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11 November
2009

The Arizona Sweat Lodge Tragedy & the Facts on Sweat Rituals

The sweat lodge tragedy in Sedona, AZ has left three people dead and has generated many questions by those unfamiliar with sweat rituals. This tragedy has also created a dark cloud of suspicion over people making use of sweat rituals.

Sweat rituals have had a central place in societies throughout the world for thousands of years. Examples include the American Indian Sweat lodge, Finnish Sauna, Islamic Hammam, Russian Bania, and Korean Jim Jil Bang to name a few. Like Carl Jung’s Concept of the Archetype, sweat practices continue to re-emerge in different forms. The activity gives the participant an intense physical and psychological experience, the power of which can and will continue to be harnessed for a multitude of purposes. Some have used the practice of sweating to heal illness, socialization, for exercise, to promote spirituality, or as an aid in meditation. Others have used sweat practices as a sexual aphrodisiac, to promote prostitution or as a manipulative tool to promote the agenda of cult-like organizations.

Sweat rituals are known to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of lung, heart, and skin problems. Additionally, research has shown that sweating promotes deeper sleep, pain relief, muscle relaxation, stress relief and has been helpful in treating insomnia, arthritis, and as an adjunct to cancer treatment. Some interesting findings recently coming out of Japan are that sweat rituals help to reduce depression, anxiety and even body fat.

Sweat rituals are contraindicated during high-risk pregnancies and for people with unstable angina pectoris, recent myocardial infarction, severe aortic stenosis, decompensated heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmia. Hands down the most researched form of sweat ritual is the Finnish Sauna. There has not been as much work on studying the Native American sweat lodge ceremony, so scientists often have to extrapolate findings on the sauna to other forms of sweat rituals. There are two million saunas in Finland among a population of five million. Researchers investigating sauna related deaths in Finland concluded that death in the sauna is a rare event. The rate of death occurring while in a sauna was less than 2 per 100,000 inhabitants. Out of 393 cases of death in a 12 year period, two-thirds were male and half were 50-69 years old, whereas most females were over 70 years of age. The majority of deaths were attributed to various cardiovascular diseases. Ischemic heart disease was the underlying cause of death in 63% of the natural deaths, and in 23% of these, autopsy findings also showed acute myocardial infarction. 50% of all cases had alcohol in their blood.

Intense heat exposure can be therapeutic and it can be deadly. Like a powerful drug, it is the way in which it is used that makes the difference. The context, preparation, helpful aids, temperature, rest periods, and recuperation time are all important. That does not mean that there is just one way or even “a best way” to do it. Although there are many different ways to enjoy a sweat ritual, some important guidelines should be considered.

Consider your amount of food intake before going to sweat. Sweating is a form of exercise. You wouldn’t decide to go for a run right after Thanksgiving dinner and the same should be true for sweating. It is often recommended that one fast for an hour or two before sweating. On the other hand, if you wait too long to eat you can feel faint or weak. A good general rule is to not eat heavy before you sweat and to moderate your pre-sweat meal to how you would before engaging in any intense exercise.

The recommended temperature is 176 to 194º F (80-90º C). Jewelry should be removed as it can feel burning to the skin. Plastic covered sport watches are usually fine and helpful for marking time. The things you will need are two towels and a quart of water. One towel is for bringing in with you into the sweat. This towel can be used for sitting on or other personal hygiene. The second towel is for drying off afterwards. The recommended time inside a sauna is anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Take a five-minute break and then repeat. Two to four rounds should do it. During the break drink plenty of water. Allow yourself to lie down and take a longer break to recuperate after your last round. Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time for your body to recuperate and for sweating to stop.

In my fifteen years of avid use of sweat lodges and saunas including lengthy research projects, I have never experienced a participant suffer a heat disorder. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms and how to provide first-aid. Heat disorders include heat collapse, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The symptoms of heat disorders include headache, nausea, vertigo, weakness, thirst, confusion, irrational behavior, loss of consciousness, convulsions, a lack of sweating, and an abnormally high body temperature. General recommendations for first aid of heat disorders include removing the person from the hot environment, wetting the person’s skin and increasing air movement around the person to improve evaporative cooling until professional methods of cooling are initiated and the seriousness of the condition can be assessed. Fluids should be replaced as soon as possible. No person suspected of being ill from heat stroke should be sent home or left unattended unless a physician has specifically approved such an order. Professional medical treatment should be obtained immediately in the case of heat stroke.

Used responsibly, sweat rituals offer numerous benefits to body, mind and spirit and few risks. My work in developing Sweat Therapy in counseling psychology has focused on using this powerful technique to promote health, psychological healing, and human growth. My research team and I at Oklahoma State University found that sweat rituals can be an excellent medium for group counseling. The experience helps groups bond and participants self-disclose quicker – key ingredients to a productive group. As the facts are revealed about the Sedona sweat lodge tragedy, I suspect we will ultimately learn less about the dangers of sweating and more about the dangers of narcissism.

Posted by Stephen Colmant, Ph.D. at 08:10 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

01 November
2009

Sweat Therapy Theory and Efficacy

Journal of Experiential Education 2009, Volume 32, No. 2 pp. 121-136

[Sweat Therapy]

In print this month in The Journal of Experiential Education.

The purpose of this article is to examine the potential application of sweat rituals to group counseling, adventure therapy, and other forms of group work by describing a theoretical model for how sweat rituals work and presenting the results of a randomized comparative outcome study on the efficacy of sweat therapy. The theoretical model proposes five factors that reciprocally interact to produce the positive effects of sweat rituals: cultural priming, exercise, self-regulation, metaphorical and contextual elements, and interpersonal factors. To investigate efficacy, 85 university students were randomly assigned to either a sweat condition (group counseling in a sauna), or a non-sweat condition (group counseling in a standard office setting) for six weekly sessions. Measures included the Critical Incidents Questionnaire, Therapeutic Factor Inventory, Exercise Induced Feeling Inventory, and the Subjective Exercise Experiences Scale. Results indicated that participants in the sweat condition perceived a greater availability of therapeutic factors, especially for group cohesion and interpersonal learning, and had better attendance, less attrition, and reported sessions to be more useful. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Keywords: Sweat Therapy, Group Counseling, , Indigenous Sweat Practices

E. Allen Eason is a Counseling Psychologist and Assistant Professor of American Ethnic Studies at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA. E-mail: easonea@gmail.com

Stephen A. Colmant is a Licensed Psychologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Health and Medical Division, Cherokee, North Carolina, USA. E-mail: colmant@gmail.com

Carrie L. Winterowd is an Associate Professor in the School of Applied Health and Educational Psychology at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. E-mail: carrie.winterowd@okstate.edu

Posted by colmant at 09:13 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

06 September
2009

Exploring the Psychology of Ritual, Mythology, and Ordeal within the Sweat Lodge Ceremony

[Sweat Therapy]

Gary Stewart of Murdoch University in Western Australia completed a study using grounded theory methodology to investigate the psychological effects of sweat lodges. Below is an excerpt from his unpublished thesis (2006, p 32.):

The most commonly reported theme was that of spiritual connection and how the Sweat Lodge encounter enabled participants the feeling of connectedness and spiritual unity.

This spiritual connection was frequently said to add meaning and purpose to the participant’s life. Often the data suggested that those interviewed had gained a sense of direction and purpose in their lives as a result of being involved with Sweat Lodge ceremonies.

The theme of feeling at home in the world and the universe and the sense of existential purpose, is possibly the most important theme that emerged from the data. The data indicates that the physical environment of the Sweat Lodge combined with the ritual component generate non-ordinary states of consciousness. The data also reveals that the facilitator teaches participants through the mythology of the Sweat Lodge and through different themes, while the attendees are in an altered state of consciousness.

This, as indicated by the data, has a powerful psychological effect on the participants, which is seen as profoundly positive and life changing.

Posted by colmant at 11:14 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

12 May
2009

5th Critical Multicultural & Diversity Conference 2009

Integrating Traditional Healing Practices into Counselling Psychology & Psychotherapy.

[Sweat Therapy]

Stephen and Allen were invited to present at the 5th Critical Multicultural & Diversity Conference 8/4-8/5/09 at the University of Toronto. The conference title is “Integrating Traditional Healing Practices into Counselling Psychology & Psychotherapy.” For more information on this conference see: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/cdcp/

Here is the presentation description:

Section 4: Traditional Healing and its Contemporary Formulations

Sweat Lodge as a Healing Ritual; Ayurveda; Naturopathy; TCM; Morita and Nikan Therapy; Network chiropractics; I-Ching; Yoga; Mindfulness meditation; Shiatsu; Reiki; Touch and Energy healing; Qigong; …

WORKSHOP

Sweat Therapy: Integrating sweat rituals into counseling and psychotherapy.

Stephen Colmant, Ph.D. and Allen Eason, Ph.D.

Sweat rituals have been used as traditional medicine throughout the world for thousands of years to promote well-being. Examples include the Native American sweat lodge ceremony, the Finnish sauna, the Russian bania, the Islammic hammam and Korean jim jil bang to name a few. This workshop will discuss the potentials of sweat practices to enrich educational and therapeutic programming. Dr. Colmant and Dr. Eason have completed several research studies on sweat therapy with at-risk youth and university students. They will review the research on the physiological, spiritual and psychological effects of sweating and present a theoretical model on the mechanisms for how sweat rituals operate to deliver therapeutic effects. Just as there are many forms of sweat practices, there are many means of incorporating counseling and group work with sweating. The facilitators hope to encourage people to be creative in incorporating sweat therapy into their work setting while being respectful of culturally specific practices.

Stephen Colmant, Ph.D. completed his doctorate through the Counseling Psychology Program at Oklahoma State University in 2005 and is a licensed psychologist with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Health and Medical Division, in Cherokee, NC, USA.

Allen Eason, Ph.D. completed his doctorate through the Counseling Psychology Program at Oklahoma State University in 2008 and is an Assistant Professor in American Ethnic Studies at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, USA.

* UPDATE - Due to budget constraints restricting travel funds, Stephen and Allen will not be able to present at this conference.

Posted by colmant at 16:45 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)