For right around $9k, you can fast for a day and a half, sweat in an Arizona tent for hours, do major damage to your liver and kidneys, scorch your lungs, and shock your nervous system…that’s if you survive at all.

A Texas Orthodontist who was an eye witness to these events (and participant) recently told The New York Times what happend during the rebirth phase of a “vision quest” at one of James Arthur Ray’s dangerous, new-agey but incredibly lucrative spiritual warrior seminars.

“There were people throwing up everywhere” she said.

Ray allegedly told the crowd that this was good–the body was purging itself of what it didn’t need. Really? Like what–nutrients and electrolytes?

What’s even more disturbing is that Ray sat by the sealed entrance to the tent (which was only opened a few times, in order to bring hot rocks inside) and wouldn’t let participants leave. Attendees say that he was very initimidating and encouraged them to “play on. You have to get through this barrier.”

An hour and a half into the sweat-out, a voice cried out that someone had fainted. Ray’s response? “We’ll deal with that after the next session” Unbelieveable.

On a conference call for sweat lodge participants last week, Ray put a channeler on the phone who claimed to have communicated with the dead and had the nerve to say that those who died had chosen not to return to their bodies because they were having “so much fun.”

But that’s not the craziest remark coming from Ray’s camp.

Howard Bragman, Ray’s publicist had the arrogance to say this: “There were a lot of people at the retreat who had amazing and empowering experiences…Before we rush to judgment, let’s do a little more research.”

Ray has made close to $10 million from these events.

19 people were hospitalized. 3 died. 1 got richer.

Here’s what one victim’s brother had to say:

More:
-Ray tried to delete these twitter updates that he posted during the event.
-Liz Neuman, a healthy, athletic woman died at the retreat.
-Here’s another account of what happend that afternoon.