What do you think James Arthur Ray's responsibility was in the 3 deaths at his spiritual warrior retreat?

If you haven't seen the news, self-help guru James Arthur Ray was arrested and charged in the deaths of 3 members of his Spiritual Warrior event.

What do you think?

I have a lot of thoughts. It's late and they aren't well formed so bear with me. I do not know the details of the case and my intention is not to pass judgment, that does not help anyone, rather to explore factors that may have played a role which could help all of us in the future.

I highly doubt that Ray wanted this to happen. I do, however, think that leaders are responsible for the situations they design. Charisma, power, trust, authority are all tools for influence (they act on an emotional level which impacts the decisions others make), which of course can be used for good or evil. Evil can happen when leaders don't intend it if they are not careful. The more powerful these tools, the more careful the leader needs to be.

This tragic event seems like a devastating example of social psychology principles of mind control, group think, social pressure, obedience to authority...

I wonder if he would have set up that type of situation if he were truly aware of the social psychology and medical precedents with tragic outcomes. Had he done this research he would have spent a significant amount of time encouraging dissension (the #1 way to break group think), listening to your body, leaving and taking a break, etc... not just in a release for legal purposes but in a formal preparation. He would have had medical professional on hand, taken frequent breaks with the lights on, and so on...Again, I don't know if he designed these measures into the event or not.

From what I know of James Arthur Ray, he had a positive message to share. My guess is that after all of his fame and powerful healing sessions, he continued to up the ante. It may not have been a conscious intention (the fear that if he didn't provide a more intense experience each time he could lose his followers), and it certainly could have stemmed from a positive desire to provide greater help for his followers. I do think that somewhere along the way he should have gotten many outside perspective on the experiences he designed.

I hope other teachers, healers, seminar leaders, business leaders, members of the media, parents, etc, will take away the message that people's lives are literally in your heads and as a leader you accept a tremendous amount of responsibility.

We need to be mindful of treading very carefully with power, knowing the literature of potential responses in high social pressure group situations, encouraging people to break free from groups for any reason (in fact rewarding people for breaking free), and consulting with medical professionals when designing anything that involves heat, sweating, excessive drinking of water, etc.

And we all need to remember to listen carefully to our thoughts, feelings, and bodies. And as soon as we get that instinctual feeling that something isn't right, get out of the situation. 

Comments

[Mike Shippey]

I have read two of James Ray's books, "Harmonic Wealth" and "Practical Spirituality" and thought they were both fantastic. I really felt like James was pretty mature spiritually and had a good handle on his teaching.
I remember having a really sick feeling when I first heard about the event in Arizona.
First off, I feel for the families of those who were killed. What a terrible and probably avoidable tragedy! Secondly, I feel for James, because I am certain that he did not want this to happen.
For me, it really illustrates that the spiritual journey we are all on in this life is a deeply personal one. I totally agree with you when you talk about listening to our thoughts, feelings, and bodies. James may have been on another level from a spiritual stand point, and I think in a very real way, he lost touch with his followers.
I'm sure that they were looking for guidance and inspiration, but it sounds like they were placed in a situation that not only wasn't as safe as it could have been from a physical standpoint, but that was obviously very dangerous.
I think you're right on about the responsibility that any leader has when he or she is accountable for a group of people.
Finally - I don't know how far any of us should ever follow one mortal man when it comes to our own relationship with God, or the Universe, or energy, or Spirit, or whatever it is that we are seeking to grow closer to and understand more. At some point, we have to look at ourselves, and know what is right.
My two cents...
Thanks for posting
MS