NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Miami Beach, FL, July 21, 2026: A Miami-Dade judge has ordered a psychiatrist charged in the death of finance executive Tina Sodhi during a psychedelic wellness ceremony to stop practicing medicine while the criminal case against him proceeds.
Dr. Samuel Lee, 44, was arrested on July 14 and charged with second-degree felony manslaughter in connection with Sodhi’s February 10, 2025, death at Sabia Wellness House in Miami Beach. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sodhi, 51, was a Senior Partner and Head of U.S. Distribution at Triago. She was also the founder of The Art of Breathing and a TEDx speaker.
According to court records, Sodhi attended a three-day retreat known as the “Heart Protocol,” which Lee allegedly presented as a way for participants to connect with their “higher selves.” She reportedly paid $2,000 to participate and signed a waiver acknowledging that her involvement was voluntary and that the substances used could carry risks and side effects.
Lee is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has described himself as a “holistic, integrative psychiatrist” who uses a spiritual approach to mental health.
According to the arrest report, Lee organized the ceremony at the Miami Beach wellness house and acknowledged giving Sodhi ketamine and MDMA. A toxicology examination later found those substances in her body, along with DMT, a powerful psychedelic.
The report also states that Sodhi consumed a parasite cleanse recommended by Lee before spending time inside an infrared sauna. Investigators said the heat from the sauna amplified the effects of the substances she had consumed.
Police and emergency personnel responded to the wellness house on February 10, 2025, after Sodhi was found unresponsive inside the sauna. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner determined that Sodhi died from dehydration caused by the combined effects of the drugs, the cleansing regimen and exposure to the sauna. According to the arrest report, the medical examiner told investigators that each of those factors significantly contributed to her death.
During the investigation, Miami Beach police consulted an independent physician who concluded that Lee’s conduct represented an extreme and unjustifiable departure from accepted clinical and safety practices, according to court records.
Lee reportedly told investigators that the ceremony was a religious sacrament associated with the Eternal Life Tribe and that he had not conducted it under his medical license.
On July 17, a Miami-Dade judge ordered Lee to stop practicing medicine while the case is pending. The court also ordered him to surrender his passports, according to local news reports.
Sabia Wellness, through its attorney, expressed condolences to Sodhi’s family and noted that neither the wellness house nor its owner had been charged. The attorney said alternative therapies could have healing benefits but should be administered only by qualified practitioners operating under strict safety protocols.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of psychedelic-assisted wellness retreats and alternative treatment ceremonies operating outside conventional clinical settings.
