I hear the phrase "we are here to help people" more often than I hear "I want to discover the truth" or even "I want to research the unknown". Has the field already progressed past the point of discovery and into understanding? Why are so many groups concerned about helping people, rather than trying to understand what it is they are investigating? What exactly are they helping people to achieve? To overcome their fears? Of what? Or is it to help these people understand something that even we still do not understand? What are you helping people achieve when you help them? Are you even qualified to give professional advice and counsel these people in the first place?

The field has become more and more concerned about playing the hero than it is concerned with actual research. I also believe that the hero facade is more of a cover up for their own selfish desire to experience something genuinely supernatural, but that is an entirely different topic. The bottom line is that you cannot help people with something that is currently not understood. Just because you believe it, does not make it fact. This is still a research oriented field, not an in house paranormal clinic. There are still far too many unanswered questions that offering help to clients just seems irresponsible.

If you truly want to help people with their "paranormal problems" then you need to take off the counseling jacket and start finding real answers. This field needs to get back to doing more research. Research being the keyword.

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