Dr.. Orson Wedgwood, a New Zealand medical scientist, argues that frightening "hell‑like" near‑death experiences (NDEs) are vastly under‑counted because survivors often suppress or forget them. He says only ten to twenty percent of clinically dead patients report any out‑of‑body episode, but the true figure could be much higher. wedgwood’s new book and recent citations aim to push the medical community toward systematic study of these negative NDEs.

Only 10‑20% of Clinically Dead Patients Report Any NDE, Wedgwood Says

Wedgwood points out that conventional surveys record a modest 10‑20% prevalence of any NDE among people declared clinically dead. He contends that this number is skewed by shame and dissociative amnesia, especially among older respondents who may have suppressed distressing memories. "Many people feel embarrassed about what they saw , or their trauma‑laden brain simply blocks the memory," he explains, suggesting a psychological filter rather than a physiological one.

Case Study : A Peruvian Woman’s Verified Hellish Encounter

One of the vivid accounts Wedgwood highlights involves a woman who briefly died during a cardiac event in Peru. She reported seeing two friends kissing outside a tent, a detail she later confirmed by returning to the site. the corroborated visual element, Wedgwood argues, adds empirical weight to the claim that some NDEs contain verifiable external information.

2023 Parnia Study and 2019 Memory Journal Paper Support Negative NDEs

Wedgwood cites Dr. Sam Parnia’s 2023 NYU Langone research, which recorded high‑frequency brain‑wave spikes during CPR up to an hour after cardiac arrest , indicating lingering neural activity. He also references a 2019 Memory journal article that found both positive and negative NDEs share core phenomenological traits—timelessness, panoramic vision, heightened senses—differing mainly in emotional tone. "These findings challenge the view that hell‑like experiences are mere hallucinations," the rpeort says.

Who Is Missing From the Data? The Unnamed Survivors

The biggest gap, Wedgwood admits, is the silent majority who never disclose their experiences. Younger respondents tend to recall vivid details, while older individuals may have suppressed them, creating a bias in existing datasets . Without systematic outreach, the true ratio of negative to positive NDEs remains speculative.

What Remains Unverified? The Afterlife Claim and Sample Size

Wedgwood acknowledges that science cannot yet prove an afterlife, and the exact number of documented hellish NDEs—"hundreds or perhaps thousands"—is still uncertain. he calls for larger, controlled studies to differentiate cultural myth from reproducible phenomenology. As he writes, "Understanding the latter could provide crucial insights into consciousness and the limits of brain activity after death."