Faced with an incomprehensible loss, one mother’s experiences forced her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about life and death—and open her heart to a new reality.

When Wendy Jordan Saffel lost her twenty-year-old son, Hugh, she discovered that grief is a well without a bottom. But even as she felt herself sinking into despair, she was offered an unexpected lifeline—one that changed her perception of the world forever. 

A rational thinker, Wendy’s life was filled with facts—the tangible and the measurable. That is, until she began experiencing profound spiritual connections with her son shortly after his passing. These initial moments of contact propelled her on a years-long journey to understand what happens when we die, what comprises the afterlife, and how a relationship with our lost loved ones can persist in ways that are real, true, beautiful, and sacred. 

Drawing on traditional and non-traditional spiritual beliefs, the growing body of work on the survival of consciousness, and what quantum physics tells us about the nature of reality, Never Really Left shares a wealth of research, experience, and hope for all those who have lost the ones they love. For Wendy, walking the path through grief and toward understanding led her to tremendous healing and a new paradigm of living—where joy can coexist with grief.

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  • “The evidence for life after death, when brought together the way Wendy has so masterfully done, can’t be ignored.”

    “Wendy Saffel’s analytical mind and insatiable desire to learn and understand whatever she focuses on proves to be the exact qualities necessary to synthesize the experience of grief and the journey that many explore in their healing, both scientifically and spiritually, to prove life is continuous beyond bodily death. By sharing her own journey through grief and loss, she takes her reader on a journey through the world of afterlife studies, spiritual awareness, and mediumistic unfoldment, and shares practical steps to support those who are also on this journey. It is truly the launching-off point for anyone seeking the truth of life after death, written in an easy-to-follow, relatable, and grounded perspective. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone seeking a guide through the process of the loss of a loved one and those curious to answer the question: Are my loved ones still with me, and do they go on? The evidence for life after death, when brought together the way Wendy has so masterfully done, can’t be ignored. There is no one-size-fits-all evidence of survival after death that will take someone from skeptic to believer to knowing that we continue on, but Wendy’s book lays out so many avenues of evidence that one (or several) of the topics she covers may lead to healing and transformation. I cannot recommend it enough!”

    —Michael Mayo, medium, teacher, author, and founder of The Oakbridge Institute

  • “. . . a reminder that love does not end with physical separation.”

    “Wendy’s thoughtful reflection on her journey with the afterlife, and her continued connection with her beloved son Hugh, is a profoundly moving and illuminating experience. In the face of loss, many of us secretly yearn for a sense of connection that transcends time and space. This book offers just that: a reminder that love does not end with physical separation. For anyone who has lost someone dear, this is the book you need to pick up. It beautifully explores the bond between souls, those in physical form and those in the nonphysical, reaching toward one another in a continuation and deepening of our most sacred relationships.”

    —Marie Manuchehri, RN, author of Intuitive Self-Healing and How to Communicate with Your Spirit Guides

  • “Through dedicated research and personal experience, Wendy has gathered compelling evidence that our loved ones’ souls continue to exist—joyful, healthy, and at peace.”

    "A naturally left-brained thinker, Wendy has approached her grief with a deep intellectual curiosity, studying extensively with and about some of the most respected experts in the afterlife community. Along the way, she has also given back, supporting and guiding other bereaved parents walking similar paths. Through dedicated research and personal experience, Wendy has gathered compelling evidence that our loved ones’ souls continue to exist—joyful, healthy, and at peace. Meanwhile, those of us still on this side are here to learn, grow, and prepare for our own eventual reunion. In Never Really Left, Wendy offers tools to recognize the signs our loved ones send us, navigate the grieving process, and embrace a life of healing, gratitude, and renewed purpose. I wholeheartedly recommend her work to anyone seeking comfort, connection, and hope.”

    —Elizabeth Boisson, president and cofounder, Helping Parents Heal, Inc.

  • “. . . a powerful saga.”

    “Packed with insights, the journey of a mother who is afforded unusual opportunities to experience her son in a different way . . . is a powerful saga. It deserves widespread attention and delivers thought-provoking moments of realization and recovery for readers, libraries, and book clubs alike.”

    —Midwest Book Review