The Ultimate Guide to the Vampire Archetype (including the Emotional & Energy Vampire)

Is there such a thing as vampires that steal energy from others? Or have I gone off the esoteric deep end?

Here’s the thing: Most of us want to be positive, upstanding, good people.

I get it. I have the same impulse.

But my experiences and observations have taught me that the only way to touch the “light” in us is through the darkness.

Paradoxical, I know. Perhaps this resonates with some of your life experiences too?

In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of vampirism—why people often unconsciously steal energy from each other.

Then, in Part 2, we’ll take a look at what we can do about it: how to detect it, how to protect yourself from psychic attacks, and how to contain our inner vampires.

Okay. Let’s dive in …

Energy Vampire Meaning

On a basic level, an energy vampire is someone who draws your energy.

In an interaction between two people, there may be an exchange of energy. But with an energy vampire, the life force energy always goes in one direction: toward the vampire.

That is, life force energy is transferred from one individual to another, but not vice versa.

Related terms include emotional vampires, psychic vampires, psychopaths, sociopaths, witches, warlocks, and archons.

As we’ll see below, this psychic phenomenon manifests as a function of psychological trauma. At its core, the energy vampire represents a universal archetype.

Before We Continue …

The challenge with this topic is that we don’t have objective measurement tools to validate this phenomenon. The experience of vampirism is mainly subjective.

My goal here isn’t to convince you that such a thing as energy or emotional vampires exists if you don’t already believe it to be so, or if you haven’t observed this as a “psychic fact” in your life.

Instead, I’m merely going to share my understanding based on various sources as well as my experiences and observations. As always, keep what’s relevant to you and discard the rest.

3 Types of Vampires

In this guide and the next, we’ll be exploring three types of vampires that are all inter-related:

  1. Energy vampires
  2. Emotional vampires
  3. Psychic vampires

We could highlight a fourth variation called the sexual vampire, but ultimately, all of these various types boil down to energy vampires.

What is an Emotional Vampire?

An emotional vampire is someone who consciously or unconsciously evokes emotions in others specifically to feed on the triggered emotional energy.

Psychologist Judith Orloff used the term emotional vampires in her book Emotional Freedom.1Judith Orloff, Emotional Freedom, 2010.

Orloff highlights four different types of emotional vampires and links each one to common psychological disorders:

  1. The Narcissist (narcissistic personality)
  2. The Victim (dependent personality)
  3. The Controller (obsessive-compulsive personality)
  4. The Splitter (borderline personality)

Anyone exhibiting the traits of these disorders will likely be possessed by the vampire archetype (see below).

Energy Vampire vs Emotional Vampire

So are they the same thing? Not entirely.

While they both draw energy from others, the emotional vampire does so specifically by triggering emotions while the energy vampire archetype can draw energy in a variety of other ways. I’ll provide specific illustrations in Part 2.

Emotional Vampire vs Psychic Vampire

Similarly, an emotional vampire expresses itself by triggering the person’s emotional body, while the psychic vampire operates via the Ether.

In the case of the psychic vampire, proximity isn’t important. Thought itself becomes a primary weapon.

That said, these terms will often be used interchangeably.

energy vampire meaning

The Vampire Archetype

From the perspective of depth psychology, we would call the energetic, emotional, and psychic variations of one primordial image: the vampire archetype.

Witches, warlocks, and vampires are all examples of archetypes that reside in what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious.

These various archetypal patterns are triggered by emotions, symbols, and images. For example, envy can trigger witches and warlocks. Hunger, insecurity, or feeling deficient can evoke the vampire archetype.

These ancient, primordial images have patterns of behaviors and knowledge related to stealing energy and other qualities from others. But as “modern” and “postmodern” people, we are divorced from this type of occult knowledge.

This disassociation doesn’t mean that energy vampires aren’t real; it just explains why we have a difficult time observing the phenomenon.

When you don’t know what to look for, you can miss what’s right under your nose.

Instead, most people perceive phenomena like vampires as primitive, superstitious, fictional, or a form of “magical thinking.” But, in truth, we are merely misguided and ignorant of this occult knowledge.

The Rise of Vampires in Our Culture

Our unconscious, however, knows far more than our conscious minds.

Could this be why our culture is obsessed with stories about vampires?

For example:

  • The Twilight series of books and films
  • The Vampire Diaries television series
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series
  • Interview with a Vampire film
  • The Originals television series
  • The Blade series of comics and films
  • Dracula films
  • Transylvania animated film series

The list goes on and on.

When something strikes a chord with large segments of the population, it’s generally not random or without reason.

These stories are age-old, part of ancient myths and legends that hit on something deep within our psyches.

energy vampire Lilith

A stone carving of Lilith

Lilith: The Original Vampire Archetype

The original expression of the vampire archetype, as far as I’m aware, is a character in the Zohar called Lilith.

According to this myth, Lilith was Adam’s first wife (yes, from the Adam and Eve origin story in the Bible).

Lilith leaves Adam and later becomes a queen of the demons. (Only then does “the lord” create Eve from one of Adam’s ribs.)

sirens as energy vampires

Waterhouse – Ulises y las Sirenas (1891)

Succubus & Incubus: An Example of An Energy Vampire

A common term for this type of demon that Lilith represents is called a succubus—a supernatural entity found in folklore and medieval legends. In Greek mythology, they refer to them as sirens.

The succubus appears in the dreams of men as a beautiful woman who seduces them and draws out their sexual energy, depleting them of their life force.

A succubus, however, doesn’t just appear in dreams. One can argue that any time a woman is behaving like a seductress or an enchantress, she’s possessed by this succubus energy. That is, she is in those moments, the vampire archetype.

The more emotional trauma or inappropriate behavior girls endure during childhood (sometimes by the father or a relative), the more likely the succubus is to enter them in their teenage years and later.

A girl or woman needs only to strongly desire sexual attractiveness to welcome the succubus into her psyche.

There’s also a male version of the succubus called the incubus which functions in similar archetypal patterns towards women.

But seduction is only one method of energy vampires. (We’ll explore many others below.)

psychic energy vampires succubus

The succubus draws energy from men as they sleep

Why the Vampire Archetype is Relevant to Everyone

Mature adulthood and psychological development require two essential ingredients: awareness and responsibility.

Awareness always comes first because we can’t take responsibility unless we are conscious of what’s going on.

According to developmental psychology, less than 2% of individuals ever reach mature adulthood.2Cook-Greuter, S.R. (2014). “Nine Levels Of Increasing Embrace In Ego Development: A Full-Spectrum Theory Of Vertical Growth And Meaning Making.” That is, as a people, we are mostly immature and unconscious.

We don’t necessarily perceive ourselves this way, however. Our conscious minds might see us in a glowing light—exclusively, a force for good. However, study after study shows that over 90% of our behavior is unconscious.3Jerath, Ravinder & Braun, Molly & Barnes, Vernon. (2015). A unified 3D default space consciousness model combining neurological and physiological processes that underlie conscious experience. Frontiers in Psychology. 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01204.

Clear and neutral observation confirms this truth.

Energy vampires and other archetypal forces are some of the many things occurring outside of our conscious awareness. That is, it’s a phenomenon that’s happening at a psychic, emotional, or etheric level that usually doesn’t register in the conscious mind.

Learning about the patterns of this vampire archetype, in my view, is a part of doing shadow work and increasing one’s consciousness.

By bringing this dynamic to light, we begin to witness its occurrence within us and others. Only then are we in a position to take responsibility and begin to contain these psychic forces.

Why We Generally Avoid This Topic of Vampires Entirely

We tend to avoid a topic like vampirism because it makes us uncomfortable.

Rejecting or denying such experiences as energy vampires gives a false sense of security and safety. And understandably so—who wants to think about people feeding on each other, with blood, energy, or anything else?

Plus, if you dive into psychic or energy vampirism and begin to see how you may be “feeding” on others, it can evoke feelings of shame and guilt, two powerful emotions we seek to avoid.

The unconscious (our body) knows that vampirism exists; it feels it when it occurs. That is, a part of us is aware of what’s taking place through us—even those closest to us. So we remain in denial to protect the ego’s sensitive self-identity. (“No, I’m not like THAT!”)

Conversely, when we realize what others have done and are doing to us, it can trigger feelings of resentment and victimhood. (“How could he/she do that to me!”) The Victim archetype can be a hard one to shake.

Just remember: This energy exchange is happening every day, everywhere—in every home, school, and workplace—by parents, children, teachers, executives, friends, and spiritual leaders alike. It is archetypal, not personal.

Are You an Energy Vampire? A Quick Assessment

You don’t need to take a long survey to determine if you’re occasionally an emotional or energy vampire.

Just answer these two questions:

  1. Do you have everything you want in life so that you feel complete and whole all the time?
  2. From moment to moment, do you live in a state of flow, fully present, feeling light, alive, alert, calm, and free?

It’s unlikely that anyone can honestly say “yes” to one or both of these questions.

Yet, if you can’t honestly answer “yes” to both of these questions, then you’re likely an emotional, psychic, or energetic vampire, at least some of the time.

As you’ll continue to see throughout this guide (and Part 2), everyone has a vampire inside them. The conditions of the individual—both internally and within their environment—determine how often the vampire gets activated within the person’s psyche.

How Basic Needs Can Trigger the Vampire Archetype

If you recall from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow labeled all of our basic human needs as deficiency needs and external needs.

emotional vampire vs maslow's basic needs

Biological, safety, belonging, and esteem needs are deficiency needs in that when we aren’t meeting them, we feel anxious or neurotic.

They are external needs because we seek to meet them through the outside world. That is, an underlying sense of deficiency drives us to meet these basic needs.

This feeling of an unmet need mainly relates to situations from one’s childhood. Oftentimes, we’re not conscious of why we feel a sense of lack.

In the absence of a sense of completeness, of feeling whole, we seek sources outside of ourselves for what’s missing.

This unconscious drive and feeling of lack often lead to the activation of the vampire archetype—to steal the energy, light, and opportunity from others.

Why Energy Vampires Exist and How it Works

So why are vampires everywhere?

The short answer is trauma. The level of trauma inflicted on an individual during childhood largely determines the degree of vampirism they express in later life.

A person gets possessed by an energy vampire because one or both of their parents exhibited these behaviors, likely daily.

There’s an adage in psychology: What’s left incomplete you’re doomed to repeat.

Because this trauma occurs mainly before our conscious mind develops, we don’t fully know the trauma we endured. The body (the unconscious), however, knows. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk notes, The Body Keeps the Score.

Sadly, the unconscious can only repeat the same trauma on someone else UNTIL our conscious mind catches up with what’s happening.

The other predominant reason for energy vampires is that the vast majority of us are energetically depleted and out of balance. Once our subtle energy field gets weakened and distorted, “feeding” on each other may be an automatic, unconscious occurrence.

The Subtle Energy Body

source

Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu systems explain that various types of energetic fields surround our physical bodies.

In the Taoist arts, one of these fields is called Wei qi or Guardian qi, which forms a kind of protective shield around the body.

The Buddhist tradition, Energy Medicine, and transpersonal psychology often refer to it as the subtle energy field.

New Age literature tends to use terms like the subtle energy field and the auric field (aura) interchangeably, which is an error. These two fields are different.

The subtle energy generally extends only a few inches from the body while the auric field is more expansive.

Restoring Our Energy Field to Stop Leakage

energy field

When our energetic field is full, we are impenetrable. But once there’s an opening or break in our field, which happens at the beginning of our lives, we are susceptible to various psychic forces entering our fields.

This teaching is similar to the microcosmic orbit and the macrocosmic orbit in ancient Taoist practices.

The microcosmic orbit encompasses the torso while the macrocosmic orbit circulates through and around the entire body.

In the commentary of the Taoist text, Hui-Ming Ching, it says,4Liu Hua-Yang, Translated by Eva Wong. Cultivating the Energy of Life: A Translation of the Hui-Ming Ching and Its Commentaries, 1998.

“The shadowy monsters in the body are the dark vapors of untransformed energy … The dark vapors are dangerous because they can dissipate life energy and harm the seed of the Buddha.”

These “shadowy monsters” are similar to what Carlos Castaneda (Don Juan) called predators (see below). I believe they are akin to what the Gnostics called archons as well. In essence, these are different terms from various cultures that express archetypal vampiric energy.

Through the alchemical firing process described in Hui-Ming Ching and other Taoist texts, you can restore your life force energy and original nature.

Again from the Hui-Ming Ching: “When the bright pearl emerges, the hundred monsters are driven away.”

What Trauma Does to Our Energetic Fields

We are born complete and whole, with our energetic fields intact.

But soon after birth (in the hospital, in fact), our fields come under attack. (See the documentary, The Business of Being Born, for a sobering look at how everything goes wrong from the beginning, and why.)

The traumas we endure from birth alone are immense, including:

  • Being slapped by the delivery physician after birth,
  • Emerging from the comfort of the dark womb into the bright sterile lights of a lifeless environment, and
  • Receiving negative emotions from those around us.

All of these seemingly “innocent” events disrupt our energetic fields.

Once these fields are disrupted, we are “incomplete” and the body’s energy scatters.

From then on, we are susceptible to vampirism from others and eventually become energy vampires ourselves.

Les vampires (1820)

Why We Steal Energy From Each Other

We mainly steal energy from each other because we feel deficient. This sense of deficiency triggers the vampire archetype within our psyche.

For example, let’s say a 30-year-old man must provide for his family. To do so, he has to compete and achieve in the often-aggressive business jungle.

If he has trauma from childhood and feels incapable of competing (because his wounded Child part is still unaddressed in him), he will fail in his ability to provide.

So what does he do with his fear and feelings of doubt and inadequacy (and potentially a lack of skill and experience)?

If he is conscious of these weaknesses and insecurities, he can contain them within himself. If not, he will unconsciously dump them on his wife and/or children. They will then feel weak and inadequate and express these traits in their behaviors and attitudes.

Then, he can draw their light. Now, he will be able to make his way in the world.

Fathers often steal light from their family; as do working mothers. Friends steal from friends frequently too. (The “pretty, popular girl” in high school usually keeps a less attractive and less confident girlfriend close to her side. Otherwise, the pretty girl will have to feel her inner ugliness and insecurities.)

The Benefits of Being an Energy Vampire

So what are the benefits of stealing light from others on an unconscious level?

You can:

  • Feel free of your shortcomings
  • Be empowered to achieve more
  • Earn more money
  • Be more popular and influential
  • Feel good about yourself as you “help” others
  • Feel more competent, confident, and powerful

Stealing light has a lot of compelling benefits for the ego, doesn’t it?

Simply put, it’s the fastest way for us to elevate ourselves (as long as we don’t consciously know what’s happening).

Is it any wonder that energy vampires are everywhere?

How Gurus Steal Light from Their Students

Whenever you see a larger-than-life, charismatic character on a stage, beware. Energetic thievery and light stealing are at work.

Gurus and students enter a kind of mutually-complicit relationship. The student unconsciously agrees to give the guru their light. And the guru gladly accepts it. (Again, this is archetypal, not personal.)

One common way this occurs is through the psychological mechanism called projection. The student projects their hidden, best qualities like being wise, calm, humorous, or centered onto the guru.

The guru then holds the student’s “inner gold” which makes the guru feel more powerful and superior to their students.

Very often, the “guru” or spiritual teacher is possessed by the shadow of the Sage archetype.

Big Public Personalities and Stealing Light

Prominent public personalities are notorious energy vampires too. They dissociate from their fears and inadequacies and teach others how they can “overcome” their fears.

For example, take any famous motivational speaker. This individual might be running away from his or her laziness and feelings of lack.

But as long as this speaker unconsciously shames the audience for their laziness and feelings of deficiency, the speaker feels elevated, abundant, and competent while the audience looks up to him or her with feelings of awe.

Worse still, the speaker is likely taking large sums of money from the attendees for this “service” as well.

Psychologists and social workers often fall into this trap too. Unconscious emotional wounds are often what drive individuals into these fields.

As long as mental health workers are “treating” others with their disowned symptoms (like anxiety and depression), they don’t have to experience the full weight of these symptoms as often within themselves.=

How to Observe the Vampire Archetype

Two related archetypal patterns can inhibit our ability to witness this type of psychic phenomenon.

If you want to begin to observe emotional, psychic, and energetic vampires, watch out for these two related archetypes:

  1. The Denying Innocent One
  2. The Helpless Victim

Let’s take a quick look at both of them.

The Denying Innocent One

I cover the Denying Innocent One in this guide on the magician archetype. The innocent one will deny they are involved in vampirism or that it exists at all.

This passive archetype will make you feel like you’re purely innocent and have only “good intentions.” It will keep you unaware of what’s going on.

This “innocent” part of a person will wholeheartedly reject the notion that they might secretly wish harm to someone they “love.”

The Helpless Victim

The Helpless Victim is a variation of the Weakling Prince, the passive shadow of the King archetype.5Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, King Warrior Magician Lover, 1991.

The victim loves to play the “poor me” game and feed on the sympathy of others. It’s also prone to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

Watch out for this common “poor me” behavior—within others and oneself. The Victim is a deceptive energy thief and it leaves one open to being drained as well.

These two archetypal patterns can be deceptive; they can easily elude our conscious minds.

Behind the innocent one is the Detached Manipulator. Cloaked beneath the helpless victim, is the Tyrant. And these two archetypes are often out for blood… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

5 Reasons We Don’t Observe Energetic Vampires

I see five main reasons why we fail to witness psychic energetic vampirism more readily:

1 – Calcified Pineal Gland

When the pineal gland is calcified, as it seems to be in most individuals, it may not be possible to observe psychic events like the energy vampire.

2 – Repressed Emotions

Most of us hold an incredible amount of repressed emotions, which block the energy flow through the primary channels of our body.

3 – Lack of Energetic Sensitivity

Few of us have developed the sensitivity to experience this natural flow of chi energy within us. (More on this topic in Part 2: Psychic Vampire Symptoms.)

4 – Moving Too Quickly

As a people, we move too quickly through everyday life. The faster we move around, the less information we process. Slow down and stay curious. You’ll be amazed at how your perception changes and your emotional awareness increases.

5 – Excessive Shame and Neurotic Guilt

Finally, many of us are consumed by shame and guilt. Shame can be a useful emotion if it motivates us to take action. But if we’re accustomed to repressing shame and living with neurotic guilt, it reinforces our unconscious behaviors.

The Potential Source of the Vampire Archetype

energy vampires

Ultimately, the source of energy vampirism is perhaps best explained by Don Juan’s explanation of predators to Carlos Castaneda.

From The Active Side of Infinity:

We have a predator that came from the depths of the cosmos, and took over the rule of our lives. Human beings are its prisoners. The predator is our lord and master. It has rendered us docile; helpless. If we want to protest, it suppresses our protest. If we want to act independently, it demands that we don’t do so.

These “predators,” or archetypal parasites, operate through us without our conscious awareness. What Castaneda is describing in this work of “fiction” is akin to the vampire archetype.

When we deny the existence of this archetypal force, it means we’re listening to their voices in our heads (and assuming these voices are our own). Differentiating from these voices through processes like active imagination is one way to develop consciousness.

Clear seeing, as explained in Chan Buddhism, means observing the phenomenon from a place of neutrality.

Only then can we be in a position to be mindful of how these psychic forces operate through us. Only then can we hope to contain them.

How to Reclaim Your Energy, Light, and Luck

It may be a universal law that someone cannot energetically take from us without our consent. Consent, in this case, can come in the form of ignorance, innocence, silence, or passivity.

The primary way to reclaim what’s yours is by remembering. Recall what’s yours and what’s not. Correct recollection, of course, isn’t always a straightforward task.

Psychic thievery begins in childhood before we consciously know who and what we are. For this reason, Jung spoke about the individuation process—the path to becoming a whole individual and returning home to our Self.

Two essential elements of the individuation process:

  1. Get to know your shadow
  2. Taking back your projections

I’ve covered both of these topics in other guides, but projection is a primary mechanism by which we give away our light.

Recollect Your Projections

Every time you reject something in yourself including confidence, strength, and intelligence, you give it away to someone else. When you don’t claim what’s yours, you enable someone else to “borrow it” from you.

As I explained in this projection guide, when you project your light onto others, especially teachers and other authority figures, they gladly receive it.

But few people are willing to give it back when you awaken to what’s happening. So that means you have to take it back. It’s not stealing because it’s your light in the first place.

You can accomplish this through your conscious intent. Generally, nothing needs to occur in the physical world. From your Center, you claim, “What’s yours is yours. What’s mine is mine.”

Why We Need to Cultivate Energy

One of my qigong instructors once told me years ago that there are only three ways to get energy:

  1. Steal it,
  2. Evoke it, or
  3. Cultivate it.

Stealing is the most common way. Evocation occurs through prayer to the “gods” and occult rituals (black magic). The third way is by cultivating your internal energy.

Consider how energetically depleted we are as a people. Stimulants like caffeine and black tea are so commonplace that it’s difficult to imagine life without them. Nootropics are on the rise because caffeine isn’t enough to address our growing fatigue and lack of alertness.

We work tirelessly in front of black mirrors (computers), bombarded by harmful electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) from WIFI and other devices. Our stress levels tax our adrenal glands 24/7—even when we sleep.

Most of us live in a state of chronic stress and fatigue, but we might not even slow down long enough to notice our condition. Instead, we distract ourselves with mindless entertainment and other nonsense.

Is it any wonder that we’ve all become energetic vampires feeding on each other?

Energy Vampires and Inner Work

One thing you may notice if you engage in inner work: it can be exhausting!

Why? I see two main reasons:

First, there are a lot of internal battles and these psychic tensions can be exhausting as we bring them to consciousness. Bringing the unconscious to consciousness takes a lot of will, which naturally can lead to energy depletion.

Second, in building consciousness, we often realize how energetically depleted we are. That is, when we’re possessed by various archetypes we feel fine and energized. (It’s one of the reasons many people listen to music all of the time: it activates various archetypal energies.)

But as soon as we begin moving toward ourselves, we realize how depleted and empty we feel “below the surface.”

This feeling of depletion and being drained is visceral and, from what I can tell, universal. I suspect that subconsciously, this is another reason why many people avoid examining their inner terrain more closely.

The good news is that once you go through this arduous alchemical process, you can begin constellating and cultivating your own energy within yourself.

Recap: The World of Energy Vampires

The wisdom within our bodies knows that emotional, psychic, and energetic vampires exist. It has experienced this psychic phenomenon firsthand (from both sides) throughout its life.

Most of us haven’t developed our consciousness to the point where we can be accountable for all of our thoughts, feelings, impulses, and behaviors. Yet, this accountability is necessary for self-regulation.

This level of psychic accountability is necessary to contain this vampiric impulse (or at least lessen its effects on ourselves and others).

A Few Final Thoughts to Readers Based on Comments Below

As expected, the material covered above was emotionally charged for some readers. (Bringing material from the unconscious into conscious view tends to make that happen.)

We are, after all, talking about emotional vampires! So I thought I’d address a few common themes I’ve seen in the existing comments below.

Note: many of these comments are related to Part 2 of this guide: Psychic Vampire Symptoms.

Comment 1: “Everything is energy. And we exchange energy, we don’t steal it.”

True. Everything is energy. But that doesn’t mean there’s an even, free exchange of energy between two people. Sometimes there is; other times there isn’t. In all likeliness, in most cases, it’s not an even exchange of energy. Very often, one person feels depleted after the exchange.

Comment 2: “Babies need love and attention.”

I never said they didn’t! And I didn’t suggest that mothers shouldn’t touch their infants. (Anyone thinking otherwise has misread what was stated above.)

Comment 3: Why do you use the term “stealing”?

Because it’s accurate on the psychic and etheric level. Unless you consciously practice black magic (which is unlikely), I’m not suggesting that anyone is aware when they are partaking in energy vampirism. We’re not!

That’s why it represents an aspect of the shadow. The more energetic sensitivity you cultivate, and the more you can stay in a neutral, observing state, the easier it is to perceive when these psychic phenomena occur.

If “stealing” makes you uncomfortable, that’s understandable. We’re taught at a young age not to steal. So naturally, the idea that we’re stealing from others creates discomfort.

But here’s a hint: no aspect of shadow integration isn’t preceded by discomfort. None.

So just because this word makes you uncomfortable, and just because you want to validate and justify why it’s the “wrong” word, doesn’t mean it’s not entirely accurate.

It’s Natural to Feel Uncomfortable

This guide addresses just one of the many dynamics unfolding outside our awareness (hence, unconscious). It’s “unseen,” since it’s occurring mainly in our energetic and emotional body—not our physical body.

As such, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable with a topic like energetic or emotional vampires, as it’s “fringe” and paints us negatively.

Yet, avoiding topics like this doesn’t make them go away. It only ensures that these dynamics continue to unfold outside of our awareness.

Read Next

The Sage Archetype: Knower of Wisdom and Seer of Truth

A Practical Guide to Developing Emotional Awareness

What is Chi Energy? An In-Depth Guide

About the Author

Scott Jeffrey is the founder of CEOsage, a self-leadership resource publishing in-depth guides read by millions of self-actualizing individuals. He writes about self-development, practical psychology, Eastern philosophy, and integrative practices. For 25 years, Scott was a business coach to high-performing entrepreneurs, CEOs, and best-selling authors. He's the author of four books including Creativity Revealed.

Learn more >

  • This is perhaps one of the deepest things I’ve read in my entire life. Realizing how I steal and let people steal my energy was initially uncomfortable. But I’m working on it. Thanks coach.

    • Thank you for the comments, Alfred. Indeed, coming to terms with this type of thing definitely creates discomfort. It still does for me as well. It’s one thing to say, “Stay neutral”; it’s another to actually do it in light of what’s happening. ;-)

  • I am CERTAIN these people exist. I witnessed a lot of this behavior first hand. It is well known that when you find out the date of release you tell NO ONE because these vampires will start a fight or do something wicked to you to get a negative/violent response out of you so that you loose your date. They do this to steal your light. They get off on stealing your light. Reggae artists know about vampires. Black Uhuru, the winner of reggae music’s first grammy wrote a song called “Vampire” back in the 80’s. It’s real. Thanks for posting the article.

    • Thanks for the comments, John. Remember though that we are ALL vampires. You said “these people exist,” which implies that you’re separate from them. The main thing I’m trying to highlight is that this is a dynamic in the collective unconscious, and as such, we are all susceptible to it — under the right conditions.

  • Hi Scott!

    This was simply amazing and right on time for me. I have been hearing about Energy vampires a lot lately and recently began crystal healing. I don’t know if you are familiar with Black Tourmaline Crystal. A few months ago It was suggested to me this is a good protection crystal. I wear it daily.

    Your article explained things in depth and I see where I have personally been a vampire. I am a mother as well, so thank you for bringing awareness to stealing light from our children.

    Thank you for the additional resources.

    • Hi Dee!

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yes, I’m very familiar with black tourmaline. We have it and many other types of crystals in our home as well. I was hopeful about it too, but over time, I didn’t find that any of these types of external things helped with psychic phenomena. The best defense I’m aware of is the cultivation of one’s consciousness and learning how to enter a neutral space.

      • Yes I concur,Im a Reiki Master and Crystal healer.
        I find that these healings do work but alas Ive learned they help to keep balanced and healthy
        But its the thought pattern s that keep us truly safer from these attack s

  • This is amazing…i didn’t read the article yet…however just today I was praying for protection from energy vampires…and then I got this email….thank you so much

  • Thank you for sending out this guide.

    Although many people laugh at this, I assure you it does exist and everyone needs to know how to protect himself.
    You often feel this as you walk down a hospital corridor. These people usually don’t do it on purpose.
    However, there are some who really know what they are doing. These are real dry vampires.
    I used to teach adult students on a one to one basis in a private school. There was one student who enrolled for English lessons, but he neither listened nor participated in the lesson. What he did do was pull that energy out of the teacher. The first time it happened with him, I thought I was coming down with something and did not see a connection with him. The following week he asked for me as his teacher and asked to have 4 lessons (4 x 45 min) in one go. Again I felt ill, empty, I couldn’t see anymore and I was ready to faint. I knew it was him. I walked out of the class. A colleague saw me and practically carried me to the Teachers’ Room where she told me to lie down and gave me some water to drink. I slowly got back to normal and I fell asleep. When the school director found out about this he asked the man not to come back.
    Just wanted you to know–what you already know!—that this is a very important subject.

    • Thanks for sharing this story, Mary. I have a feeling each of us has had this type of experience at some point in our lives, however, we didn’t necessarily know the cause. Instead, we just felt fatigued or drained. Best wishes.

    • I think this happened to me as well. While I was in the train I suddenly felt like fainting and I had no idea about vampirism at that point, but I believe I instinctively knew that someone did this me (one of the other passengers). I had always believed that someone drained me. After some years again I was in the bus and a woman walked in and sat right across me in an empty bus. I started feeling uncomfortable and like I am being drained and I immidiately knew that it was the same thing happening all over again.
      This is a different sort of attack than the one described in the article. They can do this without any interaction and from a distance. How can one protect themselves against something like this?

    • Thank you for that comment.just in time too.
      I was at an acquaintance s house yesterday to support them in hard times.
      I began to feel unwell by the time I left and was walking home I wasen t sure if I was going to be physically sick or pass out.
      After she hugged me.
      Came home slept all day.
      Woke up wondering what the hell just happened!
      Looked at my phone .
      She text me 4 times since inviting me for all these plan s she made.
      Thank God,I now understand what transpired.
      Never to go back again.
      Thank you again for this amazing article.

  • Hi Scott,
    Thanks for continuing to share your wisdom. I follow a lot of people online and I resonate most strongly with you. It is clear that you put a lot of work in your writing and I really appreciate that.
    Here’s to the divine potential in you, in me, and all of us!

  • I am a bit confused. This article is very thought provoking. I am working consciously to stay Positivé and in a flow state most of the time. It was draining initially but now I feel energized all the time. But I have noticed that being positive and upbeat and happy to take on any challenge in life does not evoke a similar reaction in others. Some are truly turned off. I was under the impression that this energy was coming from within, so am I drawing it from others? My family for eg? Each morning should I stop greeting them enthusiastically? I’ve stop hugging my children before they go off to school, more by accident than design. So is that a good thing? Hugging them at night is fine I guess because they are tired anyways and will fall asleep.
    As we self actualise, do we become increasingly isolated? Because that is not only good for us but also for others? Is isolation good for society? If 100% of humans were self-realised what would this world be like?
    Have I got this entirely wrong?

    • The shadow of the positivity movement is that it forces us to become even more unconscious to the “negative” or “darker” forces within us.

      We live in an electrical universe. Every positive charge creates an equal negative charge. If you follow the ancient traditions, the goal isn’t to become positive or happy but to be empty and neutral. Our cultural programming, of course, is very different.

      So to answer your question, yes, there’s a very good chance that if you’re acting really positive and upbeat all the time while those around you are not, you are part of the cause. The truth is that we all have a great deal of “negative” charges within us. And we can’t become free of them by trying to be positive. Doing so only strengthens the negative within our unconscious. It’s by going through the negative (developing consciousness and understanding) that we can become dynamic containers for these charges. If not, we necessarily “leak” them out onto others.

      Maslow invested his entire life studying self-actualizing individuals. And in fact, one of the qualities he identified is that they do tend to be more private people. Not necessarily isolated, but they don’t seek out interactions with others. (See #5 here: https://scottjeffrey.com/self-actualization/)

      What’s good for society, in my opinions, is for each of us to move toward individuation — meaning wholeness within ourselves. Otherwise, we’re only expressing archetypes and living inauthentically as a collective.

      Jung was asked if he thought WW3 could be avoided. His answer was “only if enough people learn how to hold the opposites within themselves.”

  • What a topic!! The way it presented is superabundant of information, scientific and makes sense!

    Thank you very much.
    Give us more please!
    Love and peace

  • I found everything in this article extremely relevant and action-provoking. One question is how do we love our children. I love hugging them and sometimes I enjoy playing gentle tickling games for very brief moments allowing them to tickle me and me tickle them for less than a second, sometimes two. Energy shared is energy multiplied I believe. So how can we know the difference between vampirism and love (shared energy).

    • Hi John. I don’t have an easy answer to your question, but I will say this: If you don’t know how and when you’re stealing energy, it’s very difficult to “share energy” in a constructive way with another.

      From my observations and experiences, the civilizing process gives us ideas about what love is and how to express it, but this isn’t genuine love. For example, I believe that if you never saw parents tickling their kids in a film or TV show in your entire life, you would never have an impulse to engage in this behavior. Archetypes perform this act, not humans. Of course, we’ve all been subjected to an unlimited amount of such images and behaviors, and so there’s no way to prove what I’m saying.

      So the main idea here is to tune in more closely to what’s happening. Instead of trying to change your behavior (e.g. tickling), simply observe internally. Pay attention to internal feelings and thoughts you may not have noticed before (as you tickle). With growing self-awareness, you may start to catch things you didn’t see before. Once this occurs, you’ll naturally begin to regulate your prior conditioning.

  • Hi Scott,
    Thank you for this very insightful article, I’m an energy vampire with active psychic abilities and it helps to understand where I come from and what to do about it. It’s not what I like but I unconsciously default to it when I’m low on energy and when I feel like people are being mean behind my back.

    I appreciate your article and it’s the second one I come across in two days, which definitely reads as signs for me.
    I have recently also used psychic abilities honed through this to play the Obi Wan Kenobi deflection trick (no hand here, just mind) when I feel people might approach me requesting something, like showing my train ticket (feeling too comfy to get it out), or when walking by street salesmen who try to get us to make charity donations (I currently donate other ways).
    I find it interesting and fascinating (and really cool) to be able to do that, and please note there’s no, at least I hope not, vampirism involved.

    I also very much appreciate the advice you give for children. I now understand why Thai people find it utmost disrespect to touch the top of a person’s head, or possibly a child’s. This is precious information and I find should be taught to parents and various caretakers and teachers and nurses to ensure we respect each person’s integrity on all levels, young and older.

    I actually found your site when looking for information on Zhang Zhuang, which I do my best to practice each day. Really an awesome art.

    Have a great day and thank you for making this available.

    Best regards,
    Marc

    • Hi Marc. Thanks for sharing this.

      I appreciate you mentioning that point about the Thai culture. I’ve heard that before. I imagine there are many other cultures that feel similarly about touching the top of the head.

      You’ll see this behavior often in films, especially from father or big brother to son. Although it might look innocent or even brotherly, it’s a form of domination. Placing your hand on another person’s head is a way of control/dominating them.

      I often see this when I’m stuck behind a school bus at the end of the school day. Parents will palm their kid’s head as they walk from them the bus to their home or car.

      Behind this behavior, the individual doing the palming feels small/weak — perhaps they were put down by someone at work or in a store. And so they subconsciously seek to dominate someone else to elevate themselves. And a child is an easy target.

  • This is a guide I will revisit often as a parent. One of the most helpful guides I’ve ever encountered. Too many books and gurus out there point the finger at others for being narcissists and psychopaths but interesting to consider that all of these patterns are within most of us and perhaps most often in the gurus – lol!

    • Very true, Eda. The reality is that the only people who would point the finger (judge) narcissists and psychopaths are themselves narcissists and psychopaths. We’ll begin to make progress when we understand that all of these patterns are in ALL of us instead of a select few…

  • What about social media vampires? What sort of posts are stealing others’ energy? Are we stealing our own energy using technology to connect when there are friends and family available to us in real life?

    • Ultimately, anything that draws your and evokes emotion is taking your energy. But remember this happens by our subconscious agreement (since we choose to expose ourselves to it all). Messages that play on sympathy and pity is one class. Those that evoke envy and desire are of a different class.

      • Hi, Thanks. My question is: what if the desire evoked in me is good, to see others better! who will be stealing from who?

        • Hi Benedict. The more you get to know your shadow, the more you will come to question your “good intentions.” The more self-contained you become, the less drive you will have to “better others.” I realize this sounds paradoxical, but the road to hell truly is paved with good intentions.

          So to answer your question more directly, if your conscious drive is to better others, than from the standpoint of vampirism, you would be the one stealing energy from others.

          • I think there is a difference between a desire to “better others”, and a desire to “help others” or even just wish the best for others.

            Also, if the desire to “harm others” is just the same as the desire to “help others” from an energetic standpoint, then thinking in these terms is not very useful.

    • I recently had a conversation on an empath group page.
      A lengthy conversation,
      Should be safe right?
      Wrong
      After I helped her work through some issues as a new awakened empath,
      I was sooo drained I knew then she was a narcissist.
      They sneak into these groups to feed.Reported her and she qas kicked out of the group
      Beware the internet,don t fear it it can be a wonderful tool as well.
      For like minded people.

    • Disconnect from internet do something else . Poems spend time w family friends write pray resd in the bible you will find a lot more that indicates to stay away from that kind of energy . The bible is protection always . Just do a search how to protect yourself from toxic relationships . Hope that helps

    • If the first law of thermodynamics is correct, energy is neither created nor destroyed. So there can only be a transfer of energy. But there can be a mutual exchange. Thanks for the comment. ;)

      • Hello, my question goes like this: At what point can we say that the exchange of energy is mutual, complimentary and benefiting both of us?

        • When both parties are neutral, open, and honest — when they both know their shadows and are psychologically integrated — only then can such an exchange take place. However, under these conditions, such an exchange is also unnecessary.

      • Hi, I just wanted to chime in about the idea of applying “laws” of the physical realm, such as with thermodynamics, to the realm of consciousness.

        It may be at odds with our 21st century religion of “Science” but I think the jury is still out whether energy can be “created” or not. And if it truly *can’t* be created, I would point out the vast storehouse of “untapped” energy in the universe (atomic, dark matter, etc.)

        And thanks for all the great articles on your website, Scott.

        • Indeed, Rob. If you follow the Electric Universe community, it’s entirely possible that dark matter and dark energy don’t even exist — they are likely theoretical concepts built on a misunderstanding of the energetic nature of the universe.

    • Is a flower stealing energy from the sun? What if I like the look of someone and stare at them, have they stolen my energy?

      I think the problem here is really with the term “stealing”. No one likes being called a thief.

  • Wow this hit home deeply… I started composing a comment then realising its about me as a victim, pity me, I’ll be displaying vampirism to all who read it. I apologise in advance. I guess my biggest issue with myself is, Ive existed in a self pity frame of mind for 10 years after a diagnosis if Graves dis-ease. This has become such a habit of mind I truly dont know how to overcome it. Let alone the fact my life is exhausting with a 5 year old son who is misbehaving from our ineffective parenting that he is displaying signs of the trauma you are describing. I would not know where to start on my healing journey. Im exhausted to try anything but just get by each day, stressing that I cant work due to the illness, feeling lack everywhere, mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, socially. Wow arent I bloody complicated. I realise you are not my counseller yet from your generous responses to others, I can hope you may have some assurance for me, even if I shouldnt be needing this!! Thanks Scott for being you.

    • There’s a lot to unpack here, Melissa.

      I’ll offer you some ideas from the context of archetypes (parts, subpersonalities). Archetypes are set patterns of behavior that rule us from the unconscious. Here are a few that you’re expressing in your comment:

      The Wounded (or Sick One): It loves being sick because it gets attention from Healers and anyone who will listen.

      The Hypochondriac: A close cousin of the Wounded. Often goes hand-in-hand with the Doctor. (Becare of a diagnosis like “Grave’s disease” — this part loves these labels and wears them as a badge of honor.

      The Lazy Part: The lazy hates working — even the idea of it. It will manipulate the Wounded part to stay active. As long as you’re sick, you don’t have to work.

      Also, be aware of the part of you that hates being a parent (EVERY parent has this part whether they are honest about it or not).

      You see, you’re none of these parts. But when you’re not conscious of them, they operate independently within your psyche and greatly influence your biology and your behavior. Getting distance from them and observing them clearly can lessen their influence.

      • Your reply is much appreciated. I see now how Ive forgotton Im a whole being and have been operating under very separate paradigms. Your insights are uncomfortably correct!! My quest now will be to observe the archetypes and the thoughts/feelings that come with them, then redirect towards wholistic love and healing. Thankyou. Melissa

        • Certainly, Melissa. One final word of caution: be careful with ideas like “love” and “healing.” They are packed with all kinds of sentimental emotions and meaning. They all tend to imply achieving them can only occur in the far-off distant (and mythological) future. Instead, consider okayness and acceptance. You can have those right now (if you choose) …

  • When I first begin to read Jung there was no doubt that what he was talking about is real because I’d seen them manifesting themselves through me my whole life. It was a very emotional experience for me. While reading this article the same realization rang true again. Thanks.

    • I know what you mean, Joe. Although language can’t touch the ineffable, when words begin to approach it, we begin to feel it within our body — especially the heart center. Thank you.

  • Interesting article.

    If you want hugs and so on from your romantic partner for your own happiness and needs, is that energy stealing?

    I understand that people project their shadow to others. They blame others to feel good about themselves. If someone blames me I lose energy by reacting and feeling and thinking that what is happening and what is this drama and by having a headache, right?? If I stay neutral I dont lose energy.

    incubus succubus beings were mentioned in this article. It was said that when a female wants seduce people she is influenced by such a being. Same thing was not said about men. Is that (cultural influence) because it is more acceptable for men to seduce women here and there? It is female sexuality that awakens horror in people.

    So, according to my understanding, if I am eager to offer healing help for people who dont even ask for it, that is my way of being an energy vampire. It makes me feel valuable and I want to feel that I have helped someone. So I can stay high. (I am a healer student. I am also partly graduated from some of schools, so I have customers sometimes too but not so much)

    I still dont fully understand the concept of taking energy from others. Or maybe I did understand, at lest something.

    • Hi Kaisa, the very notion of a “romantic partner” is itself an archetype, not a human quality. (See Robert Johnson’s book “We”) So yes, very likely. If you “need” anything from someone else for your own happiness, it’s a clear sign of vampirism.

      Yes, if you stay neutral when someone else blames you, you can avoid energy theft.

      RE: incubus/succubus: a male incubus can function in the same way. I believe I did mention this above.

      That said, there are energetic differences between males and females, however. Most notably, men lose energy from sex (especially orgasm and ejaculation). Women, in contrast, do not generally lose energy from sex; instead, they tend to gain energy. I believe this dynamic is behind the 10,000-year-old battle between the sexes.

      And yes, if you are eager to offer healing help to people who don’t ask for it, that is a clear sign of an energy vampire within you. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Your “high” is coming at a psychic expense to others.

      Ultimately, as observers like Maslow and Jung noted, the more positive mental health you attain, the less involved you want to be with others. You become self-contained and as a consequence, you allow others to be so as well. Otherwise, we fall to host of neurotic, vampiric, and dependent tendencies.

      • Okay, I do this all the time and maybe I need to adjust my behaviour. I always try to help people without them asking. And I often get in trouble for it. One typical example: The other day my 83-year-old landlord was mixing paint with his bare hands. Having had the experience of traveling world wide for two years I often washed my clothes in the sinks of hotels with laundry detergent. There was no problem the first 35 times I did this, Then on approximately the 36th time my skin completely fell off one of my hands. Now 3 years later this has not healed and is so painful I cannot even push the button on my iphone. So I wanted to warn my landlord to not expose his hand skin to chemicals and I ran upstair to give him several pairs of latex gloves to use in the future. My landlord being the awesome guy that he is ‘jokingly’ reminded me he is almost 84 years old so he knows a thing or two about taking care of himself. Had he been another kind of person he would have been less jovial about my uninvited help. So my question is how do I stop my knee jerk reaction to help people and offer advise. Experience has definitely shown me it is not welcomed.

        • Hi John. Thanks for sharing your experience — I’m sure many people can relate.

          This is where shadow work and self-awareness comes in. It’s not as much about stopping your knee jerk reaction as much as it is understanding it.

          As a general rule, behind virtually all altruistic behavior is a shadow intention. We would know this intention right away if it wasn’t for our identity as “good people.”

          https://scottjeffrey.com/good-person/

          So instead of trying to change the behavior, examine it more closely. Pay attention to internal voices, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes.

          • So does that mean in the name of equilibrium and balance the inverse aplies. i.e. ‘Virtually all evil behavior has a celestial intention’. Or is it just good deeds done with ostensibly good intentions that are suspect?

          • Our collective bias is towards goodness, not evil. So no, I don’t believe the inverse applies here.

            Someone who knowingly commits an “evil” act isn’t delusional about their supposed goodness. They would just be more honest (accurate) with themselves.

      • Hi Scott, so does it mean that the more women have sex, the more they become energetic while the more men have sex, the more they get drained of energy? if then that is the case, then men are a doomed species? on what scenario can a woman still loose energy through sex? does it then mean that sex transmutation is only applicable to men? Thank you.

        • Based on my understanding, yes, women are likely to gain energy from sex while men who ejaculate or orgasm always lose energy.

          See: https://scottjeffrey.com/sexual-energy-transmutation/

          I believe this energetic reality forms the basis of the gender wars and many of the challenges couples have on a subconscious level.

          If a man has a strong warlock in him and the women has a lot of emotional damage, he can probably drain her energy too.

          There are methods of “dual cultivation” and “tantric sex” that are supposed to help the cultivation of energy in both sexes.

        • Perhaps the energy women receive during sex is transferred to growing the fetus created in the act. However in today’s age, where we control our birth cycles with knowledge and medicine, women are receiving that energy but it is not being transferred to a baby, just absorbed by the woman. Hence the imbalance of the energies and the power struggle? Just a thought..?

          • It’s possible, Anna.

            My sense is that women mainly become vampiric with their children because of their disowned feelings (e.g., hatred) toward their children. There are certainly cultural and social factors at work here like image-consciousness and the breakdown of the traditional family structure. A fashion and image-driven environment foster a breeding ground for witches, warlocks, and vampires, not humans.

          • Hello Scott, considering Anna comments what is your take on the fact that women also ejaculate during sex if they are driven to the point of orgasm… why cant they too loose energy?

          • Anna,thanks for your comment. am then confused since women also ejaculate during sex if they are driven to the point of orgasm… why cant they too loose energy?

          • Numerous books I’ve read that address this topic say that women don’t lose energy during sex, but I personally believe women can and often do lose energy during sex as well. (It probably happens in a different way than with men.) Of course, I’m not in a position to say for certain either way.

    • If you want hugs and kisses, and you wake up in the middle of the night when they are dead asleep to kiss them without them knowing, that is stealing. At least that is what the term “stealing” evokes in most people.

      Otherwise, any concept that frames an interaction between two people that mutually meets their needs as “stealing” isn’t very useful to me. In a way, it kind of obscures or justifies the real energy vampirism that I believe does happen.

  • Where does the energy go with television and film when it sparks an emotional charge? I work in media/story and find myself emotionally moved daily by the life stories of others (which is then enhanced through editing and music techniques to further drive the emotion).

    Thank you for this post! It’s clear, enlightening and very important!

    Hugs (jk jk),
    Tova

    • Good question, Tova. Thank you. This one opens up a Pandora’s box that goes outside the scope of the psychological mechanism I’m trying to communicate here.

      But from an occult perspective, the television screen and computer monitor are “black mirrors” which means they are a form of black magic. So the emotional energy that TV and film evokes does go somewhere. But we can only theorize and guess where …

  • On point, for me the share is informative, interesting and amusingly familiar. Thank you for galvanising what I’ve been feeling and thus raising my awareness.

  • I first read about energy vampires seven years ago, and was practicing Qi Gon, for a minute. Then the Law Of attraction took hold. Not that I think practicing law of attraction is bad, but I have seen over the past seven years how it does not work for me without doing shadow work. This article just took me back to square one, right where I started. You just saved me another seven years of disappointment, and for this I THANK YOU ??

  • I am currently living in a “spiritual” environment and have witnessed the energy leaches (vampires to me have a romantic connotation). Having it clearly defined here helps immeasurably.

    I also appreciate the subtleties of my own leaching that I was unaware of or chose not to acknowledge. I can now have greater responsibility for my own energy and actions. Thank you.

    • The PDF download appears to be working fine. After you add your email in the pop-up, a direct link to the PDF is displayed in the same place. Click that link and the PDF will open in a new tab.

  • I have been a target for energy vampirism my whole life (drug addicts specialy meth heads (I am recovering adictt) are real vampires ….. from my exp best way is to observe your thoughts fealings and stay nutral know that your mind is key they must infiltrate your EGO and get a reaction or you must react emotionly to the situation ….. I have begun to hear voices now and would love anny feed back from people on that ….I think one of my neighbours is using witchcraft and are attempting to steal my energy to teach me a LESSON to be more in my body . But as a recovering drug addict being in the body is difficutlt.

    • I’m sure you’re not the only who feels this way. It’s true that addicts are vampiric. Sometimes they can be like crabs in a bucket trying to pull others down. But remember that giving someone else your energy is by consent — when you’re aware of it. Otherwise, you get trapped in the Victim archetype and feel helpless.

      Voices are the archetypes. This guide provides an intro to the topic (and helps “normalize” the experience): https://scottjeffrey.com/archetypes-psychology/

      For getting into the body, see this standing practice: https://scottjeffrey.com/zhan-zhuang/ (Only do it for a minute or two in the beginning.)

  • Scott,

    Your “Ultimate Guide to emotional Vampires” contains many helpful and useful thoughts, so I will offer a few thoughts in return.

    First, the use of the word ultimate in the title implies completeness in the sense that there is nothing more that can be added to the topic. How about a title like “My Best Thoughts on ….” instead? Your coverage of the topic is certainly much more complete than is my understanding of it at this point.

    Everything you write seems to imply that you view emotional vampirism as a zero-sum game. If you allow the idea that under some conditions vampirism is not a zero-sum game things suddenly become both positive and interesting. What do you think?

    Your thesis is silent on the topic of whether or not “one size fits all” in the world of vampirism. I strongly suspect that the ideas you have presented are universally applicable but need to be tailored to individual personalities – not an easy task in the slightest. To go beyond the Isabel Briggs-Myers job on Carl Jung’s deeper thinking, personality typology concepts explain the innate biodiversity among personalities that must be respected, or else. One man’s meat can be another man’s poison and, under some circumstances, the Golden Rule is a good formula for starting a war.

    Similarly, Libertarianism is a perfect economic system as long as you presume that all the world has the personality characteristics that Libertarians possess. One size – no matter how perfect – does not fit all.

    • Cedial,

      Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

      Words like “Ultimate” and “Definitive” are used in this context in that they are the most comprehensive sources of info one can find online on the topic. Technically, of course, you’re correct.

      Re: zero-sum game: You are correct! Many times, vampirism happens via an exchange that’s not zero-sum. In fact, this is probably the most common occurrence as vampires is each of us “battle” each other. I often observe this exchange in many social situations. In the future update of this guide, I’ll address this topic.

      Re: personality types: I suspect you’re correct. From my observations, introverted types are more susceptible to certain kinds of vampirism than extroverts. By Jung’s definitions, extroverts draw energy from others while introverts draw energy from themselves.

      But indeed, as you said, one size certainly doesn’t fit all.

  • Wooow, in love with this guide. I’m a Reiki practitioner and must say that REIKI has been for me a real energy-game changer❤

    • Hey Lenka! Thanks! Yes, Reiki can definitely be a game-changer from an energy perspective. One thing I will note that “healers” are notorious energy vampires as it’s the shadow of the healer. A healer can heal one symptom in a patient while “infecting” the patient with something else. A healer who isn’t vibrant and full of energy should not be treating others (IMO). Practicing Reiki on oneself is an entirely different story as you can restore and recharge your own batteries.

      • So what would you say about Christ, who was and is a healer?

        Is it not good to comfort those in need of comfort? And what if those who ask for it? Is not there an exchange of healing and gratitude? What of opposition in all things? This is a law of nature. Perhaps it is needful?

        • It all depends on your emotional state. If you’re truly in a neutral, warm, and kind state, then an embrace can be nurturing.

          The question is: can you be radically honest and do you truly know the internal state of your subconscious (emotions) and unconscious (body)? More often then we realize, the answer is no.

  • Dear friend,
    I am aware of Vampires (Energie or any other resources, also as Energie)
    The wisdom I have received concerning the subject is:
    “The ability to stop being a Vampire is depended on the ability to do not accept being a victim.”
    Only when one can recognize and reject attempts to attack him. then he is free.
    As mentioned above it is possible by choice to end it.
    I did my choice to halt any of it. Not easy in some cases one must distance from friends. btw many social interactions are Vemp-Vict pathologic.
    Thanx for your work

    • Thanks for the comments, Adam. Yes, not agreeing to play the victim role is a big part of both being a vampire or being subject to them. The key thing to remember as this is an on-going affair as the victim, once energized, as a way of creeping up in our psyche without our awareness.

  • I have been in a recent point on my life where I have noticed there is some kind of blockage in my root chakra and have been doing the work around it to release it. I have been doing practices like yoga and meditation daily with the intent of being able to connect with the divinity within myself but would honestly say my observation is that there has been little contact or perhaps I am “blocked”. This article makes perfect sense because a huge part of me has felt “numb” so noticing these types of energetic siphoning have been difficult to notice until it is very deep. I really appreciate you taking the time to write this, bringing a lot to my awareness and I “See” that I need to take responsibility for being freed up.

    • Thanks for the comments, Wolf.

      Despite so much I’ve seen and read online, it’s my personal opinion that most of the chakras are closed in the vast majority of people. Virtually everyone is numb to varying degrees. I believe this numbness is largely due to trauma and emotional abuse in early childhood, among other factors.

      Be careful in “trying to open the root chakra,” as this intent will create internal tension and become counter-productive. Instead, consider trying to just stay neutral and give ideas like the root chakra less energy.

  • Honestly, i am very much aware of light and energy stealing. As a Nigerian, i have seen this practice done in ways you haven’t even begun to imagine. So trust me when i say you aren’t even near the deep end let alone gone off it. I just wish i could find a suitable way to keep and reclaim my engery and light. Thanks for the information anyways.

    • Yes, Charles. In many ways, I do believe I just scratched the surface with the topic of energy vampires in this article. I’ve also experienced many different phenomena and heard other wild stories as well.

  • Good day Scott,

    Thank you very much for this e-mail. I was a bit hesitant to read it at first. I skimmed through it and saw Maslow’s hierarchy if needs from “The Self Actualisation Manifesto”. I acquired it last year but never got around to reading it until yesterday. Thats when I got more interested in your “Emotional Vampires” PDF.

    Eventually I started reading it again from the beginning, but thoroughly this time, earlier today. I must say that the beginning was a bit strange and seemed a little bit “evil” to some extent. But as I continued to read further I started piecing things together and realised that what followed made allot of sense. As you went into more detail and went through explanations I could relate to some of the things you wrote and could make sense of most of it.

    As I read I started to see that I have been both the victim and the emotional vampire. I just haven’t been conscious of what was happening on those occasions. I was also able to recall times when specific individuals have used this on crowds or so called “followers”. I hope I will be more consciously aware of my surroundings and use the information to help others and do good.

    Thank you again for this enlightening information.

    • Yes, Apollos, I sort of went for a “shocking” title with this one. I’m sure you’re not alone in thinking that it sounded “evil.” I believe I would have felt similarly if I wasn’t already familiar with the experience.

      And that’s the thing about the shadow and unconscious — it tends to be “dark,” and when we identify ourselves with being “light,” we try to avoid darkness. But the key is to see that we are neither light or dark. Then, we can catch this type of psychic experiences more readily.

      It’s great that you were able to push through the initial resistance and ended up finding value from the information. Thank you for sharing your experience.

    • Hello, in your comment above you said “I hope I will be more consciously aware of my surroundings and use the information to help others and do good.” Dont you think by helping others and doing good you will be thieving energy from them?

  • I am an Empath. It is strange to say but all of this is completely true. I’ve had moments of doubt about it all, and it took me many years to fully accept this about myself; being an Empath, having energy sucked from you or stealing it form others. Deep down I know it is all very real, and I find myself doubting such things less and less. I am pretty much a full believer at this point.
    I experience much of this daily. I often have to ground myself to release the emotions of others. For example, one of my co-workers had cancer. She hardly ever worked in the same office as me, but when she did it was incredibly hard for me. I found myself tired all of the time, down, sad, depressed, and wanting to cry non-stop. Once I made the connection and realized what was happening I was able to ground myself and create an energetic bubble around me that allowed me to work in peace while in her presence.
    I have also found sending energetic love and blessings to those who try to harm you or steal your energy blocks them from doing so. It may sound easy, but when you have anger or hate towards someone or they are mean or competitive with you, it is extremely difficult to send such person pure love and blessings, but once you do it is incredibly freeing. Either way, love the article/post. Enjoyed reading it. My only complaint…is all the links in the one article that takes you to another. I find myself getting distracted and wanting to read all the other posts as well. Now I have five more Posts to read. LOL. Thank you. :)

    • Thanks for sharing your experiences, Vanessa.

      I personally haven’t been successful at “sending love” to someone who has consistently acted negatively towards me. And in those few occasions when I thought I managed okay, I later realized I was deluding myself.

      An alternative approach would be to simply find your center and stay neutral. Trying to go from “negative” to “positive” may be too much of a jump for most individuals.

      And yes, I know what you mean about the links. I’ve been told by numerous readers that my website is like a series of rabbit holes that you can get lost in for weeks. :-)

      • Hi, i have found the preceding statement in Vanessa C. comment, ‘I have also found sending energetic love and blessings to those who try to harm you or steal your energy blocks them from doing so’ My question is: if i send energetic love and blessings to neutral people are my thieving from them energy really or am in real sense energizing them? Thank you.

  • Hello Scott,
    What about children that are in need of love, I mean children from dysfunctional families o war victims? shouldn’t we hug them?

    • Hello Charo. It not really a question of whether or not to hug; it’s a matter of being highly aware (and honest) about your internal emotional and energetic state.

      For example, you may think to yourself, “this child needs a hug.” Your conscious intent is good. But in your shadow, you may see a weaker being that will be forced to hold whatever you put on him/her.

      That’s why this isn’t a straightforward do this or that type of issue. It takes a great deal of self-honesty, self-awareness, and self-regulation to navigate it.

      • Also, I might challenge that conventional notion that children need love. I believe it’s more accurate to say that children need to be accepted (not hated and rejected) by the people (parents) who care for them. Then, a child can work things out for themselves. But when they are rejected and hated by their caregivers, it makes the development process very challenging.

        • Exactly. Very challenging and confusing to me. I do some voluntary job with those children. I will continue hugging them when they come to me for this. I believe that for them this is some kind of acceptance.
          Thanks for all your post

        • What is your understanding of love and what it is? And in being neutral, do we eliminate love and hate? Do we not become unfeeling, almost nonexistent in emotion if we accomplish this? Only “needing” ourselves/ability to be neutral.

          What of the need of children, infants with physical touch. We as humans thrive when physical touch is done with love in its pure form do we not? We are wired to seek love and acceptance. Otherwise it would be perfectly unnecessary.

          My infant stops crying when I hold her. She calms, and is peaceful. If neutrality is the best way to go why don’t we allow children to self actualize from the very beginning and refrain from physical touch? Or perhaps we need to learn with opposition to understand the nature of neutrality? Maslows hierarchy is a process, and therefore giving and receiving are imperative to this process. Just thinking aloud but want to hear your thoughts.

          • I personally prefer warmth, kindness, and acceptance as opposed to “love.” Hollywood and mainstream media have distorted the concept of love. Even the standard definitions, I find problematic.

            Neutrality isn’t deadness or listlessness. It just means seeing clearly without emotions taking you out of your center. Most emotions drain our energy, especially when they “stick” to us.

            “We are wired to seek love and acceptance.” To this, I must disagree. We are “conditioned” to seek love and acceptance. Without being rejected and absorbing the negative emotions from the parents, I don’t believe we (or infants) would seek love or acceptance. Seeking itself infers lack. Instead, we would remain self-contained and whole, instead of broken and always seeking the answers and missing pieces outside of us.

            In terms of “how to raise children,” it’s really more about how to raise ourselves. Maslow understood that self-actualizing adults don’t need instructions on how to raise their children. But because most humans are neurotic, they need guidance. So the question to reflect on might be: if you were whole, locating all of your energy within yourself, how would you raise your child? The inner guide in each of us knows the answer …

          • It is known that newborn babies who do not get enough touch from their caregivers during the critical first days actually whither away and die. So are they stealing energy away from their caregivers?

            If a human baby needs it to survive, and can do it instinctively like breathing, is it really “stealing energy”. It seems what you call “stealing energy”, most just call “receiving love”. I prefer the term receiving love.

  • I appreciate the balanced way in which you have written this. It is also an informative article with many interesting resource links within it.

    I noticed you had written this in one of your comments: “The main thing I’m trying to highlight is that this is a dynamic in the collective unconscious, and as such, we are all susceptible to it — under the right conditions.”

    If more people took this approach, we could actually own and manage our own energies and interactions better. Taking a polarized, judgemental stand against those who draw energies during their weak times only makes this a taboo or misunderstood subject.

    Thank you.

    • Thank you or your comments, Sangeeta.

      Yes, the challenge seems to be that, as a people, we don’t have an understanding of the personal shadow. We don’t see that, at a fundamental, we’re all the same. And without this knowledge, we fall into the blame game, play the victim, etc. What others unconsciously do to us, we then unconsciously do to others (including our kids). And the cycle of samsara continues …

  • I’m interested in this topic as I have been exposed to energy vampires. Not the ones playing with emotions as you explain in your article. But the ones where I can feel the energy leaving my body. It’s akin to a current of air coming out of my body towards the other person. I haven’t been able to feel energy coming into me though. I’m curious as to how it feels. These people seem to be addicted to the feeling.

    • Thanks for your comments, David. The challenge most people have with this kind of topic is that we tend to project. Meaning, we assume other people steal energy consciously while we do not. The reality is, however, that the vast majority of us are unconscious to these mechanisms.

      So someone who steals energy from you is generally unaware of it. Similarly, we are unaware of our energy thievery. To get to the bottom of the game, we need to switch from the victim (something being done to us) to identifying with the vampire itself. Only then can we begin to see what’s going on …

    • Breathwork, known as ‘pranayama’ in yoga, also often used in many meditation practices can help bring awareness to ones energy field.

      Visualizations involving conscious ‘spiritual breath-work’ (consciously breathing in chi/prana/life force energy) can help you connect with your own auric field as well.

      It enters through the soft spot on the top of your head.

      Best,

      Mel

      • Mel, I have to disagree with you here.

        Pranayama is more like to foster dissociation as it is designed to induce an altered state of consciousness (not conducive for sensing your energy field).

        Visualizations, too, will foster delusion and dissociation and keep you away from apperceiving your actual energy field. These are “new age” concepts that have brainwashed large segments of society.

  • Thank You,
    your way of drawing together the aspects is huge/pivotal – have ecperienced a handful of incidents within healthcare field around key energy points – ( a couple involving the taking of energy and other involving administering of an injury to a key area -all around consultation only appointments for an injury) – some seem to be doing more than taking energy – enacting old dramas, injecting/attaching ‘dark’ aspect, physically and energetically injuring – coming in bright and full of joy/love “innocence” as you indicate – stating boundary without awareness – taking verbal assurance over reading a ‘practioner’s’ energy/signals and our own personal indoctrinated responses – we can think that saying ‘no and standing ground is enough – but mere physical presence can be taking as agreement
    – some are set off into their own fear reactions when met by boundary (like an affront to ego/competance/reality) – and once we have have a weakened access by recent or historical trauma – trying to resolve it can be like facing the original trauma over again (and some trauma experts indicate that we do that too – recreate the condition) … difficult to face when you have built up over years – and been hit hard- also agree on neutral stance plus recognition within self/other plus developing instant pause/pivot vs interaction/enmeshment/drama – thank you – the rampant growth of offerings from varied modality ‘healers’, yogis, quick certification without awareness or emphasis on such creates more interaction within the subtle area – many are not acting from grounding or balance or even fully as ‘themselves’ in ‘intimate’/’sacred’ interaction with others – without acknowledging this responsibility within each interaction
    thank you for this offering …more on renewing rebuilding please

    • Art, although it was difficult to track through your comments, I can tell that you have had many intimate experiences with this phenomenon. I can relate to almost all of the observations you shared and it further illustrates the complexity of this energetic dynamic. Thanks for your comments — more to come …

  • I’ve come across two extreme energy vampires in my lifetime, one was a succubus attached to a female workmate, and one was a very accomplished astral projector who took energy in a number of ways, but the one I noticed the most was in the form of astral seducer.

    I recognise we are all unconscious energy vampires in simpler ways, and I continue to do shadow work to resolve my own need to vampirise others energy.

    Thanks for all of your articles, very interesting and I find myself agreeing with most of what you say.

  • This is fantastic mate. I had vague clues about emotional vampirism but the way you presented the topic was just fantastic. Thanks you for sharing such deep, complex and occultist insight in such a lucid manner.

  • I have noticed that I, too, steal energy from my coworkers because my husband steals mine from me. I have been a student of Bikram Yoga, which is for me, most cleansing for both my own psychic dirt as well as the second hand psychic dirt that I attract … my biggest challenge is what is the , “ self talk tract” that I can engage in as my husband repeats the well worn pattern of dumping his negative energies in my emotional trash can? And how do I stop myself from transferring the same trash to my friends the next day at work?

    • Yes, I wish there was an easy answer to this. The best solution might be to return the negative energy back on your husband. “What’s yours is yours; what’s mine is mine.” It’s difficult to work with our own negative energies; dealing with the negative energies of others is next to impossible (which is why we seek to unload it on others).

      That’s what often happens in families: husbands dump on their wives (or vice versa). Wives then dump on their kids (or pets). And then the kids annoy and irritate their parents in an attempt to give back what was dumped on them. It’s not a pretty picture …

      • We can transmute negative energy into positive energy.

        Dumping the energy back onto the person is continuing the same pattern that was started by the attacker.

        • Mel, I used to think that was true too. But I’ve come to see that we can only work with what is ours — not what belongs to others.

          Religion conditioned us to “turn the other cheek.” This, I’ve discovered, a highly destructive concept that makes our shadow grow bigger.

          Assertiveness is an essential quality of mature adulthood. And that means standing up for ourselves. Watch what happens when you do.

          If you run the pattern of transmuting other people’s negative energy into positive energy, you’re stuck in the Martyr archetype, which means your energy vampirism will continue to grow.

    • Forgiveness. It is a decision. Is is a skill as well. And it means to remove the sharp knife ? fro your wounds and leave your soul to heal. This is forgiving, not forgive means to hold the knife, pressing it and let your wounds never heal and build a environment for complications and infection. In long Term, what is the higher Crime to yourself what your husband done, or what you done for yourself by holding on that and hearting others.

      Than think about who you want to be, how you want to live, when you know who you are, you will know what is right for you. Take the responsibility for yourself, your behaviours, your needs and the role that you are in charge, as wife, mother, friend, Kollege…. and so on

      • A person isn’t in the position to speaking about forgiveness if they don’t first fully understand themselves.

        You can only forgive what you fully understand. And there’s no true understand until one knows the darkness within them (including how archetypal patterns like vampirism operate within you under the right conditions). This has been well-known and documented by depth psychology and other schools of developmental psychology for the last 100 years. But our collective persistent of our inherent “goodness,” shields most of us from this reality.

        Until you understand what’s going on inside of you in REAL terms, ALL talk about forgiveness is nothing but high-sounding rhetoric — something you might hear from a pastor or preacher. But they are empty words, not spoken from the experience of the heart, but from ideas of the mind.

  • My GF is an energy vampire. You confirmed this. She has a disability from birth, we are all not born whole. She is broken and can’t be fixed. Usually we only last a couple hours together and i have to leave. Was called an idiot last week. Still took her to a farm to see chickens. I’ve told her the aura where she lives is bad. We were together for 5 years, but our rental house sold. She just texted me a negative comment. Thank you for helping me realize what is really happening in my life. I’m zapped

    • Remember, Zapped, everyone is an energy vampire. Once we start labeling someone else an energy vampire, we’re secretly affirming that we’re not one too.

      It all depends on the context of the situation. In each relationship, one person tends to exhibit more vampirism than another.

      One thing that’s useful in these types of situations is to reflect on why we attract these types of relationships in the first place.

    • Responding with a neutral, loving and gentle manner, can evoke love, light and acceptance which is an amazing way to influence the love and light within others as well.

      We are all on a path of healing and remembering our true selves, which simply consists of pure love, acceptance and forgiveness or ‘light.’

      A ‘necessary evil’ to taking the steps in truly remembering this nature is exploring every aspect of our ‘darkness.’

  • Bit of a shock to realize I am a culprit of some of these acts…but good that I am now aware. Thank you Author!

  • I have made a couple comments that I hope to hear back from, but I can’t help but think, the shadow of good intentions are not only pointed out, but we are asked to avoid good by being neutral.

    Being a parent, you absolutely have to give to your infant and child in order for them to not only survive, but thrive. If we continuously give and give, energy as parents. Parents need to be replenished from somewhere. I hear and understand about evoking and cultivating energy, but there’s the focus in this article of exchanging energy being bad or unhealthy all the time does not make sense. Because even though I do have relatives I do not want to be touched by or around, I have relatives and friends that I am enriched by and am uplifted and enlightened by, and vice versa. There are emotional vampires in all of us, but that means the opposite is true, we have emotional/energy givers. We have both existing within us. Giving and receiving energy, seems to be another effective way to reset and renergise if done right, not abused. Infants naturally and wonderfully feed us back as we feed them. Their cuteness, touch, sounds they make, cuddles, co-sleeping can be very energizing and peaceful for both parties! From my experience infants sleep better when held! We have to teach them to sleep alone.

    Of course unintended outcomes can occur from good intentions, being aware of the effects of our actions is important and helps us to improve. We have both good and evil within us. It is better to consciously pick a side then to sit on a fence never doing good or evil, keeping to ourselves and not learning from our family of human kind, giving to each other out of love. With this though, you will always have evil too. We live together to for a reason, we are born into families for a reason. We are not meant to be alone, this speaks innately to human nature. To exist, we need, yes, need each other. Hence the war between sexes yes? Give and take/receive, opposition. We learn from opposition. Man cannot create life alone. Living a life of neutrality. Thoughts?

    • I understand the information in this article can be upsetting, especially for a parent.

      The main topic here is how our negative emotions trigger specific archetypes that drain energy. If you’re in a genuinely neutral or kind state, you’re not going to “vamp” someone. But you have to have sufficient emotional intelligence to discern your true state.

      In terms of babies needing lots of touching and affection, realizing this is an emotionally charged topic, I will still state my observations from the standpoint of energy: what you said is simply untrue, even though it’s a widely held belief.

      Neglected babies might need affection and reassurance. Traumatized babies certainly do. But without the negative energy fields that tend to surround us, a baby is a ball of infinite chi (energy). It has far more energy than you and I can comprehend. And it needs far less from us than you and I can appreciate. That’s why people gravitate toward babies (and puppies, for that matter) — because we all feel so depleted and want to feel rejuvenated.

      We project our neediness onto our children based on our unconscious psychological wounds and then replay them with our children (and pets). As we become self-contained, our “dependents” follow suit.

      Yes, we have good and evil in us. But the driving force of the material I present on this website from an understanding of depth psychology and Eastern psychology is that we don’t know our evil (for the most part) and we have all sort of ideas about our false good that keeps us stuck in an illusion.

      This isn’t about isolation or being alone. It’s about self-leadership, self-knowledge, and self-containment. There are no polarities here; there are only our unconscious behaviors and lack of self-awareness and the results they cause.

      • Just as we can direct psychic attacks, we can direct loving energy towards other in many different forms.

        Everyone is on different timeline or path, and is able to gain access to this universal truth/ability by opening the heart to oneself and others.

        A big step, is stepping outside of one’s self and ceasing to see things in terms of ‘good or bad.’

        All is true. Both of you. Only, a few different perspectives of the same truth.

      • Newborns might not need any life energy, but they most definitely need love, care and attention.

        And since in the end, everything is energy, I’d say YES, they do receive loving energy from their caregivers. We all did, otherwise we would not be alive today.

    • My take on this is if your good intentions steal someones energy, your bad intentions will do the same, or even worse. So this way of thinking of ALL human interactions and intentions as some sort of selfish harmful thing isn’t very useful to me. We are social creatures, and giving and receiving from one another is a natural as breathing. When someone uses the word “stealing”, that’s not coming from a neutral or even abundant place.

      • These types of universals avoid an individual’s inner work. They are a form of intellectualism and don’t serve a function other than to deny one’s shadow. Get to know your intentions first by confronting your shadow, then see what’s useful or not.

        And as far as being “social creatures,” yes, we hear that all the time, don’t we? Yet, from Jung’s path of individuation and Maslow’s decades of research on self-actualizing individuals, the more one moves toward positive mental health, the less interaction one needs with others. This isn’t a function of avoidance or anti-social behavior. The drivers behind our “need to belong” simply falls away as we become closer to ourselves.

        And the word “stealing” was used intentionally. It’s not neutral, and certainly not abundant. Individuals who cultivate their own energy and have contained the forces within themselves have no need to steal from others. Most talk about “abundance” is just that: talk, or rhetoric.

  • Hi!
    Only the higher force protecting me could bring to this article, I was being continuously drained by an emotional Vampire. In fact now I know that I was also doing a bit unconsciously but very less, in fact I bring drained also a lot. I just wonder that this time I have encountered someone who knows this and drains me consciously. Not very sure though. I had no idea until today.

    What is the better way to connect with you. I am on way to Spiritual Transformation and need guidance.

    • Monika, I recommend looking up grounding visualizations or meditations and attempting to establish a fortress or ‘safe place’ for yourself inside your mind.

      This is a place you will be able to retreat when feeling attacked or drained.
      It is common to use a place where you may have felt completely safe and protected as a child, or an adult. Others simply create this place inside of their mind.

      You can also learn how to cultivate and direct the energy running through and around your physical body. Knowledge is power. Bless you.

  • True. I like especially that you believe that we all are capable of this. It’s not more ‘how to avoid these terrible people’ info, which i believe does further fear and insecurity. And adults tickling children, yes, it is a form of domination. I hated it when my depressed mother held me down and tickled me- I used to go limp. Now, I imagine myself looking into her eyes and just saying ‘no’. I do this when I am feeling domineered by a depressed person.

    • Thanks for the comments, Apricot.

      If every adult remembered how they truly felt when they were tickled as an infant (which isn’t necessarily easy to do), I’m confident no one would tickle their children anymore.

      Or, at the very least, they would now be more aware that they are torturing and bullying a helpless infant instead of tricking themselves into believing they are all “having fun” together.

  • Hi Scott, this page is worth a million dollar. Let me know whenever you visit India, I would like to meet you. Thanks for all the information that you’ve shared on this page.

    This
    Raaj Nadar

  • Omg! Lately I have had so much experience with this. But a really bad one. I am sure we all do it at times, that’s the give and take of life but the one I have had experience with is very lost and I wish I could help him but I think it’s dangerous

    • Yes, this is one of those psychic phenomena that we’ve all experienced; it’s just a function of how much awareness and sensitivity we have. It’s generally easier to detect when we’re on the receiving end.

  • A couple of years ago I realized that I sometimes take energy from my husband in the form of asking for hugs when I’m stressed. I asked him about it, and he said that he did sometimes feel more tired after hugging me. I was horrified! I’ve worked a lot on not doing that anymore. One of the ways I tend to let myself get drained is during the day at work. I have a professional job that involves multiple stressed- out people consulting me every day. I still haven’t learned to stay neutral energy-wise for this. The main thing I learned from this (amazing!) article is that I think I’m feeding on the energy of a crowd when I do public speaking. I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for people who are in that sort of career space. You mentioned that motivational speakers are taking light from their audience. How could they stop doing that if they wanted to?

  • I have encountered this myself. However I am an energy healer so I channel the energy from the universe to give to others. I don’t use my own resources. I also frequently channel energy for myself and work on developing my own inner light and ‘protect’ it although protect isn’t quite the right word.
    Thanks for sending this though it has helped to understand some of the archetypes which use this energy gathering resource.

    • For what its worth, energy healers (Reiki and otherwise) are often the biggest energy vampires — without knowing it. It’s the unconscious attraction to “energy healing” in the first place. So caution is advisable on the part of both the healer as well as the recipient.

  • Hey Scott,
    what you write here is all true. Does is make sense then to continue the same lifestyle for people and producing more people into this vampiric and exploitative world ? Is this any sign of intelligence ? Is this any progress to insist on needs , protection of life and basically protection of pain,because no matter how positive one may be, surely there have been, are and if humanity continues this way, only the same ( precisely more but the same ) results will occur ? Is this any development to use the same old but more of it ? Isn’t that a sign of insanity to repeat the same and expect different results ?
    About producing kids > is it really fair to bring them here, not knowing whether they even want to be here, sooner or later having them exposed to pain for sure >> f.e. when you”die” , when they see crime, violence, poverty for real with their own eyes,or even they commit a crime to the others, do you personally consider this fair ?
    Is any parent truly conscious not realizing that their kid may become a murrerer or may get murdered ? What would feel better for such parent > to have a child / murderer or to have a child / victim ? Isn’t this an emoctional abuse of the Earth ? The Earth isnot procreating, or is she ?So much for the survival instinct . Who is surviving here and if so surviving what ( time, space ) and how ? Waht are we surving exactly ?
    Isn’t all this planet just a giant Vampire to do some testing and those who pass can go to the at lease neutral…. for I don’t need to be happy, I just want a peace.
    Aren’t kids brought here just for the ego of the parent , so that the parents can suck their energy and truly manipulate them just like they do their pets/dogs , and so on ?
    Is is fair to bring someone here and later the person commits a suicide and they even are blaming him ? Don’t they/PARENTS really see that if they didn’t give birth to him, he would not exist,and therefore there would be no suicide?
    Shouldn’t the unborn also have a right to refuse the birth? Should’t we be already so advanced to consider a new life this way
    I clearly remember the early years, not wanting to be here, not wanting to be touched, yes, I felt they are stealing from me. Like I have been dragged here forcefully. I am sure I am not the only one feeling this way. Sometime the feeling is like I am wasting my time here among the apes, how could I have ended up in such retarded environment ?
    Isn’t breeding just a “secret” form of slavery ? How come “people ” never ever consider that their kid MIGHT NOT LIKE THIS WORLD, MIGHT NOT WANT TO BE IN THIS WORLD, MIGHT NOT WANT TO BE AROUND THEIR PARENTS, MIGHT NOT WANT TO BE IN THIS PERVERTED AND TRULY RETARDED SYSTEM. Then every parent is really just stealing souls from the Source.
    The human race will never evolve if they keep having needs and producing people and from a woman’s body on the top ! That itself is already very retarded. The need for continuation of life like this is just marketing, but there is no real need to procreate ( other then the need of that massive ego ) , the Earth doesn’ request and insist and need people on it at all, the immense number of people on this planet only shows the supidity of HOMO SAPIENS, unable to transit even with all the tools provided into the Higher Realm without dropping all those primitive and less the animal needs of hoarding.
    Over the last thousands of years, the only true “success” humanity has achieved is to grow more intense fear, the human animal is the ONE AND ONLY REASON OF ALL CONFLICT HERE but because he is just not wanting to get smart, with all his breeding the Earth will run out of space and there will be no need for wars and sickness, because Earth will just get rid of them ( most of them ) and use their manure to built something new, and I believe more and more that that is the only meaning of the otherwise meaningless breeding. The true HOMO SPIRITUS ( OR SIMILAR ) will have no need to vampire on anything.

    • Hi Liby,

      I relate to many of your questions and your overall thought process. They all point to the “Saturn-Moon Matrix” concept which appears to have a growing body of evidence behind it.

      While I have my opinions and perspectives on many of your questions, I don’t feel qualified to answer them in any kind of authoritative way. So I will simply leave them as intelligent and thought-provoking questions for each of us to ponder.

      • Thanx for reading all that (and with the grammar mistakes//slow keyboard) and so fast ! You surely are a Stellar Being ! This is the first time I hear about Saturn-Moon-Matrix, will look into that…

        Thanx for relating to some of my deep issues and for your Remarkable Energy.

  • Comprehensive and informative. Not enlightening because I am already aware of what you are saying, but I really appreciated the confirmation that we are immune when neutral; in flow, light and carefree. ?

  • Also, it is so helpful that you put into 2 words what I have mostly unsuccessfully been trying to communicate to people: awareness and responsibility. Bingo! ?

  • Thanks so much! This is such an important read! I have shared it with a lot of vulnerable people and with a some aggressive vampires, too;)

  • Reading your article helped me identify a vampire in my life, a relatively new friend who I have been increasingly wanting to distance from. When I come away from her I literally feel like she has tried to get hooks into me; it’s a very visceral, yucky feeling and I feel angry and want to avoid her at all costs. So I wanted to add to this discussion that sometimes you might not feel drained by these vampires; instead you might feel tentacles or invisible hooks coming at you. and that you are fighting off poisonous, invisible hooks. Agitation, fury and revulsion are now signs for me
    of vampirism!

    • Indeed. In some circles, these hooks are called “energetic plugs,” “energetic implants,” “energetic parasites.” That’s what gentle touching can do (as described above) as well as other psychic manifestations.

  • Insightful article Scott, as always. Thank you as it brings some new clarification to things for me.. Not praise btw., simply appreciation :)
    From where I am standing at the moment, I can say I agree with most of what you are saying and have experienced a lot of it too. The few things that slightly ‘tickle’ me though are the following:
    We are love, we don’t need to give or receive it, indeed. The way love shows to me when I open to it is a sort of spaciousness, peace and a sense of balance and harmony. It also shows, not as happiness, but as pure joy at witnessing as well as participating in this thing we call life/creation. It shows in other ways too. Neutrality, emptiness etc. all part of this kind of being-ness..
    But just like everything else, these too, when seen as a concept alone can become a huge trap. And when one begins to seek them too much, they ‘show up’ as ‘limits’ and ‘problems’.
    The same with emotion. Emotion gets so much ‘blame’ and bad press in psychological as well as spiritual circles, yet pure emotion is an incredibly important cleanser, way of accessing true information for ourselves, a gateway to the spiritual realms. Many people, myself included, fall into this trap of ‘neutrality’ so much, that in fact makes them completely numb, nihilistic and truly unable to function in this world! Yet it is when we know how to embody emotion in fact that we not only know how to contain it, but also be it, as well as how to claim our ‘place’ in the world. Without it, we are absolutely open to the world in a way that is not mature. In fact, we are total babies then!
    My recent ‘falling’ into this state has revealed even more to me how important yet also misunderstood emotion is. Just like you say we are empty, we could equally say we are full too, full of energy/e-motion and simply need to know how to dance it/be danced! We could also say we are neither empty nor full!! All this exists and it doesn’t!
    Also, I have seen so often it isn’t emotion that creates a problem in situations, but what is in our minds at the time of feeling them, ie. the concepts that feed that emotion. Our belief in them, our identification with the power of them, of energy.
    Having said that, just like the concepts devoid of emotion lead us to a trap, thus emotion alone can too. Emotion does need an ability to stay present to it, detached because only then are we capable of truthfully ‘seeing’ into the dynamics that are actually happening. As well as take full responsibility for our own being and action.
    Furthermore, I would say that besides saying we are all in this together, it may also be important to see this as a process too. Steeling, evoking and conserving energy are parts of that process.
    Also, archetypes/the patterns – we need them to come out and show us what is actually going on, yet we must learn to also not fixate on them, not identify with them. Ancient practices of evoking are partly about this, so we can learn how to work with them, and how to bring these unconscious impulses/content to consciousness. Rather then be walking around numb and afraid to join life as it is.
    Ultimately, in my own experience, we have come here not only to realise ourselves as spiritual beings beyond dark or light, but we are also here to Play! To hide and to seek. And to relax into this process too. To be responsible AND spontaneous and then, simply as a result of that, to lighten up :)
    Of course easier said then done, but even that is a problem saying, since when we are truly playing it is the easiest thing to do/be in!

    • Neutrality often seeks perfection, and perfection becomes overly serious, afraid of life and even arrogant. To me, we are here to be imperfectly perfect. Thus we have to surrender to the process of life, a part of which is also projection. All these ‘dark’ things, including trauma, are ways we learn and we awaken through. Like you say, only way is through the darkness. Yet this is not to say we should seek it! Only accept it as part of ourselves. As well as make it less dominant and balanced. We are here to live, not simply exist inside our own heads, self-conscious.
      “We can’t find the truth only listening to our own voice’s echo. We can find ourselves only in someone’s mirror.” – Shamz Tabrizi
      I am saying this because at times what you are saying Scott, at least to me, appears like you are seeking a way that can avoid projection etc. I am not saying there isn’t one way like that, perhaps there is, but whenever I myself went down that rabbit hole, I simply found no point in it and its the flow of feelings that got me out of it, without me even seeking it! Its all infinitely connected, one world leads to another..

      • If you seek a way of avoiding projection, Biljana, you would certainly be locked in a state of projection. But that’s not at all what I’m trying to communicate in any of my guides.

        The idea is to continuously recollect your projection. The more you know your shadow, the less you project. Recollecting your projections is a fundamental aspect of integrating your shadow.

        In terms of neutrality: Neutrality is not about being emotionalness, dead, or listless. Neutrality is actually what enables spontaneity and the organic flow of emotions based on the current conditions.

        And this state of neutrality is something that’s cultivated through specific practices. Otherwise, like you said, it becomes just another concept.

  • Everything You said is a true fact!!! I have been an energy vampire as well as have been fed on my energy from other energy vampires. We as Human beings can often be ignorant or skeptical of that of what we don’t understand. I know it’s true. Because the effects are evident. Like feeling drained and mentalky exhausted around certain people we have interacted with. Wow. I hope we can continue to keep learning. And being more self aware. God Bless.

  • my energy has recently been sucked (almost empty) by an energy vampire who happens to be my dad, it was on the night of 30th Aug 2019, my dad was blabbering about political stuffs (as usual) that is recently happening in Hong Kong, he has been like this for the past 2-3 months, he is always stating obvious fact which everyone knows and trying so hard to get attention , and a lot of times even making wrong views about things and when he is corrected by someone else (such as myself) he immediately reiterate what you corrected him with and then tells you that’s what he said, basically he’s always trying to come out as “I am the intelligent/right one” and then try so hard to make others look “less-intelligent” compared to him, I consider his behavior extremely toxic, narcissistic and I can also feel he is extremely insecure inside too for reason I don’t understand why. Basically I have been having conflict with him for the past 2-3 months about these kind of topics, but I was always able to stop or “protect” my energy when I feel something just isn’t right and I will just always go back into my own room to avoid further argument with him as I know whatever we are doing have no positive effect in our well being whatsoever but he doesn’t seem to realize it at all, however on the night of 30th Aug 2019, I don’t know why but I managed to slip, he was once again blabbering obvious fact about the political situation in Hong Kong, desperately looking for attention and someone to listen to him, my mother literally just ignore him and tell him that she’s not interested in his blabbering, my brother kind of responded to him “emotionlessly”, but I somehow have “forgotten” about the “feeling” or I just somehow decided to be a bit generous and showed compassion/empathy towards his blabbering, basically paying attention to him emotionally, and then boom, I immediately felt drained, my head start getting some weird sensation and for the whole night I feel depleted, depression starts kicking in, I almost feel like going to faint, also confusion, for all I know that is left of me is my physical body and the brain that I have developed but without the core/source energy that drives who we are, the worst emptiness and depression lasted for 2-3 days, and then I start to feel a little bit better. On 9th Aug 2019 I feel things are “sort of” back to “normal”, but I still feel incomplete, I feel that there is something I have to do about this or I may lost what is most precious to me forever, and so I googled and came across your guide, I got to the section “How to Take Back your Light, Energy, and Luck” and just knowing that I can get my energy back has made me feel a lot “better/calmer” as it gave me hope that I can be healed, but after reading it I feel that I am not getting the whole picture/method on how to proceed and therefore I humbly ask for your guidance on what I should do next, should I just wait a few more days and see or what action should I take?

    • The first part is to see that this vampire in your father is also in you. (That’s the shadow component.)

      Then, you get rooted in your Center (access your Self) and from there, you say, “What’s yours is yours, what’s mine is mine.” Basically you communicate from your Self to the Self of your father. For detailed instructions for this type of situation, see Cameron Day’s Energy Clearing System. The playlist is available on Youtube.

  • So important, your holistic thoughts here, in these times with mental health hot words flooding our media, this well rounded approach to energy vampirism – i am so thankful for your archetypal communications. The ultimate mirror, for me right now, is this whole article, and after browsing and taking my first notes, I feel empowered.

  • This is amazing … self corrections in process. I was also a bit gutted taking back my own behavior – tough read but relevant and important so thanks.

  • Not a bad summation of what the medieval Gnostics knew.
    As Castaneda revealed , it is the topic of topics ,
    As long as people don’t make a trend out of discussions on ‘vampirism ‘ the emotional plague may weaken but I doubt it

    • I’m not sure what you mean by “making a trend out of discussions on ‘vampirism'”, but yes the Gnostics and Castaneda both discussed such things from a slightly different context.

  • Those brood of vipers keeps sucking energy from me every day and go for gambling to win money. When I get back my fortune, they just steal again, and defame me and recruit even more people to join, making me torturing in a vicious cycle.

  • It is amazing (to know the mind functioning) and so much revealing (to know the little part of the self and the why behind my actions) and leave me with feeling stunned to realise how much more is there inside me, that i still do not know!!!
    Thank you so much for the clear presentation.
    I would like to know, if something negative is revealed in someone, there could be a good thing behind?
    Like for instance, when somebody is hit with stress badly and develop psoriasis, is it a better way of venting the stress than to get a heart attack at a later date?
    I don’t know why i got this doubt (regarding physical – bodily expression) when i read the above article on psychology…

    • Difficult to say. There could be genetic predispositions and abnormalities within each individual that leaves them susceptible to one illness more than another.

      While the body has self-healing and preservation instincts, the archetypes seem to be find with inducing harm on the body in one or another.

  • psychic vampires do exist, give it a name I work with them everyday and feel their energies; it is a horrible work environment, especially when full blown and all staff are present in the office. I go home totally drained and have to immediately go to sleep to recoup.

  • Thank you for this, Scott. There is a lot of material, rich in concepts, and I am not very good at responding concisely, and hardly know where to begin.

    The figure Lilith, and more generally the concept of beings such as the succubus, incubus and vampire, which are indeed archetypal figures which, as with dragons or nymphs, recur in many cultures in one form or another as you say (fun fact: in ancient Mesopotamia either the Sumerian or Akkadian word for succubus was lilitu, closely associated with another type of female demon, the lamashtu demon, known for harming women in childbirth and the murder of children; both aspects survive in both Abrahamic Lilith and Graeco-Roman Lamia).

    I think in the actual Hebrew Scriptures/Tanakh (what Christians such as myself have tended to call the Old Testament) only the Hebrew text of Isaiah names her, though it is translated as screech owl in the King James Version; no mention of her in Genesis, though she has a long history well beyond the Zohar in the Kabbalah tradition in all three major Abrahamic covental faith-traditions, as well as apparently Narnian tradition as the alleged mother of Jadis.

    She has a particular personal resonance for me, having effectively been the name and voice of a substantial part of my Shadow, an internal detached manipulator and emotional vampire undermining me from within on and off for years; the dialogue or Shadow work has been surreal at times, let me assure you. I have not hitherto confided this to many people, understandably.

    I worry that the theory may pathologise much of ordinary parenting (already a difficult, thankless task at which apparently everyone is an expert) without providing any reasonable alternative, as well as yet again scapegoating parents and teachers for that portion of society’s ills that cannot be sheeted home to the eclectic and diverse company of priests, politicians, lawyers and medical professionals).

    The process of temporary suppression of aspects of ourselves deemed “surplus torequirements” so to say, may be temporarily necessary anyway to prevent sweet, innocent, adorable infants growing into monstrous, entitled adults with no sense of boundaries r respect for others. Perhaps the growth of the Shadow with the ensuing need for integration to become whole individuals rather than poorly integrated messes if archetypes, habits and quirks is, in this world as it is currently constituted, the necessary if costly price of growing up adapting to this society,mths darkness through which we must pass before we begin to turn towars and pursue the light?

    • Ordinary parenting is very harmful. By becoming more conscious of what’s going on and “holding the opposites” together within them, the next generation has the opportunity to avoid inflicting debilitating trauma and psychic scars on the next generation.

      Blame and shame aren’t the problem here; deflecting the blame and being shameless is. The responsibilities of adulthood are massive (let alone parenthood). If an adult doesn’t feel shame and guilt for their behavior, they’re probably not being an adult in that they aren’t observing their behaviors or the related consequences. Guilt is a burden of adulthood.

      With greater awareness of what’s actually happening, individuals would more carefully evaluate whether or not they want to become a parents in the first place.

      Members of my private shadow training program report massive changes in their children’s behavior once they begin the process of integrating their shadows. But to get there, they have to take on the burden themselves first.

      That said, the underlying forces at work here don’t stem from parents or teachers — at the core. It’s the entire “system” or “matrix” that fosters these behavioral patterns and the energy depletion that we’re mostly unaware of.

      • So the answer to the “very harmful ordinary parenting problem” is your shadow training program?

        “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

        ― Upton Sinclair

        • First off, my program isn’t even available for sale, so that statement wasn’t a form of promotion.

          Second, the answer IS getting to know and integrating one’s shadow — by whatever means an individual may go about doing so.

  • Hi Scott, thank you for all this great information. I can definitely feel energy vampires around me, and I know that I have been guilty of it myself. I’m truly fascinated by everything I’m reading here, and I’m impressed at the sheer volume of valuable content. I have a lot to learn! Better get on it!

    • Hi Rupert. Indeed. That’s the thing about the archetypes — they operate within ALL of us. And there is quite a bit of information for us to learn about our psyches and the inner dimensions of our existence. Thanks for the comment.

  • This is most helpful! Past year I’ve felt abandoned by some friends (chosen family people, quasi-polycule). I split from them because I felt the situation was very unfair and I knew we were all unhealthy. I didn’t like how I felt towards them or how dependent I felt. Since the split I’ve relived intense abandonment trauma and been staying on my own and being miserable. My long-distance partner was supportive but I felt so guilty that I was bringing her misery to her and she was exhausted by me. I read A LOT of articles about narcissism and I’d try to identify if that was me or not. Or if that was other people I knew or not. The point you made about ego playing the “guilty-innocent” game really clicked.

    My understanding of narcissistic abuse, personality or behaviors evolved a lot but until I read your article I still was afraid of these vampires and ashamed seeing from feeling myself acting like one. I hope as I keep working through my abandonment and abuse trauma from childhood and as I continue practicing energy work I will be able to enjoy more real, secure and spontaneous relationships where I don’t feel I have to protect myself so much and where I don’t feel worried or ashamed that I am being unfair with other persons energy.

    The existing discourse about energy vampires is in it’s own way stealing energy from people I believe.

    • I can relate to what you’re saying, JJ.

      You may also find it useful to access some kind of centering practice that takes you “beyond” the trauma and storyline/script. Otherwise, it’s all-too-easy to get sucked into the abuse storyline and to replay over and over again, which subconsciously is what the ego likes to do.

  • I’ve recently become aware of energy vampires although I’ve felt the effects of them over the course of my life but thought I was just weak and silly.
    And, oddly, I’ve recently taken up Qigong and find it helps me ground myself really well which is good because I’m in a social group with a big narcissist.
    (No one else appears to notice the ‘Look and admire me’ show while their energy is being sapped.)
    I’m reading books on Jung’s work too to help me navigate what is turning into a great shift in my life. It’s interesting to note that I’m a vampire too. Must start looking at that angle and stop kissing babies.

    • When you’re hanging around a big narcissist in your social group, it’s a clear sign of your shadow. As long as you have him/her around you, you don’t have to be a narcissist. However, if you leave the group, then your narcissistic tendencies can begin to manifest. In this way, we are each a container for what’s disowned in ourselves.

    • I’m not certain what you mean, Gary.

      These articles are providing data and information. They are mostly written from the perspective of a neutral observer.

      If you’re reading these articles, it is by your own volition. Generally, when we read this type of information, it’s because a part of us is directing us to some insight that’s relevant to us.

  • Really fascinated by this article . The last few years has led me to reflect alot especially on the shadow …..I have been able to see some really unpleasant behaviours in others that I believe are reflections of my own shadow . This has made me realise I do want to study qi . Thankyou

    • Sure thing, Corinna. I believe if everyone became conscious of this information that practicing energy cultivating would become an obvious necessity as well as a path to greater self-liberation.

  • I have felt that vampires, witches, warlocks have been fictional.

    Not anymore. Love this material and i know that i have much work to do. I see myself all over this presentation.

    • Naturally, Gary. We are all conditioned to believe that characters in stories and films are fictional and “not real.” (Young children no better than this before they are programmed by “adults.”)

      But once we develop an understanding of the psyche, these characters and figures from myths and legends become psychic facts.

  • Wow well I am so glad for this to prove that I am not mad man. They labeled me as mentally ill for saying that very Influencial and people in my country Mainly Politicians and police officers that are close to politicians have been stealing my energy, even acting, thinking and peaking like me. I can see my energy when I look at them as a matter of fact. I am a highly energized empath with a Revolutionary plan to facilitate world peace and Stability so they have been stealing my energy and with my vision and intelligence in which they use to implement counter measures to defeat my plans. I am most grateful for this information now I am going to help all those of my friends who are also under attack.
    The one from the top your head where energy is extracted from I think it also tampers with memory. Aluminum foil paper hat works for that also but it’s not a perminant fix. I have the ability to detect and pin point these energies as they come at me try hit them but not happen. Lol #ArevolutionIsComing

    • Jah, if what you say is true, it would be wise to keep it yourself instead of broadcasting your intentions to others. Otherwise, you’ll be locked in an endless battle between “good” and “evil.”

  • The visceral description of “vampire” makes one want to incline away from vampirism. I hope you look into the BIG 5 (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism)

    • Whether one “inclines away” from vampirism or not, it’s still a fundamental force in our psyche.

      And I’m well aware of the Big 5 in personality theory. The Big 5 is cursory and on the surface compared to the discussion and understanding of archetypes.

      Jung’s work and the psyche in general tend to make people uncomfortable. That’s why these unconscious forces persist within us.

  • Wow. I have been all over looking so awareness to why I have been so out of allignment. I saw energy vampirism and judged it. Immediately pulled myself out but jumped into shadow work. Not knowing what I was opening up o was flooded with guilt and shame. My ongoing search brought me from guru to guru and little did I know why I was so drained. Awareness………oh boy

    • It’s normal to judge energy vampirism when you first hear about it. A part of us intuits the reality, but the ego does its best to repress it.

      Good that you caught yourself on the guru bandwagon. That train can run for many years!

  • I really appreciate this article, as well as all the other resources available on your site! I’ve only been conscious about my spirituality for roughly over a year, and with that has come much confusion and discomfort. I’ll be coming back here frequently, this is so very helpful! I do have a question– are there flipsides to some of the above action which can help give light to others rather than take it? For example, hugging a friend when they’re upset. I genuinely envision some of my light flowing into them. I’m assuming much of energy vampirism is case by case, and the key to avoiding it is simply observing your intent to the best of your ability?

    • As they say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

      So no, Nova, intention isn’t what you want to look for because intention is of the mind. This would be a matter of the heart. And for the vast majority of people, they’re heart region is mostly blocked. This goes double for those in the Green movement who espouse “love and light” while unconsciously harboring hatred and judgment.

      Only with a more expansive, integrated consciousness (where one fully knows their shadow) is one in a position to know.

      I personally don’t think visualizing light going into another person is advisable. It’s more likely a form of black magic.

      • I appreciate the answer! What is the alternative action to good intent? Shadow work and unblocking the heart chakra are great for background work, but what can you do in each moment to ensure you’re not doing others ill? In other words, in your opinion, what is a way of thinking or being to carry through life to minimize harming others?

        • Before knowing your shadow, you will do harm. The degree of harm is based on the environment and the conditions. I don’t know any way around that.

          For example, if your friend is hurting and you’re not conscious of the voice in your head that’s enjoying her misery, then that part isn’t being consciously contained.

          Shadow work brings responsibility to all of our hidden thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors.

          • I see; I believe I do a good job practicing awareness of that voice. I’m not always able to notice it, but I trust an openness to it in the first place will allow me to address and accept it whenever I do. Thank you for the clarity, I will keep what you’ve said in mind!

          • Sure thing. A lot of it comes down to identity. If you believe you’re someone that doesn’t have those thoughts, you won’t hear them. If, however, you know that you are that way, then you can hear them and choose differently. Openness itself isn’t enough.

  • I would like to add that by “simply” I’m referring to the actions taken when a moment of possible energy vampirism arises! Of course, shadow work and much else is needed to have a clearer vision of your intent overall, and those skills are built over time

  • Hi Scott

    Some 7 years ago I felt my energy leave my body. Since then I have being struggling with thoughts words and actions being synchronised. How does one regain the energy back.

    • Hi Naresh,

      Our energy is always leaving our bodies for various reasons including our own thinking — projecting our thoughts and images outside of us.

      The ancient Taoist and Buddhist traditions have practices for bringing the energy back into us. The main idea is continually direct your awareness within your body or the source of the mind itself.

      We all unknowingly give away parts of ourselves at various times in our lives (most often in unconscious exchanges with our parents).

      Taoist Niedan practices are designed to bring the energy back into us.

  • There’s office vampire whom I have to talk 10 hours daily he drains soo much for me

    I started wearing a 21 karat gold ring on my index finger . And I don’t feel energy drain . If I remove ring for more than 20 minutes I feel his negativity

    So gold jewelry is best even gold chain necklace

    • My guess is that this is more of a placebo effect than anything else. It is highly unlikely that you’ll find effective protection from psychic attacks via precious metals or gemstones.

  • I know who the vampires are but dont know how to protect myself… Surrounded by them so t say they are also aware

  • This was so clear. I am in awe actually. I immediately knew I was a vampire energy and it felt relieving because I knew it wasn’t the actual me. I loved the deepness of this and the amount of easy examples you gave with the babies. It really made sense in so many ways. I felt drawn to open the email that linked me to this post and I’m so glad I clicked.

  • I’m pretty sure you have done a huge research work beyond that. And it is on one or other hand a great perspective. And on other hand dangerous and superficial.

    Have you thought about the consequences of this work? I’m mean no one human being would like to be evil, we’ll maybe some, but the majority not, so what will happen. Well every one who read that, will see themselves as pure and good, probably no one will see themselves as vampire, right? And how will this affect their lives? Well easy by blaming others? The question is than, what is truth and who is the vampire?! And who is the judge? And who is the one, who decide who who is? And here is the main mistake. There is a huge difference between judgment of human being and behaviour, and human which believe someone is unfair to them with automatically identified those as vampires, right? And how much will this increase the conflict? Well it will boost it to the moon?
    Everything on this earth followed a special order, have a special deep sense, of no one of heart anybody, than never we will experienced this feeling, and when that not happen, how we can have mindfulness and compassion to someone who go through the same experience like us, it is a huge difference between hearing a story, seeing a movie or experienced it. Where you learned the most, which way is the most effective?
    Well you might think things are bad, but maybe they are good, you might think things are good for you, but maybe they are worst.

    Any experience, any difficult situation, any great time or moment, experience, bad and good relationships, are shaping us, to going through tough situations can destroy us, but it can make us to humans, full of forgiveness and compassion.

    There are no vampires out there, there are just unhealthy and bad behaviours, and this behaviours should be judged, indefinite and we should help ourselves, teach us and others to recognise them, and finally to be aware of them. And judgment to human beings belongs only to Almighty.

    • There are so many assumptions and beliefs in your comments, Iman, that it’s difficult to respond.

      Have I thought about the consequences of my work? Most definitely. This article is part of a series on the shadow.

      The better question is: What’re the consequences of not learning about your shadow? Turn on the television or peer into someone’s home. We know the answer to that. The negative consequences of not knowing one’s shadow are FAR greater.

      This topic makes most people uncomfortable because it addresses a dynamic within the psyche that most of us aren’t conscious of. Many people can sense it, but it’s mostly below the surface.

      As such, it’s easier to try to refute, condemn it, or reduce it. Ultimately, these are all forms of repression, which stalls psychological development.

      But here’s the thing: becoming conscious of this dynamic can bring us one step closer to becoming responsible adults. Denying this dynamic, or pretending it’s not there, keeps us in delusion.

      You may choose to believe that vampirism is part of some kind of “special order” in this world. I don’t share this view and I think that view is somewhat childish. But if I didn’t know about the shadow, I might agree with you, because it’s an elevating notion (that is, it’s a comforting notion).

      By your statements, you clearly have a limited understanding of what is being expressed here, as well as how archetypes operate within our psyches in general.

      Get to know your own psyche and your shadow and then see if you can respond with righteous.

      • You use Jung and Some old script, to determine your beliefs. You see it as evidence enough? Well this are theses, this is nothing more as a try to explain complex situations for themselves. There are a lot research about Carl Gustav Jung and Freud and their beliefs, well known as wrong. The new age movement and knowledge try to connect psychology with budishismua, well and than we are talking about what is called meditation and mindfulness and be conscious about this and that. What I do not mean is wrong, it is right to be conscious about what we are doing, but to judge people based on their behavior to a toxic or a vampire. It is wrong. Because of the dynamic. Let say I tell you A is a vampire, how it will change your behaviour? Obviously people believe bad things about others, to protect themselves, I’m pretty sure you will limit the time with A, avoid him and so, A will feel disconnected and will response n the best way he can, even when it is toxic behaviour. And than we have a problem or conflict. How could it be, when I just didn’t say my opinion, well the total opposite probably. We should teach each other’s, to blame ourselves first, before others, we should teach each other’s about vampari BEHAVIOURS instead of judging human beings.

        I like the view of thigh naht hanh, where he described people that have unfilled needs, and they are dirsty, they do not need a punishment but compassion, I love the view of Marshall Rosenberg when he said that judgment is a speech of violence communication. I love the beliefs of thigh naht hanh when he said everyone gives his best, as he is capable. To have that in mind, you will see the difference.

        You say it us childish to believe that there is hire order? Because of what?! Because of your point of view. How you can show evidence that that what you say is not build on wrong statements and mistakes? When the sun have a special order, the lifecycle, my bones in my body, my perfect soul, all my feelings, well and when they would be created, than this one who have have created me, the sun and moon and stars is the one who knows. And he is my God. But it us a question of believe. You may believe you are right, you may feel hurt, that’s your right and I’m sorry for that.

        You said I have didn’t understand it, well really, have you read the comments, basically summarized as A write about B, how B steel the energy of A, because of That A steel energy of B, and B is guilty and A is victim, well what ever the intention was, the majority write, how bad others are. But what would happen if you say, like Marshal Rosenberg, there are bad behaviors? It will make the difference? Why? Because it is not about being right, it is not about making other wrong, it is about describing bad behaviors, it us about showing how unperfect ALL we are. It is easier to adapt it. It is easier to see that we are ALL HUMANS.

        • Perhaps you don’t fully understand what an archetype is. An archetype is a set pattern of behavior that’s largely unconscious to the person performing.

          Much of our shadow is built on these archetypal patterns of behavior. If you prefer to call these archetypal patterns “bad behavior,” there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s what our parents and their parents called it.

          But it doesn’t get to the root of the issue because we are still mostly unconscious to these types of “bad” behavior. If you don’t know how and when you’re behaving like a vampire, how can you take responsibility for it and change it? You can’t!

          The language of archetypes helps us to better understand what’s going on inside of us. It’s that simple.

          The evidence of vampirism can be known by anyone connected to their emotional and energetic bodies. I suspect it becomes easier to detect if one’s pineal gland is functioning properly as well.

          I didn’t say it was childish to believe in a “higher order” — I said it was childish to believe everything will just work itself out without conscious effort just because of a potential higher order. That was the implication of your statement. And that is a “religious” sentiment that stalls psychological development.

  • My main mistake was that I have not share my thoughts with you private, that I have not give you the opportunity that you see through my eyes. The reason for that, is that I know how destructive this is in relationships and in community. And driven by fear, I have wronged you.m, I have bring you in a bad position, I appreciate your work and what you do, the only please that I have is, do not judge humans, but their behaviours. Because we are humans, our opinion that someone is a vampire, could be just a misunderstanding, but we should conscious about our beliefs, proof them on reality, If we see someone as bad, we will put no effort, to help him, but to avoid him. Ghandi have explain what Happen, when we do That, they will feel so hurt that they will give all to destroy that where they feel disconnected. We can avoid a lot of bad experience but blaming ourselves and taking responsibility for ourselves. I’m really sorry that I have not share my thoughts in private with you and I’m sorry that I have bring you in tough situation. I’m really sorry.

    • Iman, my sense is that if you had a more thorough understanding of what archetypes actually represent, I don’t think you would say many of the things you are communicating here.

      Behaviors like vampirism aren’t human. They are archetypal. And that’s the whole point. To paraphrase neo-Jungian Robert Moore, “it’s easy to be an archetype; difficult to be a human.”

      To move toward mature adulthood requires us to become conscious and take responsibility for these archetypal forces so that we can contain them. Otherwise, they operate through us whether we intend or wish them to or not.

  • many thanks for that information as I have experienced it as im on my own alot so I cant pick up when someone pulls from my energy its not nice

      • I am not sure that you have done this person such a great favour…. surely identifying others’ vampiric behaviour but not identifying one’s own leaves the risk that one becomes more vampiric oneself. And once one has stopped supporting one’s ‘vampiric’ friends but still continues to feed off other friends who are perceived to be more ‘energetically healthy’, surely it is a question of time before those ‘energetically healthy ‘ friends realise that you bring them nothing and cast you out? In the end, it seems to me that identifying other vampires without confromting one’s own may result in greater isolation in the long run.

        • I agree with you, Tam. The primary message in the article is that EVERYONE is a vampire. That this is dynamic that plays out in our collective psyche. And I specifically call out the victim game.

          But I can’t control how people interrupt the information that’s clearly presented (nor be responsible for misreading or misinterpreting it) — as you did, based on your comment below this one.

          A person who earnestly wants to develop must walk their own path, deal with their tensions, confusions, and uncertainties. And evaluate themselves carefully.

  • I have really enjoyed reading this article. However, as you say, it is a question of holding opposites together… we are both the vampire and the victim of the vampire… what if we avoid the temptation to polarise or succumb to binarisms and see that there is an exchange of energy taking place when, for example, an exhausted mother, woken for the 5th time that night, pulls her baby close to her and inhales her scent. According to this article, she would be ‘stealing ‘her child’s light. I just don’t buy that. It is important to differentiate between parents hugging their kids and strangers or distant relatives.
    2 comments to this article worried me- the person who said they had stopped hugging their children, and the person who said they visited a friend who had fallen on hard times and felt energetically drained so would therefore not see them again. I see a need for give and take. We are all connected- if you don’t support your friend while they are suffering, do you think anyone will come and look after you when it’s your turn to lose a parent/have a miscarriage/go through cancer treatment?
    Healers can learn to protect themselves when treating the sick; perhaps we could all benefit from learning how to do it.

    • Tam, I have had to depart from friends at times. I had one friend who has had hard times financially for ten years. Being around them is impossible. Nothing ever changes, it’s like they want to be stuck there. It is exhausting. Give and take…yes, but when nothing changes…I have to release. And as for hugging a child when you are drained. I totally get that. I see so many parents who are stressed out and they RELY on the love from their children. It saddens me. Parents are here to love their children, not to expect their children to love them. One of my old high school friends constantly posts on social media about her son being the love of her life. EVERYthing is about him. I think the most important things is to be aware of what feels unhealthy to us. If we feel drained by a friend, we must detach. If we can explain it to them before detachment, that is all well and good, but sometimes, it will not be understood. I have found that just backing away for a period of time is the best way. Less time spent together.

    • It’s understandable for you to feel that way. This topic makes people very uncomfortable — as do most topics that pierce into the psyche.

      But what was said about the mother stealing energy is valid, when you buy it or not. The purpose here is to bring these dynamics to consciousness so that we can contain them. They operate through us BECAUSE we are unconscious of them. Rationalizing them away because they make us feel uncomfortable ensures that these things persist.

      If that tired mother doesn’t want to keep doing what she’s doing this, she can learn to center herself and cultivate her own energy. She’ll become more conscious of when she has bad mojo and will keep herself from touching her child when she does.

      Or, she can tell herself nothing is happening and allow these dynamics to play out without her awareness.

      • I loved your site but find this advice really disappointing. You clearly have never been a mum with a small baby and I feel like you are mansplaining away my valid concerns. I do hope you don’t ever counsel a woman who has postnatal depression, whose baby desperately needs her because you would probably tell her she is right to feel toxic around her baby and to avoid the contact that the baby so desperately needs. You start by looking up the importance of skin to skin contact with mum (and dad) right after birth. I will stay in my lane from now on. Please, I had so much terrible advice as a mother from people who didn’t know what they were talking about and your site is brilliant and I liked it but… if u ever tell a person who has been woken up 5 times in the night by their child that they, the parent, are being a vampire in that moment , you are unlikely to make any meaningful connection with them.

        • My objective isn’t to make a meaningful connection with you, Tam — nor is it to make every reader agree with me or feel comfortable with the information I’m sharing. My material is for those individuals interested in psychological development, integration, internal alchemy, and self-leadership. It’s up to the individual to determine if the material resonates with them or not.

          If you can see energetically what’s happening in most exchanges between people (especially between most parents and their kids), you would have a difficult time standing by your current, emotionally-charged position.

          There’s a reason why very few people ever get to know what’s in their shadow. It would terrify them. And for parents that do get to know their shadow (usually after raising their kids), it’s mortifying to fully realize what we’ve done (or continue to do) to those who were dependent on us. There’s a good reason why the unconscious tends to remain unconscious.

          The reality is that with an open mind, you can only say, “I don’t know.” That is, if you can’t see, feel, or perceive this energy exchange in some clear way, you simply don’t know what’s happening in order to evaluate the situation objectively. You only have your feelings based on biases, self-identity, etc.

  • This is one of the best articles ever written. Hits home. I must say that I have many energy vampires in my life. And, as I read this, I see where I have been one myself. I do not want to be an energy vampire. For the most part, I am very centered and content in my life/body. I have little worry and and financially stable and in excellent health. I have found that I overdo helping people and get tired. I sometimes say “yes” when I really want to say “no.” Some of the people I help seem to always need help. When I see them making progress, I praise them…because I really see progress in their helping themselves. But then, shit happens (or perhaps self-sabbotage) and they need more help. I was in a LTR with a man who I later figured out was a Covert (introverted) Narcissist. I could not figure out what tired me out so much. It was a subtle degradation over years! I am saving this article and may order your book. THANK YOU!

    • From a shadow perspective, your helping is likely a form of enabling (and in that way, vampirism). The Martyr is one of the most elusive and powerful energy vampires.

      A lot of times we feel more capable because we project our incapable parts unto those around us. Then, we help them.

      If you see everyone around you as strong, capable, autonomous, free-thinking people, the drive to help others will likely be reduced.

      The more you help others because they are incapable, the more you reinforce this dynamic and the more it continues.

      • I get that. I see that. I will work on seeing everyone around me as strong, capable, autonomous, and free thinking. My brain knows that they are…but I am working to change this habit. Thank you for your straight forward honesty. I really appreciate it.

        • Actually, the main thing is to hear the voice of your shadow that seems them as weak, incapable, dependent, and small-minded. That’s the source of the problem. Otherwise, you get stuck in “positive thinking” which only reinforces the shadow.

  • This is the most wisedom-loaded webpage I’ve found since 2012. And very well constructed and logical too. I’ve already shared the URL with many of my teachers (and students!)

  • Hi Scott,

    This is really a great website and am loving most of the resources here, but on this one, its veered to far down the deep end to be of much practical use.

    Kind of like one new-age theory that all is one, and bad and good does not really exist.. saying we are all energy sucking vampires regardless of our intentions isn’t a very useful mental model, at-least for me.

    Framing all human interactions as selfish dishonest stealing (unless of-course you’ve done shadow work) kind of obscures and hides the real energy vampirism that goes on.

    EVERYTHING in existence is energy, and the nature of energy is to flow. There is no scarcity of energy, you don’t need to lock your energy away in some safety deposit box. Let it flow, the good energy that is.

    And avoid using terms like “stealing”. That does not come from a place of neutrality, it comes from a place of fear and scarcity, a form of negative energy.

    I guess my overall point is that everything in existence cannot help but flow with energy, whether it is living or lifeless, conscious or unconscious. Being is not stealing.

    • Hi,

      Well, tens of thousands of people will disagree with you.

      This article is part of a series on the shadow. It’s the most specific, and so it’s the most uprooting.

      The purpose of this article is to highlight a dynamic that unfolds within the unconscious that most of us are not aware of.

      No one is framing all human interactions as “selfish dishonest stealing”.

      You say there is no scarcity of energy, and speak in “universal” terminology. This is how the shadow stays in the shadows. Billions of people drink coffee and tea as a religion each day because of the inherent fatigue within them. Are you certain people aren’t experiencing a scarcity of energy?

      “Stealing” isn’t neutral, nor is anything in the psyche neutral.

      Just to summarize, what you’re really saying is, this psychic phenomenon makes you uncomfortable, so you’d rather read about pleasantries like universal love, life, and the abundance of energy. That’s fine. There’s plenty of that on the internet. My goal is here to inform those that are ready to become conscious of dynamics that most of us were never taught about.

      And now having read your other comments, I can say that you’re mainly behaving like a parasitic troll on this article. Instead of reflecting more deeply on what’s presented here and see how it may apply to you, you’ve wasted everyone’s time by making comments throughout this post that aren’t relevant. That’s an ego defense mechanism design to ensure that you learn nothing about yourself.

      Naturally, you didn’t use your real name or a valid email address, because that would assume you are accountable for your actions.

  • Scott, this is super powerful, thank you soooo much!
    I am a journalist and feel very much dependent on people I interview, their life experiences and stories. I get rejuvenated after conversations with them (or pretty much any conversation) and was wondering if I can manage at all without them. Damn, that is quite a revelation that I am an energy vampire.
    Meanwhile, I’ve done a lot of spiritual work, after which I felt depleted. Right now I am finishing a course on inner resource, and funnily enough, I get very tired after listening to my teacher and interacting with her. It is very sobering to read how I consented to give away my light and can actually claim it back.
    Thanks again for your article, Scott, and all the links provided! Empowering reading!

    • Thanks for your comments, Yuliya.

      I just recently did substantial revisions to this guide, but your comments bring up an important point that I didn’t address.

      “Meanwhile, I’ve done a lot of spiritual work, after which I felt depleted.”

      That’s a great observation. Inner work can be energy-draining for several reasons:

      First, there are a lot of internal battles and this psychic tension can be exhausting as we bring it to consciousness.

      Second, in building consciousness, we often realize how energetically depleted we really are. That is, when we’re possessed by various archetypes we feel fine and energized. But as soon as we begin moving toward ourselves, we realize how depleted and empty we feel “below the surface.”

      I suspect that subconsciously, this is another reason why many people avoid examining their inner terrain more closely.

  • Hi Scott,
    Having analyzed this topic for myself (intrapersonal and interpersonal level ) I had some questions around it.

    I have wondered if the books by Robert Greene around, Power, Seduction and other books around “The Art of Persuasion” or “The Science of Likeability” in a way relating to the subject matter of this topic.

    Such books are bestsellers and in a way even “Survival Guides” for today’s world. I have to admit the books are fairly interesting reads. Do you see a connection here. If such books are read purely for surviving/thriving in today’s society could they amplify/accentuate archetypal behavior in the scope of “vampirism”. I am perceiving this as a form of civilized vampirism in an effort to survive or even thrive within the environment we live in.

    My next consequential question (if you thought what I said had any merit) is will inner work flatten the impulse to stay actively engaged in worldly activities if we view ourselves as “energy stealers” and leave it as a level of “realizing and feeling bad (ashamed) about ourselves”?

    In realizing, can we presumably ”redirect” the energy around such behavior (that to me arises from some energy within each of us). As in an act of internal transmutation/transformation. Where the energy can be converted into a form that is more useful within an individual (say creative).

    Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you again for your time and consideration.

    • Hi Roopa,

      To adequately answer your first question, we would have to go into the occult nature and meaning of money and transactions, which I won’t cover here.

      As for your second question, as you move inward, you’re drawing energy out of the external world and directing it within oneself. In this process, there’s often a kind of withdrawal from the world that takes place. The striving for things like money, wealth, achievement, power, and luxury certainly falls away (as the energy of desire gets contained). However, you still have your basic needs to attend to. So unless you are prepared to leave the “civilized world” completely or are financially set for the remainder of your body’s lifespan, working in the world continues.

      I will add that there are stories of ancient Taoist adepts who did leave the world entirely, retreating into the mountains to continue self-cultivation. They even learned how to stop eating to no longer be reliant on the social order.

      • Thanks, Scott. While I don’t know too much about occult nature of life…for myself, I consider “vampirism” (which to me is a person who is fully immersed in their own self-interest at the expense of others” (either unconsciously or deliberately). This is something any one of us is capable of living out (depending on the conditions). In becoming aware of our inner scarcity we can embark on a journey of development. I have to agree that desire as an outward moving (pleasure seeking instinct) gets contained by the developmental process. I don’t think that necessitates withdrawal from the world because depending on our individual life situation, our responsibilities and life goes on. However, I do seem to have the experience that the “containment of desire generates a force (which for me seems creative)” to continue the process of inner work that is demanding. Because, it is so personal for me I cannot generalize it as everyone’s experience but I do think that a shift occurs within the individual (beneficial) as a consequence of navigating their base-level vampiric nature. I am no specialist or expert in this, I am just explaining what seems to happening for me as a consequence of inner work, and using myself as the subject of study.

  • Just to clarify, when I say “navigate base-level vampiric nature” I mean…see it clearly for its limitations and go beyond its nature (as part of development). As an “transcend and include” function.

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