[Eric Revelin]

There are times when you shouldn't go alone, I won't debate that. However, this applies to people who are so far gone that they can barely maintain enough sanity to think about what's going on inside them much less express it. There are also people who are so timid that they won't be able to look within themselves for very long much less accumulate worthwhile insights.

The kind of guidance that's best is two-fold. First, the approach has to be suited to the patient. Some people respond better to someone who will raise their voice whereas others will find comfort in gentle, whispery words. Which approach is better depends on the emotion that needs to be evoked. If someone needs to re-discover their fire, a loud person who's blunt when stating the truth will be more beneficial than a quiet, mild-mannered person.

The second aspect, and the most important, is that this can't be a controlling or abusive partnership. A good teacher will let his student lean on his shoulder, he will hold his student's hand, but he will strive for the day when the student no longer needs him. As confidence builds, as wounds heal, the teacher will encourage his pupil to stand on his own, to walk without anyone to guide his steps. A good teacher doesn't impart a list of facts and how-to methods, a good teacher initiates a line of questioning that causes the student to figure things out on his own. This shows step-by-step how the healing is done and gives the student insight into how to heal himself of his wounds by his own methods. Any guru that doesn't show you how to develop your instincts doesn't want you well, he wants to hook you so you'll buy his next book.

I've had very intense emotional issues to deal with, maddening conditions that would have resulted in drugs and therapy for the rest of my life had I sought help. My critical reasoning skills weren't developed as a child; I was easily deceived by every ad for a "fix yourself overnight!" product and things of the like. I was also extremely timid and I didn't know when to say no, even when I was fully aware I was being manipulated. The people around me were too unaware of their inner workings to provide me insight into mine, I refused to be drugged, and I became so distrustful of self-proclaimed gurus I wouldn't have listened if I'd found a legit one.

This is for the better, I think, since I believe one of the main reasons I exist is to learn how to awaken and free myself under these circumstances. My path is a hard one and I wouldn't recommend it for everybody, but no matter what road somebody walks it is essential they tap into their own inner-guidance and learn how to deal with themselves when no one is there to provide feedback. If they don't, they'll be sheep in pristine condition that will soon find themselves back in the slaughterhouse.

I would like to add that it's not only the extreme cases that can benefit from the kind of guidance I mentioned, but it's only the extreme cases wherein it is absolutely necessary.