James Arthur Ray - Angel Valley Resort DeathSweat in Sedona: 3 dead, 20 injured

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

yeh, it was an actual tent.. like used for camping. a square one.  Depressing. why did they go to some nuage white woman and not ndn's for what a proper sweat should be?  i was really pissed at that, and will most likely send off an email to Primetime expressing my disdain for this. They should do a retraction and an apology.

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Here it is:  http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/

click on the "The Day of the Fatal" clip and you'll see it, it comes up in about a minute. It's wrong, it's so so wrong.

[Defend the Sacred]

I watched the show and agree that the rest of it was pretty good. I think it was a pretty good overview of cult behaviour, mind control, and the type of techniques exploiters use to dominate their followers/victims. They did not let Ray off the hook.

I'm wondering if the fraud sweat, while inappropriate, was chosen because it's a closer representation of what Ray was doing: Nuage, not Native, not traditional, with weird and unsafe changes. But then they made the mistake of saying plastic crates and prefab tents are "proper". *sigh*

[dabosijigwokush]

i saw the show as well
and to pass the other sweat as authentic was totally irresponsible, this needs to be pointed out in a rebuttal
and all of his staff are turning on him so they don't get sued as well , they were just as involved as he was
they should have stopped it before any one got hurt
but the stupid people still would go back to him, blind leading the blind over the cliff

[Defend the Sacred]

It was scary and disturbing to hear the people who survived that say they would still go back to him. It happens when the predator has succeeded in making the victims rely on him.

[ShadowDancer]

I wanted to post some info that I don't recall seeing in this thread.  It has to do with the pharmacology of the supplements and testosterone drugs which were found in James Ray's possession when the search warrant was served.  Not that those supplements/drugs in any way, shape or form excuse the ceremony or the horrendous outcome afterwards, they might serve to explain his behaviour in the aftermath.

The info comes from the blog of Abel Pharmboy, Terra Sigillata.  The blog is written by a university educator and cancer researcher in North Carolina who holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics and BS in Toxicology. The topics he covers relate to natural product drugs and dietary supplements, issues of under-represented groups in the STEMM disciplines, science and medical journalism, the science and culture of North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado.

James Ray’s Sedona sweat lodge stash: lessons in polypharmacy and endocrine pharmacology.

Behavioral effects?
As mentioned at the outset, one of the biggest reasons investigators were interested in any drugs that might have been in Ray’s possession was that there may have been psychoactive substances that could have impaired his judgment or that of followers/clients in the sweat lodge at the retreat. Ray was reported by several eyewitnesses as being aggressive and aloof, and even unhelpful when medics arrived at the sweat lodge. Dan Harris at ABC News asked me if I thought that Ray’s pharmacopeia might have contributed to his state of mind.
This is very difficult to do for a plethora of reasons, not the least of which because I am not a physician nor am I privy to what drugs he was actually taking or his basal personality characteristics. However, I am a pharmacologist and did train in endocrinology during my postdoctoral fellowship and can make some general comments.
A person taking any anabolic steroid regimen is prone to mood swings, anxiety, and aggressive behavior. A physician colleague also reminded me that some of the drugs on the search warrant could alone cause electrolyte disturbances that could be exacerbated by being in an enclosed area with hot stones where other people were vomiting and begging to get out after fasting for 36 hours. Specifically, testosterone can cause sodium retention and Diovan/valsartan can cause potassium retention. These ionic imbalances can certainly influence one’s state of mind and one can speculate that these imbalances would be made worse by fasting and dehydration.

[Mato Istime]

I read half way thru this thread and decided to stop and reply.
 The way I have seen things in the past years get worse over time with all the detractors trying to feed off of the un-knowledgable public.These people are trying to gain some sort of spirituality in the crisis our country is in at this time,and i feel that they are trying to go to the roots to get it without research. I have been to many Lodges and personally have one on my property in Tennessee,which i only use when my son can be a door man. I feel that if people would do research and try to respect the Elders that have laid the Red Road for all people to follow,they would weed out these detractors and be able to find true spirituality inside...JMO

[dabosijigwokush]

It has to do with the pharmacology of the supplements and testosterone drugs which were found in James Ray's possession when the search warrant was served.  Not that those supplements/drugs in any way, shape or form excuse the ceremony or the horrendous outcome afterwards, they might serve to explain his behavior in the aftermath.


so now is he going to get off because of temporary insanity ?

[Diana]

Hi All, came across this on Blue Corn, seems kind of interesting. A woman by the name of Connie Joy has written a book about James Ray. She was supposedly among his inner circle for three years.

Also there's an excerpt from the book called "Meet James' sweat lodge." It's about her (Connie Joy) experience with James Ray and the almost tragic sweat lodge that happened in 2007. Here's a couple of links:  http://www.tragedyinsedona.com/Synopsis.html and
http://www.tragedyinsedona.com/uploads/Chapter_8_Excerpt.pdf


Lim lemtsh,


Diana

[Defend the Sacred]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6186963-504083.html
**************************************************

February 9, 2010 6:00 AM

James Arthur Ray Employees Rat Out Self-Help Guru, Get Immunity from Sweat Lodge Deaths

Posted by Edecio Martinez

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (CBS/AP) Megan and Josh Fredrickson, who worked for self-help guru James Arthur Ray, told police they had no reason to be alarmed when participants in a deadly Arizona sweat lodge ceremony began vomiting and passing out, because Ray told them such responses were to be expected, according to documents released Friday.

Photo: James Arthur Ray.

PICTURES: Sweat Lodge Deaths

Investigators conducted a lengthy interview with the Fredricksons in mid-January on condition that nothing they said would be used against them, in the case stemming from the deaths of three sweat lodge attendees last October. The couple went to work for Ray in 2005 at his Carlsbad, Calif.-based company — James Ray International — and took part in the retreat near Sedona, Ariz. that led to Ray being charged with manslaughter.

Photo: Liz Neuman died after sweat lodge incident.

PICTURES: Sweat Lodge Deaths

Megan Fredrickson said people who were vomiting, unresponsive and unconscious raised no red flags with her because Ray had explained those responses were possibilities. She told authorities that her experience with sweat lodges was limited to the ones led by Ray, and she never took it upon herself to research them or find out why people would pass out.

"Ultimately the plan is we never really had a plan for the extent of what happened," said Josh Fredrickson. "Call paramedics, I think is the plan." The staff never was instructed to call 911, he said, but Ray appreciated that someone had done so.

Prosecutors contend Ray recklessly crammed participants into a 400-square-foot sweat lodge and chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks, and lying lifeless on the ground. Public records show a pattern of illnesses at prior Ray-led events that he largely ignored.

Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter. He is being held in a Yavapai County, Ariz., jail on a $5 million bond.

MEDIA
PICTURES: Sweat Lodge Deaths

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 29, 2009 - Sweat Lodge Guru James Arthur Ray Ignored Broken Bones, More, Leading Up To 3 Deaths, Say Court Docs
October 26, 2009 - Sweat Lodge Guru James Arthur Ray: From Poor Childhood to Self-Help Millionaire
October 26, 2009 - Sweat-Lodge Deaths Won't Stop James Arthur Ray, No Mention of $9,000 Per Person Pricetag
October 23, 2009 - Sweat Lodge Hero? Victim May Have Saved Woman Before Dying, Says Participant Beverley Bunn
October 21, 2009 - Sweat Lodge Survivor Beverley Bunn Says James Arthur Ray Played God Before Deadly Ending
October 18, 2009 - Third Death from Sweat Lodge Ceremony Led by James Arthur Ray
October 16, 2009 - Self-Help Guru James Arthur Ray in Crosshairs of Angel Valley Sweat Lodge Homicide Investigation
October 15, 2009 - Desperate 911 Call: First Glimpse Into Angel Valley Sweat Lodge Deaths
October 13, 2009 - Angel Valley Sweat Lodge Deaths: Owner Didn't Have Permits
October 12, 2009 - Sweat Lodge Death Investigation Turns to Self-Help Guru James Arthur Ray
October 12, 2009 - Family Says New Yorker Kirby Brown was in Great Shape before Mysterious Sweat Lodge Death
October 9, 2009 - Angel Valley Resort: Two Dead, Many Hospitalized in Sedona Sweat Lodge Illness
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[critter - a white non-ndn person]

A Fading Aura For Arizona's Spiritual Tourism

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/16/133781540/a-fading-aura-for-arizonas-spiritual-tourism

Spiritual tourism, an economic staple of northern Arizona, continues to suffer in the wake of a fatal incident at a Sedona-area sweat lodge. In 2009, three participants in a "Spiritual Warrior" retreat died from heatstroke and organ failure; others were hospitalized.

As jury selection gets under way Wednesday in the manslaughter trial for the retreat's host — self-help guru James Arthur Ray — members of the area's spiritual tourism industry have been left asking: How much of their economic woe stems from the tragedy, and how much from an already tough economy?

In addition to the criminal case against Ray, people who were in the sweat lodge and victims' families have brought 10 lawsuits against the facility he rented, Angel Valley Retreat Center. Amid all this, business was down 50 percent last year, after five years of steady growth.

"I think most of it all has to do with people being unsure what exactly happened," says Amayra Hamilton, who runs Angel Valley with her husband. "So there's uncertainty."

Angel Valley lies south of Sedona, which is a mecca for spiritual travelers. For decades they've flocked to what locals refer to as Sedona's vortices. These are swirling centers of energy that some believe flow out of the region's stunning red rock formations. To serve visitors' spiritual needs, cottage industries have popped up, such as healers, counselors, teachers, tours, psychic readers and energetic healers.

But business has dropped for many of them, including bookstore owner Luci Guadreau. A retired teacher, Guadreau has had to dip into savings to keep Golden Word, her store of spiritual and metaphysical books, afloat.

"I literally see people walking around with their cell phones, adding up prices, and deciding which of the things they're going to buy," Guadreau said. "When we first got here I did not see [that] at all."

But Guadreau attributes her struggles to the recession, not to fallout from the sweat lodge incident. Jennifer Wesselhoff, CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, says a lot of her members have seen revenues decline by 20 percent or more. But she agrees it's hard to know whether the recession has caused it.

Other possible culprits for Arizona's economic woes are the state's controversial immigration law and the recent shooting in Tucson.

But some spiritual entrepreneurs say what they offer is recession-proof. Mark Pinkham, who leads vortex tours in Sedona, says his business has never been better.

"Maybe in a recession it's even more important to feel that connection to the spirit, to a higher power when things are difficult in your life," he says.

Kevin Wright, who has written several books on religious and spiritual travel, says spiritual tourists don't make travel decisions based on money. As a result, he says, "The leisure traveler market is down quite a bit, whereas the religious/spiritual market, it may be down a little bit, or it's holding steady."

Back at Angel Valley Retreat Center, Hamilton says she's starting to get more interest and bookings.

"We get questions like, 'Are you open?' Yes we are!" she says.

But she's worried that the James Ray trial may bring negative energy to a place where spiritual seekers come to escape it.

[Defend the Sacred]

Because in a recession, it's all the more important to pay to pray.

< / sarcasm >

[Defend the Sacred]

There's a daily update with links to stories about the James Ray case: http://paper.li/tag/JamesRay

Thanks to Heather from Don't Pay to Pray for the link.

[SouthwestSkeptic]

I'm not sure if this goes here but

Gary Adler Fourstar is creating quite a hype on Facebook by using the Sedona tragedy to promote his wannabe sweat.
http://is.gd/TTXqWc
There’s already over 150 comments, almost all negative.
He conducted a sweat lodge ceremony for members of the CNN News crew and apparently they filmed it and broadcast it.
http://is.gd/MUx5Za
He claims to be an “enrolled member of the Costanoan-Rumsen Carmel Tribe (Ohlone), and the son of Jerome FourStar, an Assiniboine Elder from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana”.
http://is.gd/mVtr59
Contact info to complain:
contact info for CNN:
+14048782276,
FAX: +14048271995
Call: 1-877-TELL-HLN
Twitter: @HLNTV
...E-mail: cnn.com/hln
Text: HLNTV (45688)




Rose

[Laurel]

why did they go to some nuage white woman and not ndn's for what a proper sweat should be? 

Did they have a white woman do it, or was it David Singing Bear?

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2479.0

http://64.38.12.138/boardx/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42906