Third Death in Sweat Lodge Fiasco

A Minnesota woman is the most recent death following a spiritual retreat that took place on Oct. 8 at Angel Valley Retreat Center, located just outside of Sedona, Arizona. Participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to attend Oprah-approved self-help expert James Arthur Ray's "Spiritual Warrior" retreat. Spanning five days and including a 36-hour fast, the retreat concluded with two hours spent in a makeshift sweat lodge, presumably a purification ritual. Twenty-one of the nearly 60 participants were taken to hospitals following the sweat-in; two were declared dead upon arrival. Liz Neuman, 49, was a follower of Ray's, having attended and supported his events in the past. Her family is planning a lawsuit, maintaining that proper measures were not taken to prevent Neuman's death.