Sweat Lodge Survivor Speaks Out
Last week, three people died and several others were hospitalized after attending one of James Arthur Ray’s sweat lodge self-help seminars. This is just crazy: participants paid $9,000 to spend five days inside the creepy-looking tent, where they vomited and even experienced liver and kidney failure after being denied water in the intense 120-degree heat.
Stacey Spencer, 59, managed to survive the torturous event. On Good Morning America this morning, her attorney Ted Schmidt said, ”Mr. Ray created a death trap, and created a heat environment in that sweat lodge that was intolerable for human beings.” Other participants inside have said they were screaming “We need water,” vomiting and fighting to stay alive.
Ray had claimed that the sweat lodge would cleanse the attendees. He is refusing to comment on the deaths, except for a message on his Web site saying he is investigating the incident and that he feels their pain. He is still continuing his self-help ministry!
First off, it is really sad to me that people paid so much money to do this. Why do so many people get sucked in by self-help gurus? Nobody out there has the key to happiness or perfection. Sure, people can be inspirational, but sitting at a lecture or in a 120-degree tent is not going to solve all the problems of your life. This guy is dangerous, and should be brought up on charges.
