Episode 415: Sweat Lodge Guru James Arthur Ray, Part 2

He was endorsed by Oprah, interviewed by Larry King, and was selling his workshops for tens of thousands of dollars. After promising health, wealth, and happiness to his followers, in the end, all this grifter gave them was a hard sales pitch, injury, and death. This week’s episode is Sweat Lodge Guru James Arthur Ray, Part 2.

SOURCES:
Part 2 - Sources

American Indians see lessons in sweat lodge trial, Minnesota Public Radio: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2011/11/24/sweat-lodge-deaths

Colleen Conaway Death - Family questions mysterious suicide at seminar last July, Park Rapids Enterprise: https://archive.is/IHrOj

Spiritual Warriors, Deadly Cults on Oxygen (S2, E1): https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B087D7883G

James Arthur Ray was convicted of negligent homicide after 3 people died at a sweat lodge in Sedona in 2009. He died on Friday., NBC 12 News: https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/james-arthur-ray-self-help-guru-sedona-sweat-lodge-deaths-dies/75-f1d3d765-8afc-4544-b584-1e537c704285

Emotional witness describes horror outside sweat lodge, CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/11/arizona.sweat.lodge.trial/

James Ray Breaks Silence, Piers Morgan Live: https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2013/11/26/exp-newday-sambolin-james-ray-breaks-silence.cnn

Lawsuit Filed by Black Hills Treaty Council Delegate, Lakota Times: https://www.lakotatimes.com/articles/lawsuit-filed-by-black-hills-treaty-council-delegate/

New CNN Documentary Examines New Age Guru James Arthur Ray, Convicted in 3 Deaths in Sweat Lodge Tragedy, People: https://people.com/crime/new-cnn-documentary-examines-new-age-guru-james-arthur-ray-convicted-in-3-deaths-in-sweat-lodge-tragedy/

Remembering the star-crossed life of self-help guru James Arthur Ray, Fortune: https://fortune.com/2025/01/17/james-arthur-ray-obituary-self-help-guru/

Seek Safely's Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/SEEKSafely

Seek Safely's Statement on the Passing of James Ray: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19KGD2Exgk/

Self-help author James Arthur Ray, whose seminar led to tragedy and death, dies at 67, Upper Michigan Source: https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/01/07/self-help-author-james-arthur-ray-whose-seminar-led-tragedy-death-dies-67/

Self-help guru convicted in Arizona sweat lodge deaths, LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2011-jun-22-la-na-sweat-lodge-trial-20110623-story.html

Sweat Lodge Lawsuit Makes Guru Break Into Sweat, Find Law: https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/personal-injury/sweat-lodge-lawsuit-makes-guru-break-into-sweat/

Sweat lodge lawsuit settled, Wisconsin Law Journal: https://wislawjournal.com/2011/05/17/sweat-lodge-lawsuit-settled/

Sweat Lodge Trial Focuses on James Arthur Ray, Find Law: https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/sweat-lodge-trial-focuses-on-james-arthur-ray/

This Sweet Life: How we lived after Kirby died by Ginny Brown and Jean Brown (Book): https://www.amazon.com/This-Sweet-Life-lived-after/dp/0578708795/