Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
MSNBC– A sweat lodge outside Sedona, Ariz., where two people were overcome and later died and 19 others fell ill lacked the necessary building permit, an official said Monday.At any one time, 55 to 65 people attending the “Spiritual Warrior” program hosted by self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray were crowded into the 415-square-foot space during a two-hour period Thursday night, Yavapai County sheriff’s officials said. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee died after being overcome in the sauna-like hut, which was built specifically for the five-day retreat. Nineteen other people were hospitalized with symptoms ranging from dehydration to kidney failure. One remained in critical condition Monday, and two others were in fair condition.
WTF? People pay $9000 a week to sit in a steam-filled tent with a bunch of smelly people? Ever heard of a gym?
Native Americans have been using sweat lodges for centuries, but they were designed for 10 to 20 people not 50 to 60.
They were obviously doing it wrong.
A fool and his mortal soul are soon parted.
I wonder if they served a snake oil tonic at that retreat 😛
FAIL.
“Ever heard of a gym?”… Too much work for most people.
People die in saunas too.
And at gyms.
Stupid people often die doing stupid things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation
The search for the paranormal. I have had only one paranormal experience in my life and as a coincidence, I came across this article on it just today.
I always thought it was some kind of “brain” thing. I think I got flooded with some hormones or steroids as I was with my girlfriend at the time.
I’d have the same view of seeing angels==some kind of brain chemistry–not reality. Good to see what I experienced documented to such exacting detail.
The paranormal = normal after all.
Everybody dies, nobody knows how or when, seems to me a sweatlodge death would be pretty sweet. I mean they passed on without the people around them even realizing it. Not only that at the time they were focused on making a spiritual journey, I’d planned on doing this on my death bed – when the time comes. I can see where the families of the deceased would be pretty PO’d, they’ll be going after James Arthur Ray soon. These purification rituales always require the close supervision of a shaman, and rarely are they practiced with more than one disciple. So many seeking wisdom, and so little wisdom to be found.
gym?? hell the could have purchased exercise guru Richard Simmons sweating with the oldies and get the same effect..
oh wait that is sweating to the oldies..
They breath smoke. A lot of carbon monoxide is also released which is a neurological toxin and which displaces oxygen. The heat is intense, elevating respiration, heart rate and sweat. They also dance around a lot, which makes matters worse. Like #4.’s example, erotic asphyxia, wood is usually involved.
#6–ammaramadingdong==would getting stuffed into a plastic garbage bag and being thrown into the dump be close enough?
#5 Bobbo
There you go again, so rational, electro chemical explanations are so much safer than symbolic or spiritual ones. I might reccomend a few sessions with a sensory deprevation tank, but instead of hiding behind your rationale, open yourself to the meaning of your vision. You might discover a few things about yourself.
I’ve participated in sweat lodges. 55-65 people is way too many to keep track of. It’s completely dark, incredibly hot and steamy. The ones I’ve done are 10-12 at most, with no shame associated with needing to get out at any time if you feel overwhelmed. 60 people in a 20×20 structure… that’s crazy.
But there isn’t much carbon monoxide. Hot rocks are placed in a hole in the center of the lodge, and water is splashed over them, and sometimes bits of ceremonial incense and such, but no fire as such. At least in the ones I’ve participated in.
I think the issue was they weren’t drinking enough water.
#12 Could be. And how long were they in there for? Our sessions were only 15-20 minutes at a time, then out for a break, then back in. It’s incredibly intense, you can’t do it for very long.
#10–amodedoma==ahhh, so true. Wish it were true, want it to be true. Given the two track records, who wouldn’t wish to be rational?
I guess there would be a few?
Oh, well, two more overpaid religious fanatics no longer around sucking up our air and taking up space on the freeways. :)!
#11…you say it’s completely dark, incredibly hot and steamy….
And you went in there voluntarily? Looking for a preview of hell perhaps?
You guys are too funny. Sure people can die, anytime and anywhere. But when you have people dying in the same exact location, in the same situation, from the same affects then there’s idiocy involve. Mind you, this is in a tent! Some had to have said something like “hey, two people just dropped dead there, maybe it’s good idea that we get out of this hell hole?” Obviously this did not happen.
This is a contender for a Dwarwin Award if you ask me.
Having been in a sweat lodge built by a river before, the one I was in produced steam with hot steel bars splashed with water. The traditional hot objects are rocks, but unless you have the right kind of heated rocks, they can crack and splinter and hurt people with splinters of rock. So we used steel bars heated in a fire.
This kind of lodge won’t produce Carbon Monoxide, because the fire heating the bars is outside the lodge. The only possible problem is people getting overheated, which could have been the cause of the deaths and injuries in this case.
Well, I read the fine article (duh!) and two hours in those conditions… that’s just incredible.
#15 People go into similar conditions in steam baths and saunas. It can feel very purifying. Plus the native American spirituality aspect is very interesting.
Bobbo:
“There are two types of people in the world. Those who divide the world into two types of people and those who don’t.” — Robert Benchley
pfkad–This is a tech blog. There are those who use appropriate nomeclature (which would be: 10 types of people) and those who don’t!
Hmmmph!–Some people.
1. vent, there is always a VENT..
2. SMoke lodge, not SWEAT lodge.
3. There are woods YOU DONT USE..POISONOUS.
AND 60 persons, ON A SPACE 20X20?? lmao..
suck up that oxygen..
Maybe they didn’t drink enough mint tea prior to the ritual.
Hopefully they were religious.
There may not have been much CO but If I participated there’d be a lot of methane – on purpose – for fun.
maybe god wanted them more than we did.
we often wish that god wanted our goat sucking gay son more than we did. that isn’t asking too much. nope, very asking little.