Decades ago, I read a comment in one of Dion Fortune's books that "the occult" - as the field was generally termed then - had the unfortunate habit of drawing those with mental health issues.
My experience is that some such people can be drawn to psychic work, but:
- We have a healthier attitude to, understanding of, and allowances for, those with mental health issues these days - we're less judgemental and extreme, although we still have a long way to go;
- I do not know that the number of people with mental health issues in psychic work is actually higher than that in the general population (up to 1 in 5, which, based on my experience, suggests the proportion of people in psychic fields with mental health issues might actually be lower);
- The more open status of, and some of the religious disciplines in, the broad fields once classified as "the occult", makes it less likely to attract those who were actually just seeking a vicarious thrill of some sort;
- Those with severe personality problems - such as being drama queens, psychopaths, sadists, etc (look at the links, please) - may have been more the problem that Ms Fortune was talking of. Those people can be found in all situations that involve power of ANY sort - even something as seemingly innocuous as a gardening club could potentially have such problem personalities;
- There is undoubtedly a severe load on those who do psychic work. To manage that, and the risks Ms Fortune brings to mind, I recommend:
- Making sure people involved are not obsessed by this work - make sure they keep their friends, other hobbies, and, provided the family is good (no child abuse/DV/control/etc), connections with family (this, IMO, is the single greatest action for avoiding such potential problems);
- Follow what I have written about nonphysical health, strength, and wellbeing;
- Ensure the group learns from all other problems with groups (including on issues of corruption, failure to be transparent / accountable, imbalances of power, abuse of all types, etc) - the learning may require changes to be effectively realised;
- "Make haste slowly" in all matters - discuss, prepare, plan, try, and improve. Remember: your souls are eternal; and
- I prefer selecting people who are self-supporting (i.e., have a job) as much as possible - it isn't always possible, because of class and other discrimination, but look at the attitudes and circumstances of people who do not support themselves: they may validly be embittered by the hard deal that society has dealt them, but I've never had any problems in working out who is looking for others to do the work for them and who is what I would consider suitable for this sort of work.
The other side of the coin here, is that you must make allowances for the demands of people's jobs - there will be times when they cannot attend for work reasons (and family or other personal reasons). That is a test of you: do not condemn them - in word, thought or heart (this applies both to you, and to others in the group), and genuinely and patiently find a way for them to be involved at a distance if they can (proxy rocks are something I've been using for decades) or to help them catch up afterwards if they can't.
This attitude is also an indication of a healthy group.
PS - see also this video.
