SaunaScape

This week has been a flurry of activity at the James Ray trials for the deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge in late 2009. New evidence, commissioned by the state, has surfaced proposing that the cause of at least one of the deaths was brought on by lack of air exchange in the sweat lodge – a possibility we first proposed here in March.

In April 2010, Rick Haddow, an environmental consultant, emailed a report to Ross Diskin, a detective investigating the case, detailing his investigation into the possible causes of death for one of the victims, Liz Neuman.

According to Mr. Haddow’s report:

• The high relative humidity and temperature in the lodge created a condition where Ms. Neuman’s body could no longer regulate her internal temperature.
• The rock pit was not centered in the lodge, but was offset. Ms. Neuman was seated in the area that was closest to the rock pit, the hottest section of the lodge.
• The area of the lodge where Ms. Neuman and most of the others who were injured or succumbed in the lodge was affected by what Mr. Haddow calls a radiant heat barrier, limiting the air exchange in the area, greatly increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide.
• The lodge’s construction was nearly air tight and the heat from the rocks would make it difficult for outside air to enter the lodge, except through the door.
• The area between the door and the rock pit, where Mr. Ray was seated, would have been the only area in the lodge to get a good air exchange. The conditions experienced there would have been completely different than those in the area where most of the victims were seated.

The contents of the report this week were just discovered by Mr. Ray’s legal team. They filed a motion for mistrial on the basis that the prosecution willfully withheld this evidence. They argued that this was a constitutional violation of Mr. Ray’s rights. Yesterday afternoon, that motion was denied, but it will change the strategy of Mr. Ray’s defense as the trial resumes today.

The full text of Mr. Haddow’s report can be found on page 15 of the mistrial motion filed by the defense team.

The sweat lodge was built by Angel Valley, the resort where Mr. Ray’s seminar was held. Mr. Ray’s defense strategy throughout the trial has been to point to flaws in the design of the sweat lodge structure as the cause of the deaths, not his endurance endurance sweat session after several days of fasting and little sleep for his participants.

For updates on the trial, we have been following Lynne LaMaster’s reporting at the Prescott e News. For those interested, her articles on the case go into much more detail.

This week has been a flurry of activity at the James Ray trials for the deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge in late 2009. New evidence, commissioned by the state, has surfaced proposing that the cause of at least one of the deaths was brought on by lack of air exchange in the sweat lodge – a possibility we first proposed here in March. In April 2010, Rick Haddow, an environmental consultant, emailed a report to Ross Diskin, a detective investigating the case, detailing his investigation into the possible causes of death for one of the victims, Liz Neuman. According to Mr. Haddow's report: The high relative humidity and temperature in the lodge created a condition where Ms. Neuman's body could no longer regulate her internal temperature. The rock pit was not centered in the lodge, but was offset. Ms. Neuman was seated in the area that was closest to the rock pit, the hottest section of the lodge. The area of the lodge where Ms. Neuman and most of the others who were injured or succumbed in the lodge was affected by what Mr. Haddow calls a radiant heat barrier, limiting the air exchange in the area, greatly increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide. The lodge's construction was nearly air tight and the heat from the rocks would make it difficult for outside air to enter the lodge, except through the door. The area between the door and the rock pit, where Mr. Ray was seated, would have been the only area in the lodge to get a good air exchange. The conditions experienced there would have been completely different than those in the area where most of the victims were seated. The contents of the report this week were just discovered by Mr. Ray's legal team. They filed a motion for mistrial on the basis that the prosecution willfully withheld this evidence. They argued that this was a constitutional violation of Mr. Ray's rights. Yesterday afternoon, that motion was denied, but it will change the strategy of Mr. Ray's defense as the trial resumes today. The full text of Mr. Haddow's report can be found on page 15 of the mistrial motion filed by the defense team. The sweat lodge was built by Angel Valley, the resort where Mr. Ray's seminar was held. Mr. Ray's defense strategy throughout the trial has been to point to flaws in the design of the sweat lodge structure as the cause of the deaths, not his endurance endurance sweat session after several days of fasting and little sleep for his participants. For updates on the trial, we have been following Lynne LaMaster's reporting at the Prescott e News. For those interested, her articles on the case go into much more detail.  

Photo of a traditional sweat lodge by matthewvenn on Flickr

There is no sacrifice—only greater and more magnificent results, wealth, adventure and fulfillment.

James Arthur Ray – On his Spiritual Warrior signup page.

Last week a tragedy ensued in Sedona Arizona leaving two people dead, three in critical condition and 16 more hospitalized after a sweat lodge experience as part of a multi-day “Spiritual Warrior” self-help seminar. Coverage of the incident has ranged from articles in the New York Times to CNN to TechCrunch.

According to the coverage of the event, up to 60 people took a session in a 1450 cubic foot sweat lodge for about 2 hours on Thursday night. Causes of death are still being speculated upon, and unlike your favorite crime show, may not be known for several months. Some things are known:

• There was no temperature monitoring in the sweat lodge, so no-one really knows how hot it may have been.
• The sweat lodge was constructed from plastic tarps and blankets, and does not appear to be well ventilated. 60 people in such a space could have easily brought the oxygen level below safe limits in under 15 minutes.
• A two hour session is quite long for any kind of heat bath. There is a strong possibility that the participants suffered from dehydration and/or heat stroke in this situation.
• The leader of this ceremony, who should by all rights be responsible for the health and well-being of the participants in the sweat lodge ceremony, had other motives, apparently tweeting after the incident, “JamesARay: is still in Spiritual Warrior… for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?”
• The leader of this ceremony was probably not qualified to run this: “You’ll become privy to techniques that I searched out in the mountains of Peru, the jungles of the Amazon (and a few other places I don’t care to recall).”

How can you avoid being part of this same tragedy? Keep a few things in mind:

• Lots of people are willing to say anything to get you to part with your money, and ritualistic experiences are a part of them. Consult the forums at New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans before signing up for something like this.
• Does the establishment you are going to use to participate in this ceremony have your well-being in mind? If, as Arizona ABC 15 reports, the event is “meant to push people’s personal limits and transcend pain,” but there isn’t a full physical for each participant and a trained medical team standing by, then you can be sure they don’t.
• Heat baths can give real benefits if used with care. However, like most things, if basic common sense is ignored, they can be very dangerous.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="375" caption="Photo of a traditional sweat lodge by matthewvenn on Flickr"][/caption] There is no sacrifice—only greater and more magnificent results, wealth, adventure and fulfillment. James Arthur Ray - On his Spiritual Warrior signup page. Last week a tragedy ensued in Sedona Arizona leaving two people dead, three in critical condition and 16 more hospitalized after a sweat lodge experience as part of a multi-day "Spiritual Warrior" self-help seminar. Coverage of the incident has ranged from articles in the New York Times to CNN to TechCrunch. According to the coverage of the event, up to 60 people took a session in a 1450 cubic foot sweat lodge for about 2 hours on Thursday night. Causes of death are still being speculated upon, and unlike your favorite crime show, may not be known for several months. Some things are known: There was no temperature monitoring in the sweat lodge, so no-one really knows how hot it may have been. The sweat lodge was constructed from plastic tarps and blankets, and does not appear to be well ventilated. 60 people in such a space could have easily brought the oxygen level below safe limits in under 15 minutes. A two hour session is quite long for any kind of heat bath. There is a strong possibility that the participants suffered from dehydration and/or heat stroke in this situation. The leader of this ceremony, who should by all rights be responsible for the health and well-being of the participants in the sweat lodge ceremony, had other motives, apparently tweeting after the incident, "JamesARay: is still in Spiritual Warrior... for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?" The leader of this ceremony was probably not qualified to run this: "You'll become privy to techniques that I searched out in the mountains of Peru, the jungles of the Amazon (and a few other places I don't care to recall)." How can you avoid being part of this same tragedy? Keep a few things in mind: Lots of people are willing to say anything to get you to part with your money, and ritualistic experiences are a part of them. Consult the forums at New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans before signing up for something like this. Does the establishment you are going to use to participate in this ceremony have your well-being in mind? If, as Arizona ABC 15 reports, the event is "meant to push people's personal limits and transcend pain," but there isn't a full physical for each participant and a trained medical team standing by, then you can be sure they don't. Heat baths can give real benefits if used with care. However, like most things, if basic common sense is ignored, they can be very dangerous.