James Arthur Ray arrested, charged with manslaughter.

James Arthur Ray was arrested yesterday and charged with 3 counts of manslaughter in connection with the sweat lodge deaths that occurred at a spiritual retreat back in October. Three people died and many others suffered various degrees of distress during a sweat lodge ceremony that took place near the end of a James Ray event in Sedona, AZ.

I’ve shared several postings about this story as important developments took place and watched as this bizarre tragedy unfolded. But I found myself having mixed reactions to the news of James Ray’s arrest.

Much like some readers, I am happy that the legal system is moving forward, taking action, and trying to solve this difficult situation. The victims and their families deserve nothing less.

But at the same time (more…)

James Arthur Ray interview out about sweat lodge deaths

James Arthur Ray, the leader of the retreat that ended in the tragic sweat lodge deaths of three people last October, has finally broken his silence about what happened.

This is the first time James has spoken publicly about the tragedy.

In an exclusive interview that appears on New York magazine’s website, James Ray is questioned about his actions that night and his response to the events of that evening.

The interview was done over the phone, and James Ray was assisted by his lawyers during the call. James was willing to answer most of the interviewer’s questions, but his lawyers didn’t let Mr. Ray answer a couple of questions and instead (more…)

Lawsuits begin, James Arthur Ray troubles continue.

There have been several new developments in the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge death investigation since my last update. Here is a quick look at what’s happening:

Survivor Stories

First, several attendees have come forward and publicly shared their version of what transpired inside the sweat lodge on that fateful day.  Beverly Bunn is one of those attendees. During the retreat Beverly was roommates with Kirby Brown, one of the three people who died from their injuries. Beverly appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to share her story. You can also read her account in an AP story here.

Beverly claims that James was unconcerned when people started getting sick. She also claims that when the crisis occurred her attempts to help were (more…)

James Arthur Ray cancels remaining 2009 events.

James Arthur Ray announced today that he is canceling all of his remaining seminars and engagements for the rest of 2009. The announcement comes in the wake of the three tragic deaths that occurred during a sweat lodge ceremony that also left 19 people hospitalized. The sweat lodge ceremony was the culmination of a spiritual retreat led by James Ray in Sedona, Arizona.

The announcement, posted today, (October 29, 2009), on his website at www.jamesray.com, and in a duplicate message posted on the James Arthur Ray blog, states that: (more…)

More on the James Arthur Ray tragedy.

Here is the latest info on the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge death investigation. I know that this tragedy and its aftermath strike close to home for many readers, so I’ll keep you updated as new information comes out.

One of the survivors of the sweat lodge, who passed out and spent four days in the hospital, is speaking out about her ordeal. The story in the Arizona Sun relates Sidney Spencer’s experience at the sweat lodge and sheds a little light on what was actually going on inside the lodge. You can read the story here.

In another story on the Anderson Cooper 360 blog, a CNN video report reveals that there was similar trouble last year at the same James Arthur Ray event. Click here to watch the video.

It appears that an attendee of last year’s retreat was ready to come forward and report that about 20 people got sick at last year’s sweat lodge ceremony, but changed her mind about appearing on camera at the last minute, saying (more…)

Self growth news!

The tragedy continues in the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths case.  Sadly, another person has died from their injuries, making a total of three individuals who lost their lives in this tragic event.

There still aren’t a lot of details since my first post about these tragic sweat lodge deaths, but there have been two major developments that I thought you would want to know about.

The first is the sad news that a third person has died. You can read about it here. Apparently, she was an avid follower of James Ray, and in addition to attending many of his events she was also the leader of the Minneapolis-area “Journey Expansion Team”, a fan group that meets to talk about Ray’s ideas and teachings.

Second, according to an AP story on Google, found here, the police are now investigating the deaths as a homicide. What this means (more…)

Self growth in the news.

I was shocked when I read the news article detailing the tragic deaths of two people attending a sweat lodge ceremony during a spiritual retreat in Arizona. The retreat, a five day event called Spiritual Warrior, was hosted by James Arthur Ray, one of the teachers featured in the movie, The Secret.

The sweat lodge ceremony took place on the final day of the retreat, an event that guests paid almost $10,000 to attend.

There aren’t a lot of details at this point about what actually happened inside the sweat lodge, but the end result is that 2 people died and 19 others were hospitalized. One person remains in critical condition.

While the police and other authorities are continuing their investigation into this tragedy, trying to discover exactly what happened and what went wrong, I can’t help but wonder if this was (more…)