‘Energy vampirism is a parasitic relationship in which one person feeds off of the life force (also known as prana) of another person.   These people who drain other’s energy are referred to as psychic vampires.’ Teal Swan  

But despite this definition, it is literally impossible to take energy from someone else.  So, what is actually happening, and how can we empower ourselves by understanding the concept and deepening our awareness to better prepare, for the onslaught of adverse behaviour?

We accept that as Spiritual Beings our energy comes from the Infinite Source and our souls are a stream of consciousness that is our direct link to that Source. It is as if we are like currents in the ocean but we are also the ocean – we can feel the energy of another person but we can’t take it!

So what is actually happening? I would love you to contemplate the following illustration as a logical explanation of the power we have and the responsibility that comes with knowing we are always in control-

‘when another person behaves in a certain way by virtue of perceiving them it elicits thoughts in our own minds  that restrict or cut off our own energy flow.’

Healers like ourselves, are mostly loving and open with other people, our defences are low and we are essentially forgiving. We are sensitive to the vulnerability of our clients, but when we find ourselves in the ‘victim role’ we may need to determine what it is that we have in common with the ‘psychic vampire’  – bearing in mind that we attract into our lives what we reflect?

So in effect, both the ‘vampire’ and ‘victim’ think thoughts that diminish their vitality and in turn, they both live in a state of weakness and desperation. Both may be unaware of the wellspring of their spirit and could be moving through a phase of spiritual weakness – as a carer, this normally happens at the start of a new placement when we are pushed out of our comfort zone and momentarily forget who we are!

Again my current placement gave me a glimpse into this interesting phenomena and I realized that fear was the ‘common denominator’ between myself and my client. My fear as the ‘victim’ was not being good enough, losing my job, offending her, allowing my ego to kick in, saying the wrong thing and the list continues. I deduced that her fear revolved around things such as abandonment, betrayal, thinking of herself as bad, being powerless, rejection, loss of personal identity, invasion, being controlled, and dependance to name a few-

I had an inkling in this situation that she had no incentive to heal when she has every opportunity to “feed” off others (if they let her). Initially, I allowed myself to fall into this trap realizing that she picks fights incessantly to foster negative attention and creates problems and interpersonal friction so that every time you think you have made progress you are back to square one. 

Sadly, psychic vampires do not feel the Universe is infinite and they feel that love is not available to them or that they can fulfil their own needs, so as a result, they believe that the only way to get what they need is to take from others. They need to feel something but they feel nothing so they participate in very extreme behaviour just so they can feel something.

I soon realized that she lived in a state of paranoia and her lack of trust made her strive for perfection in her exterior world while her interior world fell apart. Being preoccupied on a daily basis with being right at all costs, seems like the only way of proving to herself that she is worthy of receiving love. 

During the day she sits alone in her ‘summer house’ – dissociative from the world and living in an ‘existential angst’ – in her mind she feels she is the victim and the one who is being drained – this renders her completely helpless and I became her rescuer to the detriment of my own well being.

It was clear that my client is a  perpetual narcissist .- she has an ‘inflated sense of her own importance coupled with a deep need for excessive attention and admiration She avoids doing loving things for others, does not offer encouragement, cannot tolerate mistakes and has perfected the art of passive aggression.

So what can we do? How do we desensitized ourselves? We simply become a vibrational match to what we want rather than to the perceived behaviour of the ‘psychic vampire’ – 

They tend to strike when you are at your weakest so that they can feel more powerful but if there is no longer a weakness they can longer do that! Developing authenticity diminishes insecurities, trusting in our internal guidance system that can never be corrected by another is crucial and stepping out the range of accessibility by cultivating a sense of autonomy is essential.

How can we help our client? All we can do is to behave in a way that influences someone to think thoughts that encourage a steady flow of energy from Source and consequently have an overall effect on their well being. Laughing is a beautiful antidote and finding that sweet spot can be so rewarding.

Towards the end of my placement, I can safely say that I have mastered the ability to feel empowered by dispelling fearful thoughts originally perceived by her behaviour. This valuable skill consequently places me in a vibrational space that does not deprive me of my life force and ensures that I cannot be a vibrational match to either being a ‘psychic vampire’ or being a ‘victim’ to one. Such valuable lessons for which I am eternally grateful!