sich besinnen', which means 'to reflect' or 'to remember'. The root is 'der Sinn' (sense, meaning), which shows the connection to thinking and perceiving.
Er musste sich erst auf den richtigen Weg besinnen.
He first had to remember the right way.
In a medical context, 'Besinnung' is almost always used in fixed expressions. The most important ones are 'die Besinnung verlieren' (to lose consciousness, to faint) and 'wieder zu Besinnung kommen' (to wake up, to regain consciousness).
Der Boxer kam nach dem K.o. nur langsam wieder zu Besinnung.
After the knockout, the boxer only slowly regained consciousness.
When it is about reflection, 'Besinnung' often appears with words that describe a period of time. Typical combinations are 'eine Zeit der Besinnung' (a time of reflection), 'ein Moment der Besinnung' (a moment of reflection), or 'zur Besinnung kommen' (to come to one's senses).
Nutzen Sie die Feiertage für einen Moment der Besinnung.
Use the holidays for a moment of reflection.
The expression 'zur Besinnung kommen' means that someone recognizes and changes their unreasonable behavior. Another person can also 'zur Besinnung bringen' someone (bring someone to their senses).
Hoffentlich kommt er bald zur Besinnung und hört auf, so viel Geld auszugeben.
Hopefully he will come to his senses soon and stop spending so much money.
mind / reason
'der Verstand' and 'die Besinnung' can both have to do with clear thinking, but they are used in different situations. 'Verstand' means the ability to think logically and reasonably. 'Besinnung' often means the state of being awake and conscious. That is why 'den Verstand verlieren' (to lose one's mind) is not the same as 'die Besinnung verlieren' (to lose consciousness): someone who loses 'die Besinnung' faints; someone who loses 'den Verstand' can no longer think clearly or seems crazy. The words can also be confused in phrases like 'zur Besinnung kommen' (to come to one's senses), because that means something similar to 'to become reasonable again'.
Nach dem Sturz verlor die Frau kurz die Besinnung.
After the fall, the woman briefly lost consciousness.
Bei dem Streit hat er fast den Verstand verloren und nur noch geschrien.
During the argument, he almost lost his mind and just kept shouting.