Monday, May 20, 2013

Shameless Plea For Feedback/Advice

Are you ever faced with a decision with no obvious choice?  One that propels you into a vortex of self-doubt?  A roller coaster of second-guessing?  In other words, are you human?

I have been speaking to various groups about grief for awhile now.  I feel it's where I belong.  I have met some of the most remarkable survivors at these events, and always learn more than I teach.  The topics are fairly consistent- healing, hope, how to help those who are grieving, what helps/what hurts, etc.

Well, here comes the fork in the road.  There's an opportunity to present a grief workshop at a spiritualist community next year.  They feature psychic mediums, holistic healing, meditation, etc. Applications need to be submitted soon, though, thus my decision.  I have heard from many, many families about the comfort they have felt through these events. While I have long been drawn to this type of thing, I realize there are those who object.  Strongly.  I happen to be a Christian who believes psychics pose no threat to my faith.  I feel the source of all love is God, therefore the comfort that comes from a healing reading is from Him.  This is why I have been working on my application for a workshop.

Until.........

The grief community is somewhat small, and I recently received a cautionary email from another grief support worker warning me about possible consequences of participating in the aforementioned community's activities.  The danger, in a nutshell?  Diminished credibility.

My knee-jerk reaction is, "That's ridiculous!  I don't care what anyone else thinks!  (cue toddler voice) I do what I want!"

Then I step back and think, and re-think, and over-think-


  • Would I be identified with a niche that is only a small part of my beliefs?
  • Should I pass on anything remotely controversial?  
  • Where do I draw the line?
  • Does anyone really care?
  • Could this harm book sales?
  • What would my publisher say?
  • Does it matter?
  • Might this be the best move I could make?
  • Might this be the worst move I could make?


Am I facing my own Dixie Chicks moment?!

I appreciate the good intentions of the woman who warned me about the potential fall-out from aligning myself with this type of activity.  I also feel the benefits of reaching out to attendees there and offering words of hope and paths to healing outweigh any potential damage to my reputation, such as it is.

I would be very interested in what you have to say about this.  Please comment freely, anonymously if necessary, and tell me what you think.

Thank you!


When someone dies, (other than attending the service), I do this for the family-