I'll do a write-up to orient people to the sweatlodge who want to participate at the retreat, so more details will come. And it is completely voluntary, but let me start by saying this: it sounds more frightening than it is. It's dark inside the lodge, for example, but not a closed-in scary dark; it's a peaceful place where the world belongs to you. Nobody touches or watches you during the ceremony. One way I describe it is, "inside this ceremony, you will find a map to the place where you live."

We gather inside the lodge together, and you will be with almost 100% other females, in a circle together. I carry in heated stones and arrange them in a center pit, and the medicine man instructs us about our common purpose to pray together and be of good hearts. As the lodge door closes, he pours dippers of water over the stones, creating heat and vapor that cleans our bodies. It is dark, and all people inside pray together--not taking turns, but all at once. We pour our hearts out. We leave whatever we want to be rid of on those hot stones, for God to burn away from us. The round lasts but a few minutes, and we call for the door to open. Light and cool air rush in and relax us. We leave, drink water, and rest.

We repeat this for four rounds. The third round is a healing round, and the fourth round belongs to women, who have the right to speak and instruct men. (it is believed that women's prayers reach the Creator more directly, because women have spiritual authority. So women are the foundation of this ceremony, and all ceremonies). You absolutely do not have to talk; it is simply as the spirit leads you. But when the door is closed, we all pray together...and you can do this silently if you wish, but in the ceremony itself there is a full chorus of voices all speaking to God all at once. Nobody distinguishes one voice from another, or "listens in" to another person.

When it is over, we feel an immense rush of endorphins and spiritual rest. We feel clean (spiritually and physically--the impurities of actual "sweat" are cleaned out of us on the first round, and after that it is pure, clean water vapor that washes us. Oh, and it's great for the skin!). We feel inspired because we have succeeded at something difficult, and left our pain on the stones. The energy and confidence we have afterward is enough to make you want to lift your arms with joy.

I have taken several women into the ceremony, and 100% of them have described it as life-changing. Victoria even had a vision in it. Danee still sees it as the most important moment of her recovery.

Part of the fear some people have about this is the fear that might not "make it" or that they will embarrass themselves. There is no risk of this, because the ceremony is not a test of strength or toughness. It is a gift, and one which people use as they need to. There is no need to "prove" something. I will ask our holy man to run it a bit milder for all of us than he does for the Cheyenne Sundancers and me, where the ceremony is intensely difficult.

It is not a terrifying event. You are not "closed up" with men, and nobody is focused on you--we all pray together and our minds are focused on our own needs and healing. Everyone is very modest, and there is no embarrassing exposure of one's body (women wear cotton, such as sports bra, t-shirt, and exercise shorts. Victoria wore an underwire bra the second time she sweated, and regretted the temporary "tattoo" the wire gave her--ha ha!). I have never seen people so happy as when they come out of the ceremony. It is so cleansing, so humble and comforting, that people--even us grown men--sometimes cry with the happiness of it.

Our medicine man is very good about being gentle and kind. When he prays, he directs his prayers to "Maheo, our Creator, and our savior Jesus Christ." (my church pastor asked to come through this ceremony with me before he accepted his role as pastor of our church). It is not a weird, pagan, or unnatural-feeling ceremony.