Interviews with 30 experienced non-native practitioners of the Native American sweat lodge
ceremony revealed 184 reports of transpersonal experiences. Interview questions sought to (a)
disclose how practitioners discern or critique their own experiences, (b) consider alternative
explanations for practitioners’ experiences, and (c) critically reflect on the sweat lodge
ceremony per se as a spiritual practice. It was found that practitioners generally (a) interpreted
their experiences as trustworthy interactions with a spiritual reality, (b) did not seriously
consider alternative explanations for their experiences, and (c) neglected to reflect critically
on the sweat lodge ceremony per se as a spiritual practice
