Plastic Shaman: The Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America's Misguided Quest for Wellness

By Annette McGivney

Book Overview

A journey of personal transformation turns into a fatal disaster in this gripping true crime investigation of the wellness industry.

"This true-crime thriller is a profoundly unsettling treatise on the toxic legacy of our nation's treatment of its original inhabitants, told by a writer whose wisdom, eloquence, and moral courage continue to grow with each new title she brings into the world."
--KEVIN FEDARKO, A Walk in the Park

In October 2009, more than fifty people traveled to Sedona, Arizona, for a $10,000-per-person spiritual wellness retreat led by a celebrity self-help guru. Three of them would not make it out alive. They came seeking enlightenment but found catastrophe as a fake Native American sweat lodge ceremony claimed their lives.This tragedy exposes the dangerous truth about the booming $2 trillion wellness industry where promises of spiritual awakening and financial success often mask dangerous practices underpinned by cultural appropriation and commodification of the natural world. Journalist Annette McGivney explores this world, exposing the manipulation and greed that allow charismatic influencers to prey on vulnerable people in search of happiness and healing...no matter the cost.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GFK8FT8Q
• ISBN13: 9798890920454
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Torrey House Press
• Length: 300 Pages