Energy Vampires
a comical name for a not so fun experience
I felt physically ill, nauseated for days, unable to eat much, even my beloved coffee no longer tasted good (a sign that I was realllllly unwell).
Sleep offered no respite, either. I had intensely vivid and disturbing dreams. I’d awaken from one only to be launched into another.
Soon, I didn’t want to sleep, which is a disaster, as I’m empathic and need to clear energy daily. When I don’t sleep, I cannot effectively energy clear, which means I cannot sleep. It’s a real catch-22. It’s a nightmare.
No, I wasn’t exposed to COVID.
I was exposed to a person’s energy, and it fucking slayed me.
I had to pull out all my magic tools, and then some.
It took me a full week to begin to feel like myself again.
Heres’ my account of what happened, and what helped.
WTF happened here????
DAY ONE: post-event, I begin feeling all those things I mentioned above: the nausea, vivid dreams, sleeplessness. Being unable to clear my own energy, though, was what got me. I work so darn hard on this, and so the fact that I wasn’t able to make a dent in my own energy field caused me to feel violated and disempowered. I naturally started feeling paranoid, seeing shadows out of the corners of my eyes. I may’ve even seen a ghost. Still unsure about this.
DAY TWO: frustrated to tears, I texted with my sister whose intuitive line of questioning into the details allowed me to retell what had happened. I had identified the source (the person), and what led to this experience I was now having, but my sister’s reply lifted the foggy veil: “OMG! An energy vampire!”
Hearing “energy vampire” felt exactly like sunlight parting through thick clouds. Words are powerful. It had been a long time since I’d experienced one, and so this phrase put a boundary around a crazy, hazy, and very subjective-feeling experience. After we spoke, a massive black witch moth (one of my spirit animals) flew out of the shadows… and into light.
What (and who) Are Energy Vampires?
Many years ago, I had a “energy vampire” boss so it had been a minute for me. I recall it becoming popularized, later - ironically, by an author/empath whose lecture I briefly attended, and fled from, because I felt they ARE an energy vampire. Anyhow, I think this is why I’d blocked this phrase entirely.
My sister learned it from What We Do In The Shadows (which I recommend for educational reasons alone, but you will also LYAO! Linking to energy vampire scenes here). Curious about the term’s true origins, I asked ChatGPT:
The concept of an "energy vampire" or "psychic vampire" refers to a person or entity believed to drain others' energy or vitality, often emotionally or psychologically. While the idea has roots in various occult and esoteric traditions, the exact origin of the phrase "psychic vampire" is somewhat murky.
One of the earliest known uses of the term "psychic vampire" can be traced back to occultist Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth) in her 1930 book "Psychic Self-Defense." In this work, Fortune describes psychic vampires as individuals who drain others' life energy. Her book is one of the foundational texts in modern occultism and discusses the concept in detail, popularizing it in certain circles.
The phrase "energy vampire" is a more modern variation and has been used widely in self-help literature and popular culture, often in a metaphorical sense to describe people who are emotionally draining to be around.
Rest and Repair
This experience required me to slowly repair myself. If my energy field is a beautiful blanket of Light, mine was now torn and frayed. Initially I couldn’t even talk about this with anyone, without feeling more sick than I already felt. I was learning what this experience asked of me, largely it was: be quiet, go back inward, get back into your body, do what you can to feel good again.
DAYS THREE-SEVEN: Let the energetic repair and healing commence!
Qi gong. I doubled down on mind-body practices, morning and evening, causing me to reflect on how I’d been slacking a bit lately, and how good it feels to have a physical mind-body reconnection practice.
Intuitive energy practices. I diligently do my G-R-C practices morning and night, every single day. This keeps me feeling good. But it did not appear to help those first days so I had to “start over” with aspects of my practice.
Cold water plunge with magnesium salts, and lap swimming. Salt clears energy. So does water. Cold water soothingly resets the nervous system, and short bursts of cold water (even if just splashing cold water on your face for a minute) is particularly helpful for regulating trauma/stress.
I cleared my house, and the boundaries of our property, with protective Light. The event didn’t occur here but I felt vulnerable in all the ways.
Stones, crystals, clearing sprays. A sweet friend gave me some mystical playthings. I sprayed, put stones, crystals, next to my bed before sleep.
Inner work. I needed to be in full awareness and Truth around this in order to fully clear it - which is consistently true for me, in order to come back to myself. I asked: What had made me so vulnerable to this attack? What personal boundary had I neglected that allowed the vampire to enter?
I re-evaluated my energy management and boundaries, entirely. In the aftermath of the event, because I couldn’t feel my embodied connection well (which is a huge source of intuitive guidance for me) I began making minor but wrong choices. So, I took this opportunity to re-evaluate all.
I was incredibly patient with, kind and forgiving toward myself. A golden skill set I’ve employed over the course of my energy awakening, I’ve learned how to invoke self-compassion (feels like wrapping myself in a soft, forgiving, blanket), ask “do I need to forgive myself?,” then do that. I’ve learned not to: pressure or hurry myself during fragile times.
A Vampire Must Be Invited In
Do you ever wonder where the magical stuff we see in literature and entertainment comes from? I feel it comes from reality. No, not all of it is literal but is often an extrapolation from real life. Let’s look at a few:
Garlic and crosses keep vampires away.
Physical objects with high frequency (Light) can amplify your Light, if you go about it in the right way. That is, if you remember that YOU HOLD THE MAGIC (and not the object). For example, infuse a stone or crystal with your I AM Light, and you amplify the light properties of any object.
· Vampires are afraid of Light- it kills them. They are invisible in mirrors.
Vampires hide in the shadows, and yet they want your Light. What is that about? Light is: your connection to: Divinity, Truth, the I AM. Shadow is: all the Truth about oneself that a person refuses to or cannot see in their Self (hence, no mirrors). If they could self-reflect, they wouldn’t need you.
For instance, take a look at the emotional vampire in this video. The emotional vampire constructs endless “poor-me” dramas about their life. They refuse to look at (no mirror = no willingness to reflect on themselves) how they are manipulating and draining others with their victimhood.
Sadly, energy vampires are not in the Light of their own Truth. Otherwise, why would they need to feed off yours? But like a moth to a flame, they will find the lightest person they can, often those with a propensity to want to help them (empaths, hellooooooo), and then attempt to take your Light.
· You must invite a vampire into your house. Otherwise it can’t get you.
The only protection against an energy vampire rests with your ability to: truthfully acknowledge what is energetically occurring, and draw a boundary. Said in another way: They can only enter with your permission.
My Takeaway From The Vampire
All the steps I took helped me to come back into my own energy field, but I can prioritize what most helped my power return. 1) Hearing the phrase “energy vampire” kick-started the process. 2) Doing the inner work on myself, to figure out how I allowed this person’s energy to compromise me. 3) Coming up with a plan - so this would not ever (never ever) happen again!
Inner work
Here is what I needed to sort through. I had felt obligated to help a person who claimed they wanted it, even as I heard my Soul scream “No!” I violated my own boundary by having a conversation that I didn’t want to have.
Imagine an energy vampire screaming “I’m dying, heeeellpp me (or whatever)!”. Those around are naturally concerned, and they also know that you have the skills to help (←my Alamo). I knew I didn’t want to help, but apparently I needed to learn to draw verbal boundaries -in an ungraceful, daresay, insensitive way- so there’s no opportunity for any nonsense.
(Before you think, “oh, yeah, I’ve learned this already,” indulge me. Know there are subtleties to boundaries, especially in this kind of energy exchange.)
I’ve observed my husband when he doesn’t want to continue a line of conversation: he becomes a fast-moving train jumping onto an entirely new conversational track. Yes, it feels energetically jarring, rough, chaotic. I even get disoriented for a few seconds. But it also leaves all present no choice but to follow his lead. And this, my friends, is very effective *boundary magic*.
A New Strategy
This strategy doesn’t require: an explanation, acknowledgment, or anything that could lead down a nefarious road trail? path? for more side conversation.
Instead, you are stopped cold by this very abrupt change of subject -so quick that it makes your head spin - and, AND you can only respond to the NEW topic! He’s a genius for so many reasons. I love it. I can’t wait to try it out.
I also came up with a few topics to have in my back pocket, for future surprise vampire meetings. I will not allow this to happen to me again.
Again, this wasn’t my first vampire exposure, but it was the most severe physical consequence I’ve experienced. I briefly wondered if Lion’s Gate Portal was a player (ha! paranoia, I know. I literally felt I’d been drugged).
But then I remembered what my energy teacher reinforced: The whiter the wall, the more one small speck of dust will stand out… and bother you.
I’ve decided this felt so incredibly awful because I’m incredibly clear, now. :-)
Have you ever experienced an energy, or emotional, vampire?
What did you learn about: yourself, and your boundaries? I’m curious!
vampire artworks, in order:
The Death of Barbara Radziwitt by Jozef Simmler
The Vampire by Philip Burne-Jones
A memorable one was at a woman’s circle I attend. She’s never returned since. We women were usually buoyant and left the circle on a cloud. On this evening- everyone was falling asleep. I only realized when I started feeling that internal “scratchy” feeling, when something is very wrong. I covered my solar plexus area and that broke whatever connection she’d made. That’s how I knew who it was, an older death doula attending for the first time. As soon as I broke the connection, she turned to look at me and then tried to pull energy through my feet…toes! I felt the energetic pull but she stopped at some point. Covering or blocking access to solar plexus helps. I was so upset-
Thank you for sharing this extreme situation. I'm sorry you had to go through this. One of my clients told me that the local word for this is "Mana Suckers."