sweat lodge

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Self-Help Author Convicted in Sweat Lodge Deaths

James Arthur Ray Guilty of Negligent Homicide, Cleared of Manslaughter

(Newser) - A self-help author has been convicted of negligent homicide in the deaths of three people who attended one of his sweat lodge seminars . Jurors, however, acquitted James Arthur Ray of more serious manslaughter charges in the 2009 deaths in Arizona, reports CNN . The victims died in what Ray characterized as...

Sweat Lodge Deaths Ruled Accidental

Prolonged heat exposure triggered tragedy

(Newser) - The deaths of 3 people in a sweat lodge ceremony have been ruled accidental by an Arizona coroner as the new age guru who arranged the ritual faces manslaughter charges. Two of the participants died of heat stroke the day of the ritual, while the third died of multiple system...

Sweat Lodge Guru Sat in Shade as Victims Roasted

'You are not going to die,' James Arthur Ray told those inside

(Newser) - James Arthur Ray sat outside a sweat lodge in a shaded chair as the guru’s adherents died inside, and even discouraged onlookers from aiding those struggling with the intense heat, say newly released police documents. It would be “sacrilegious” to disassemble the structure, he told one woman who...

Guru Twittered About Sweat Lodge Death

But a source close to James Arthur Ray says this is common imagery

(Newser) - James Arthur Ray, who yesterday canceled his upcoming appearances to devote all his "physical and emotional energies" to the fallout from the sweat lodge tragedy, talked a lot about death in the days leading up to the ceremony. His Twitter feed was full of posts that have since been...

People Still Signing Up for Guru's Sweat Lodges

James Arthur Ray is out recruiting, and audiences are buying, despite deaths

(Newser) - James Arthur Ray has hardly missed a beat since three people died in one of his sweat lodge ceremonies two weeks ago: The self-help guru is back on the road peddling his workshops, and many members of his audience seem unfazed by the deaths. "When you're pushing the limits,...

Survivor: Days of Fasting Before Sweat Lodge Disaster

Self-help guru James Arthur Ray ignored pleas to help those collapsing

(Newser) - Participants in the fatal Oct. 8 sweat-lodge ceremony had already been through five days of fasting and sleep deprivation, a survivor says—and the self-help guru leading the proceedings saw their gasping, vomiting and fainting as signs of weakness and urged them to push on through it. No charges have...

Third Sweat-Lodge Victim Dies
 Third Sweat-Lodge Victim Dies 
Oct 18, 2009 6:01 AM CDT

Third Sweat-Lodge Victim Dies

Minnesota woman was longtime follower of self-help guru

(Newser) - A Minnesota woman became the third fatality yesterday in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that hospitalized nearly two dozen people. Liz Neuman, 49, died at a Flagstaff hospital after suffering multiple organ damage during the Oct. 8 ceremony at a resort near Sedona. Authorities were treating all three deaths as...

Sweat-Lodge Deaths Seen as Homicide

Self-help expert James Arthur Ray now 'person of interest' in investigation

(Newser) - Authorities are now treating as homicide the two deaths during a sweat-lodge ritual in Arizona last week, with the self-help guru who was in charge of the proceedings being called a “person of interest.” Investigators have found “indications” the deaths weren’t accidental, but wouldn’t explain....

Guru at Sweat Lodge That Killed 2: 'I'm Being Tested'

James Arthur Ray says he has hired investigators to probe incident

(Newser) - The self-help guru who ran a spiritual retreat where two people died during a sweat lodge ceremony last week says he is "being tested" by the tragedy. James Arthur Ray told a seminar audience that he is "frustrated and confused" and has hired his own investigators to find...

2 Dead After Arizona Sweat Lodge Ceremony

19 hospitalized after cleansing ritual goes wrong at new-age retreat

(Newser) - Two people died and 19 others were taken to hospital after a "sweat lodge" ceremony at a new-age Arizona retreat last night. Some 68 people were packed into a tarpaulin-covered dome for the 2-hour ceremony, which involved pouring water over hot rocks to produce steam in an effort to...

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