The loss of a loved one as well as the loss of a job, identity, belief system, relationship, XYZ is an opportunity to explore, to question, and to discover Self. Death greets all of us through various lenses of experiences that force us to either rise into a new version of Self or succumb to the pull of despair. Grief doesn't just apply to the experience of mourning a loved one's transition out of physicality.
Remember that I was educated by the same institutional system as you with minor variances such as state, country, and/or public/private school. Despite the influences of broadcasting, a developed medium chose to journey with curiosity led by experience. A Healthy Logic Mind and a Restored Psychic Art Mind.
What brings a person to the "witch in the wood"? The bravery embodied to schedule a mediumistic reading is a deep inner calling from Spirit for a person to arrive at a scheduled meeting with a professional who claims to "talk to the dead". I actually don't believe that I talk to the dead - I receive an orchestration of impressions from consciousness still very much alive within a construct that my tiny human mind has a hard time comprehending.
A person is incredibly vulnerable while grieving and there are people who wish to take advantage of this difficult period. You can apply this to experiences people have who were captured by the sex trafficking industry. To corrupt medical professionals. To corrupt legal professionals. To corrupt XYZ. A charismatic individual who preys upon people who are navigating a Dark Night of the Soul.
A person moving through the grieving process that schedules a reading with a fake medium (and an undeveloped medium without disclosing he/she is a trainee) damages the mind/experience of the person seeking help. I am not blind to Darkness which installs a healthy drive to continue to offer my services. A vulnerable person taken advantage by a fake medium destroys the perceptions of this genuine service further. I don't blame people attacking this field when they experienced trauma from the snake oil salesmen. This is What Is.
Discernment is key.
A reading with a developed, trained, genuine, encoded medium provides a sacred space for a person to explore the journey of knowing one's self which lead to questioning reality. The medium explains the process, the mechanics, and the experience to allow the client's healthy logic mind to conceptualize the process. When the instruction manual of the board game is understood then the client will receive the healing benefits of a mediumistic reading.
Spirits strive to link their loved ones with a person that is able to pick up on their Essence then translate the information into this physicalized construct of reality. They continuously provide positive synchronicities to alert the bereaved that they are still very much alive in a new lens of existence. Spirits drop ideas into their loved ones' mind tool to search for a deeper meaning in life. They may even use their loved ones' friends' mind tools to suggest a mediumistic reading and/or have them sing the tune of Spirits' favorite songs without any prior knowledge. The mysteries of life.
It is an act of courage to schedule a mediumistic reading. It is an alignment of Free Will and Divine Will to create the experience because of the opportunity to explore one's internal reality first then engage with critically analyzing the external reality while pursuing the training to restore the intuitive muscle. I give a lot of credit to my clients who never contemplated a mediumistic reading until they were touched by Death. This is why I maintain my integrity and continue to offer my services because of the potential to help a person navigate the world as they experience a glimmer of their loved ones' Essence working with me to provide evidence of consciousness existing outside of the physical body.
Mediumship opens the doors for possibility as Spirits engage with the link between me, my client, and them. A client may feel a sense of relief. Feel the weight slip off their shoulders as they understand the mediumistic process and their loved ones' Essence orchestrating the series of impressions to provide evidence that they still exist.
The safe space created offers a breadcrumb for a client to explore. To integrate the experience so they can use the medium as a mirror of his/her intuitive instrument. Mediumship is ultimately about a person realizing that there is an Optimal Path awaiting him/her to align with the potential for navigating the human experience knowing that Essence of Spirit is journeying alongside each step.