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

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 the 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.

Author: Annette McGivney
Publisher: Torrey House Press
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 390
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.31lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9798890920515

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/03/2026

About the Author
ANNETTE MCGIVNEY is an award-winning author of five nonfiction books including Pure Land, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. She taught journalism at Northern Arizona University and is a longtime reporter for Outside, Backpacker, The Guardian, Runners World, and Arizona Highways. She lives in Cortez, Colorado.