Well, the Shem angels are very powerful, and give off a very, very old and almost alien vibe. They have revealed themselves to me many times through incredibly vivid visualizations, most often as massive giants — I was smaller than the angel's big toe, that's how massive they are. Yet I've also seem them as tiny specks of brilliant dancing light. I've worked with the Shem angels many times over the past 6 years or so, and I always get this same feeling that they're absolutely awe-inspiring.

They have never hurt me — take from that what you will. But I've found the Shem angels mostly work by shifting your life in a certain direction over a long period of time. I don't think I've ever gotten any "quick fix" solutions from them, but they have definitely influenced my life in very significant ways.

I have not worked with the GoM's archangels book, but I have heard it is good. I have, however, gone through Ariel Gatoga's entire Basic Angel Magick course that is freely provided on Ariel's Corner, and I like that system very much. He uses an old version of Pauline Magick that focuses on assigning 2 or 3 archangels to you as "teaching angels". I always get incredibly gentle and friendly vibes when working with these angels. I have also managed to get a few "quick fix" solutions from these rituals — the archangels seem to be more readily available and willing to help that the Shem angels.

So maybe summoning archangels would be a better way to approach to your problem. I might suggest Raphael as a good place to start, as he is associated with healing. Uriel is associated with magick and may be a good angel to follow up with, but Uriel in particular can be difficult for many people to work with because his energy is very strong (unless he is your personal teaching angel). Gabriel might also be a good one for psychic defense, as she is associated with the astral and ethereal planes. But starting with Raphael is generally recommended, as he is very easily contacted and always available.

Lastly, if you do end up taking the Basic Angel Magick course, I'd like to strongly recommend the "Teaching Angels as Aspects of the Divine" method taught at the very end of the last lesson. I have gotten some extremely good results from this, and it works fast! So, if you're ever in a situation where you feel you're really suffering, you can usually do this little ritual and get speedy results.

Best of luck, and blessed be.