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

A spiritual quest turns into a fatal disaster in this gripping true crime investigation of the wellness industry.


“A fascinating, deeply personal investigation.”

—JON KRAKAUER, Under the Banner of Heaven


In October 2009, more than fifty people attended a $10,000-per-person wellness retreat led by a celebrity self-help guru. For these enlightenment seekers, their time in Sedona, Arizona, culminated in a fake Native American sweat lodge ceremony. Three of them would not make it out alive.


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 nature. 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.