Texas Suspends License of Psychiatrist Samuel Byungsung Lee Following Florida Manslaughter Charge

July 15, 2026

Psychiatrist Samuel Byungsung Lee has had his Texas medical license (lic. no. U7460) temporarily suspended after being charged with manslaughter in Florida in connection with the death of a patient.

According to the Texas Medical Board’s May 27, 2026 Order of Temporary Suspension, on April 14, 2026, Lee was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, on a felony warrant from Miami-Dade County for manslaughter (case no. 2026-012289). The State of Florida alleges that between February 1 and February 10, 2025, Lee organized and facilitated the "Heart Protocol Ceremony," during which he provided a mixture of illicit controlled substances—including ketamine, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and DMT (dimethyltryptamine)—without medical safeguards. He also reportedly recommended a liquid parasite cleanse beforehand and used a facility with sauna access.

The Texas board determined that these actions, which would constitute reckless manslaughter under Texas law if committed in the state, pose a continuing threat to public welfare. Lee's Texas license was placed on temporary suspension without notice of hearing, effective immediately. A follow-up hearing is scheduled. He also holds a delinquent Florida medical license (no. ME169856, expired January 31, 2026).

On February 10, 2025, paramedics found 51-year-old Tina Sodhi unresponsive in a sauna at a Miami Beach holistic wellness retreat. Investigators determined she was participating in Lee's program alongside one other individual. Lee reportedly told police he was acting as an "Elder" of the "Eternal Life Tribe" and described the Heart Protocol as a holistic treatment involving a GABA agonist, pure MDMA, and ketamine, framing it as a "sacred sacrament" of the church rather than a medical procedure.

A second participant described signing a liability waiver, ingesting unknown pills, and receiving ketamine microdose injections. Sodhi had paid $2,000 and signed a waiver acknowledging risks of "plant-based and Western psychedelic formulations." Preparatory instructions included a gastrointestinal/parasite cleanse for a "deeper ceremony." Videos and descriptions promoted benefits like relief from depression, anxiety, and trauma.

The medical examiner attributed Sodhi's death to hyponatremic dehydration from sauna confinement, exacerbated by MDMA and ketamine use, with the cleanse and heat amplifying the effects. Lee has pleaded not guilty and was released on a $50,000 bond.

Dr. Lee's websites and affiliated businesses continue to promote him as a board-certified psychiatrist offering holistic approaches blending psychiatry with breathwork, yoga, and quantum principles. Entities he has partnered with also advertise the ceremonies. The Texas board expressed concern over ongoing promotions despite the death incident.

Source: “Psychiatrist allegedly told police he was conducting ‘sacred sacrament’ while giving patient MDMA, ketamine,” CourtTV, July 15, 2026 and Order of Temporary Suspension in the Matter of the License of Samuel Byungsung Lee, M.D., Texas medical license. U7460, Before the Disciplinary Panel of the Texas Medical Board, May 27, 2026.