Investigation Discovery tells Kirby’s Story in James Ray’s Sweat Lodge

Investigation Discovery - Kirby Brown's Story

On Tuesday, July 9 at 9PM eastern, the “Deadly Devotion” series aired the story of Kirby‘s death in James Ray’s sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona on October 8, 2009. It has been over 3 years since Kirby’s death and I still ache for her physical presence, long for a conversation,  yearn for an adventure together and thirst for her laugh. kirby-fbSo watching and reliving again her ridiculously avoidable, unnecessary and tragic death was extremely painful.   However, her story is one that needs to be told.  We want it to be told and IDTV did a wonderful job portraying the events of that 5 day Spiritual Warrior retreat.  At James Ray’s trial much was made of everyone’s “free will” choices, but the program clearly explained how free will was eroded by Ray’s tactics.  After Sedona, one of the participants had told me , ” James assured us we would have mental clarity.” Really? The people at the end of that experience did not appear to be mentally astute.  They were emotionally debilitated, mentally confused and physically ill. The program exposed his insufficient knowledge, training, poor preparation, and the  lack of any credible risk management plan or medical support.   We had assumed, as did Kirby, that such an expensive event would have been professionally  run. Playing “full on” was encouraged and expected in this event; it was not considered reckless.  The show clearly exposed Ray as the reckless person who had a responsibility to those who had placed their trust in him.  As he is released from prison on July 12, I do not wish him harm but fear that he may cause harm if he attempts to return to this self-help arena.   As he continues to appeal his paltry sentence, I believe he still does not accept responsibility for his actions.  During the retreat and after the tragedy, he certainly displayed his inability to live the lessons he taught…”live impeccably…accept responsibility for your actions, intended or unintended…place your attention on your intentions.” Thank you IDTV for the sensitive treatment of our daughter’s death and offering the public this  “cautionary tale”.  Through SEEKsafely, we will continue to educate and empower seekers and do what we can to bring ethical and safe practices to this unregulated industry. Through SEEKsafely, Kirby will speak, INSPIRING others to live with passion, purpose, generosity, gratitude and joy.  She, James Shore and Liz Newman will be the voices urging CHANGE in this unregulated industry and encouraging those who seek change in their lives to make sure that their leader employs ethical and safe standards, honoring the trust that has been placed in their ability to lead and guide. IDTV will air “Deadly Devotion – Fatal Healing” again on tomorrow, Sunday the 13th, 2013. Check your local listings

Investigation Discovery - Kirby Brown's Story

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *