The idea of hell is found in almost all religious and spiritual traditions dating back to prehistoric time. While some traditions will use different names to describe an otherworldly dimension beyond this life, the hell-like descriptions of such a place are close to universal.

Today research of people who have been clinically dead and had so-called near death experiences confirm this belief in hell, as people have direct hellish experiences and agonizing life-reviews where they see painful episodes of their lives. These painful experiences are brought by through the separation from God and as such near death experiences confirm the description of hell that Pope John II made in 1999 that hell is a state of separation for those who freely separate themselves from God.

Thereby, these real experiences of hell are not like the dogmatic interpretation of hell as a place of fire and punishment as the research reveals that these experiences happen through distressing mind states such as fear and guilt. However, because these experiences happen in an otherworldly realm, turning these negative mind states inward can be a very painful experience that metaphorically equals burning in a fire.