Fate of the Paranormal Field

A thought came to me recently that I feel very moved to share, even though some may not agree with what I have to say. But regardless, looking at the current path of the paranormal field I think this deserves some attention.

Due to the countless charlatans, fakes, and frauds, those of us with "psychic" abilities are all lumped into one group and discounted by the majority of society. This stands true even by many in the paranormal field. We can ask for no money, uphold a solid reputation, and have the greatest of intentions to help others, but the negative stigma surrounding all psychics is still there.

With the ever growing trend of fraudulent paranormal teams; over time this fate is destined to befall the paranormal field as well. Just as it is with psychics, it won't matter how experienced, skilled, or ethical you portray yourself. The air of distrust will loom over everyone involved in the field. The mudslinging between rival groups calling each other fake, not for ethical reasons, but jealousy, just adds to this as well. Just as it has happened with psychics, it will appear that everyone is just trying to make money by getting on TV and/or becoming famous. Do we really want greed to be seen as the main motivation behind what we all do? The TV craze will eventually fade away, and those of us that love this field will want to continue our work... but by then, what credibility will be left?

For myself, like many others in the psychic community, we have to live most of our lives with a taboo of even talking about our heightened senses with most of society. No matter what we do or how righteous our intentions, we still have to endure notions of being "fake", "frauds", or even "crazy". For those of you involved in the paranormal field, no matter how scientific and technical your practices, these terms may become the bulk of society's impression of you as well. Though it would be quite ironic for those involved in the paranormal field who bash psychics to see what it's like to be treated that way... But investigators have the option of walking away from the field, psychics cannot walk away from what we are.

If this field becomes completely discredited, and all paranormal investigators and researchers are treated much the same as the psychic community, how many of you will remain involved? I'm sure there will be a mass exodus from the field and only a fraction of those involved today will stand up to the constant scrutiny. I'm not saying this will be an overnight process, but with the current state of the field and the direction we are heading, I can see things beginning to spiral out of control.