Chantal Lavigne, The Woman Who Died During A ‘Dying In Consciousness’ Seminar
X (Twitter)Chantal Lavigne died after undergoing a “detoxification” process that involved intense sweating.
In July 2011, 38-year-old Chantal Lavigne was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. She had been a participant in a “Dying in Consiousness” seminar held at a nearby farmhouse that was led by a trio of self-proclaimed gurus: Gabrielle Fréchette and her assistants Ginette Duclos and Gérald Fontaine.
As the Mirror reported, the bizarre “detoxification” process was intended to induce intense sweating. This was achieved by covering participants in mud, wrapping them in cellophane, and placing boxes over their heads for a staggering nine hours.
If this sounds like a recipe for disaster, that’s because it was.
By the time Chantal Lavigne was taken to the hospital, her internal body temperature had reached nearly 105 degrees Fahrenheit. She died of hyperthermia, and a coroner later said the process that led to her death would have been similar to being “cooked alive.”
In the end, Fréchette was sentenced to three years in prison for criminal negligence, while Duclos and Fontaine were handed two-year sentences.
Of course, the irony of dying during a “Dying in Consciousness” seminar can’t be ignored. However, that doesn’t make the death of a young mother of two who fell victim to the predatory practices of a group of influential, unaccredited “therapists” any less tragic.
