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.
