We all have those friends, family members, and coworkers who seem to suck the atmosphere out of a room and drag everybody down. Why do some people seem to be such an energy drain?
Psychic vampires are people who emotionally drain the energy out of other people around them. Psychic vampires attacks can intentional, or it can be a metaphor for a bad friend who is always taking more from a relationship than they give.
In some cases it can be totally unintentional. They might be dealing with depression or other personal issues.
But some people actively drain the energy out of their victims on purpose.
Both can be classified as psychic vampires.
A psychic vampire is a pretty vague term that can include a normal person who is just in a bad mood, all the way up to people intentionally trying to steal your life force energy.
It doesn’t matter which one you’re dealing with. The process is pretty much the same.
In this article I’ll outline exactly what a psychic vampire is, the different kinds of psychic vampires, how to identify them, and how to shield or protect yourself against them.
What Is A Psychic Vampire?
A psychic vampire (sometimes shortened to psy vamp) is a person who emotionally drains other people around them.
This can be a literal psychic attack. In this case, your life force is actually being drained from you. In some ways, they are similar to the blood-sucking vampires described in folklore. Although the attack can be more subtle, and you might not even know you’re being targeted.
Or on the other hand, a psychic vampire can just be metaphorical. For example, if you have a friend who is a “user.” They take emotionally from you, but never seem to give back when you need help too.
Believe it or not, we’ve all unknowingly been a psychic vampire at one time in our past.
Every time you engage in drama, upset someone, or rely on them for advice and support, you’re stealing energy from them.
Most long-term psychic vampires aren’t even aware of what they’re doing. They’re often individuals who are emotionally immature, very self-interested, and lacking empathy. They form self-serving relationships.
Psychic vampires aren’t mystical creatures, they’re everyday people. Do you have a person in your life who demands a huge proportion of your time and energy?
They complain and moan, but nothing we can say seems to help with their negative state of mind. A psychic vampire always has some problem in their life, and always blames everyone except themselves for the situation they’re in.
Often they leave you feeling drained every time you engage with them.
This is the opposite of people in a healthy relationship where a balanced and fair exchange of energy occurs.
Why Do People Become Psychic Vampires?
Psychic vampires need the energy they get from us paying attention to them.
Ideally, people make a transition between childhood and becoming an adult. From being a child and having other people take care of them, to an adult who takes care of themselves.
But a number of things can go wrong along that path and lead to people never properly maturing. Those people end up as adults who need to look outside of themselves to have all of their needs met.
They use any means necessary to get the energy and attention needed to meet their needs. That can include lying, cheating, charming, guilting, anger, playing the victim, desperation, pleas of help, and more. They’ll do pretty much whatever is needed to get attention, because it feeds them.
They haven’t learned to take care of their own needs, be responsible for their own actions, or take basic care of themselves. They can only get those things from other people.
If you find yourself feeling like you’re being attacked by a psychic vampire, part of that responsibility is on you as well. Part of becoming an adult is learning to set healthy boundaries. If you aren’t able to do this, you become a doormat and give in to people’s every demand and drama.
Unfortunately, a psychic vampire is really good at seeking out the people who will give them the most attention. If you’re a compassionate, empathetic, generous, and kind person, you’ll draw psychic vampires to you like a magnet.
If you have these traits, you might already have multiple psychic vampires attached to you. I know it can be hard to cut these people off because of your compassionate nature and desire to help.
Sadly, no amount of compassion will help these people. They need to figure things out for themselves. Any attempt to help will find you running in circles and draining yourself.
Energy vampires are very manipulative and will guilt trip you or try to make you feel sorry for them when you start to withdraw your help.
But it’s time to make a stand and get your energy back.
How To Recognize If You’re Being Attacked By A Psychic Vampire
If you have many of the following traits after spending time around a specific person, they might be a psychic vampire:
- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- Feelings of confusion
- Loss of energy
- Dizziness
- Chronic fatigue
- Feeling depressed
- Trouble sleeping
- Physical illness
- Decreased self-esteem
- Questioning your own feelings, choices, and behaviors
- Wanting to binge eat carbs or comfort food
How To Recognize A Psychic Vampire
There are some basic characteristics that psychic vampires tend to show.
Always fatigued or low-energy
Psy vamps always seem like they haven’t got enough sleep or are hung-over.
Not many friends
A psychic vampire isn’t someone that most people want to be around. As a result, they cut off a lot of people in their lives over time through their negativity draining people. No one wants to hang out all the time with a debbie downer.
Needs constant reassurance
They always talk negatively about themselves and need you to tell them that they actually are pretty, smart, funny, or whatever. They constantly seek nurturing.
Never feels satisfied
A psychic vampire is never happy, no matter how much you tell them what they want or need to hear. You can give them the perfect plan to fix their situation, but they’ll never carry through on it, and always look for something more, faster, or easier.
Feels abandoned or rejected
Sometimes an energy vampire has been legitimately rejected or abandoned by a loved one in their past. Or sometimes this feeling of being slighted is all in their head.
Narcissistic
Some psychic vampires are actually the opposite of needing reassurance. They might always feel entitled or have a sense of self-importance. They can lack empathy as well. This type of psychic vampire is normally a partner who becomes cold or withholds affection if you don’t do things their way.
They play victims
A psychic vampire might see themselves as a victim and always see the world as being against them. They complain about problems but never try any of the suggestions you make. They might say that no one cares about them, no one appreciates the things they do, etc.
They’re drama queens
You might know someone who exaggerates every small problem into a huge thing. Being late for something is the end of the world. A guy they went on a date with hasn’t texted them back and it’s been 6 hours. They inflate small issues into big ones.
Your relationship is one-sided
Take a moment to think seriously if your relation really benefits both people. Whether it’s a friendship or something romantic. Was that person there for you the last time you needed help? Or did they try to make the situation about themselves when you explained it? An energy vampire craves one-sided friendships and relationships.
How To Protect Yourself From A Psychic Vampire
In an ideal scenario, you’d simply sever all contact with someone you identify as a psychic vampire. But it’s not that easy.
In many cases, these people are co-workers, bosses, or family members that we can’t avoid spending time with. They might also be people we love and care about for their positive aspects, despite this negative trait.
Sometimes people might just be going through a temporarily rough time and need our support as well.
In these cases, we need to learn to deal with these people without being completely emotionally drained afterward. That way, you’ll be able to help them out but still have enough energy left over for your needs.
Limit contact with the psychic vampires in your life
This one should be obvious, but try to limit the time you spend with psychic vampires as much as possible.
This might mean limiting a needy friend to one meetup or phone call per week.
It can be good to have a set cutoff time for the interaction as well. For example, have another activity or meeting that you can’t be late for, so you won’t get sucked into spending extra hours with them.
Practice Self Care
After you spend time with a psychic vampire, you need to take some time to recover your energy.
Plan a relaxing activity after your meeting with a draining person. For example, take some time to take a bath, read, or veg out and watch some TV.
Pick Activities With A Psychic Vampire Carefully
There are activities you can do with an energy vampire that are a better choice than others.
Staying at home with a bottle of wine isn’t the greatest choice, that’s a psychic vampire’s ideal scenario. You’ll be completely at their mercy.
Instead choose activities like rock climbing or mini-golf where your attention will be partially on other things. Or do a group activity.
Protect Your Energy
Set a limit for how much energy you’re willing to share before meeting up with a psychic vampire.
I know this is a bit of a weird thing to consider. “Okay, I’ll give 39% of my energy today!” It’s a more intuitive thing than that.
You can also actively protect yourself but visualize yourself being surrounded by a force-field. This can be a ball of protective light that shields you from their negative words and actions from affecting you.
Value Your Time and Energy
Psychic vampires can target people who don’t value themselves or their time as highly as they should be. Be clear with yourself about your own value and worth.
Think about all the hopes, dreams, and goals you need your energy for. Whether it’s hobbies or other projects.
Don’t think you’re being selfish by not giving more energy. Helping a psychic vampire too much prevents them from learning the basics of taking care of themselves.
Stay Healthy
Do exercise that you enjoy like walking, biking, yoga, or dancing. Eat a healthy and balanced diet with plenty of fresh vegetables. Staying healthy will make sure that you have as much energy as you can.
Make Sure You’re Not Becoming an Energy Vampire Yourself!
Emotions and moods can be contagious. After being with a psychic vampire, you can feel cranky and negative.
Take care not to become an energy vampire yourself. For example, coming home and snapping or complaining to a spouse or roommate. Take some time for yourself before talking to anyone else first, if needed.
Don’t Take It Personally
Don’t take actions and words of a psychic vampire to heart. Take a deep breath and just let go of it.
Try to keep the conversation light and change the topic if things get too dark or tense.
If they say something that you consider unacceptable, don’t let them get away with it just because they’re in a bad mood either. Remind yourself why this person is worth having in your life, but also know that you’re allowed to walk away if things become too much.
Non-Human Energy Vampires
Psychic vampires don’t have to just be living people. They can be situations or objects in your life that drain your energy too.
For example:
- Television, Youtube or Netflix
- Pornography
- Facebook (although it’s usually your friends on it)
- The Internet in general
- Cell phones
- Busy public places (airports, parties, shopping malls)
Don’t be afraid to use the same tips above for protecting yourself from human psychic vampires as non-human ones.
Conclusion
Everybody has a psychic vampire in their life. It’s someone that always leaves you feeling emotionally and physically drained after you spend time with them.
Some might be doing it on purpose. But the vast majority of psychic vampires are totally unaware and have no intention of hurting anyone.
Now you should have a solid idea of what a psychic vampire is.
You should also be able to recognize the ones in your own life. And you’ve learned some ways to protect yourself against them and conserve your energy.
Don’t be afraid to stand up to an energy vampire and use the tips I’ve talked about here. You deserve to have energy left over to accomplish your own goals and dreams.