Camp Verde, Arizona (CNN) -- A participant in a 2009 Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead testified Thursday that he asked a volunteer if he had died and was told, "No, you came back." 

Dennis Mehravar, a real estate salesman from Canada, testified that self-help author and speaker James Ray, who led the event, told him he had been reborn. 

Ray is accused of three counts of manslaughter in the deaths of three people who were in the sweat lodge for the purification ceremony. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison on each count. 

Mehravar, asked if he would have assisted someone next to him who was dying, said he would normally have done so, but the conditions in the lodge made that difficult. "I wasn't 100% aware, alert of what was going on around me." 

Responding to a follow-up question, Mehravar said he would have waited until a round was over to ask for help. The sweat lodge ceremony consisted of eight rounds, with each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes. While they were not prevented from leaving, participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds. 

Mehravar said he would not have tried to stop the ceremony: "I don't think I would. I know it doesn't sound logical." 

"I think Mr. Ray would have got upset if I had interrupted the ceremony," he said. 

Prosecutors maintain Ray psychologically pressured participants to remain in the lodge even when they weren't feeling well, contributing to the deaths of the three victims. 
Where did the incident take place?
What year?
How many individuals died?
What is the name of the survivor?
What does he do for a living?
Who was the person who led the event?
What did James Ray tell Dennis?
What is Ray charged with?
What is the penalty if found guilty?
Did Mehravar know what was going on around him in the lodge?
How long was the lodge ceremony?
Were people in the lodge allowed to leave?
Were they prompted to wait?
Did the survivor try to stop the ritual?
What kind of pressure did the defendant use?
Arizona
A participant in a 2009 Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead testified Thursday that he asked a volunteer if he had died and was told, "No, you came back." 
2009
A participant in a 2009 Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead testified Thursday that he asked a volunteer if he had died and was told, "No, you came back." 
Three
A participant in a 2009 Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead
Dennis Mehravar
Dennis Mehravar, a real estate salesman from Canada, testified that self-help author and speaker James Ray, who led the event, told him he had been reborn. 
He's a real estate salesman
Dennis Mehravar, a real estate salesman from Canada,
James Ray
James Ray, who led the event,
That he had been reborn.
Dennis Mehravar, a real estate salesman from Canada, testified that self-help author and speaker James Ray, who led the event, told him he had been reborn. 
Three counts of manslaughter
Ray is accused of three counts of manslaughter
Up to 10 years in prison on each count.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison on each count. 
No
Mehravar, asked if he would have assisted someone next to him who was dying, said he would normally have done so, but the conditions in the lodge made that difficult. "I wasn't 100% aware, alert of what was going on around me." 
Eight rounds, with each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes.
The sweat lodge ceremony consisted of eight rounds, with each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes.
Yes
While they were not prevented from leaving, participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds.
Yes
While they were not prevented from leaving, participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds. 
No
Mehravar said he would not have tried to stop the ceremony: "I don't think I would. I know it doesn't sound logical."
Psychological pressure
Prosecutors maintain Ray psychologically pressured participants