Our minds and thought are powerful. They create what we subconsciously want to see. So it is in death. We experience what we are expecting to experience because we are nothing but thoughts (our body has returned to dust).
This is why Catholics see Mary, Christians see Jesus, Buddhists see Buddah and Hindus see Krishna – we see what we expect to see.
A non-believer will see nothing. Yet nothing does still exist. It is called no-man’s land. Soon, they will tire of nothing and seek a better heaven (or hell). So I guess, hell is our own fears and our own guilt’s manifesting, just as Heaven is our own love and self worth materializing.
It is interesting because in the afterlife, we do not have a physical body. Our senses, touch, taste, sight, sound, fragrance – are all made possible because of our physical body. These senses do not exist in the afterlife except as memories. The memory of the smell and taste of a nice hot juicy steak to eat is not as satisfying as actually eating the steak here on Earth. On saying this you may appreciate just how special earth is and hopefully do not take these senses for granted. I once heard the expression, “I don’t understand why people are killing themselves to Leave Earth, as I know so many spirits can’t wait to get here and enjoy the sensual benefits’.
In summary Heaven and Hell are created by ourselves in a space we call the Astral Planes.