A bizarre tragedy at a spiritual retreat in the Arizona desert has caused new embarrassment for Oprah Winfrey, the American television titan whose enthusiasm for alternative health and lifestyle choices has drawn mounting criticism this year.
The deaths of two participants at a Native American-style “cleansing” ceremony in a sauna-like “sweat lodge” earlier this month are being treated by police as possible homicides. The victims were attending a “spiritual warrior” retreat organised by James Arthur Ray, a motivational speaker who has appeared twice on Winfrey’s chat show.
The billionaire entertainer has been fighting off persistent allegations this year that her media empire provides a platform to questionable self-help gurus who promote dangerous ideas.
Participants paid almost $10,000 each to join what Ray had promised would be a “heroic quest for higher consciousness”. Police are probing reports that they may have been stretched beyond reasonable endurance.
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