Many Pagans, and especially witches and those who practice witchcraft, are familiar with energy work. Some doctors and psychologists are now trying to better understand interpersonal energy, particularly in the context of energy vampires, their behavior, and the consequences of interacting with them.
The term “energy vampire” is not a clinical or scientific term, but it is often used in popular culture to describe people who drain others emotionally, psychologically, or energetically. These individuals are believed to feed off the emotional energy of others, leaving them emotionally drained, drained, or negative after interacting with this type of vampire.
The subject is not new. Psychology has studied the effects of interpersonal behavior on concepts such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and burnout for decades. Self-esteem refers to an individual’s overall subjective assessment of their own worth and feelings about themselves. It encompasses beliefs about oneself, as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. Self-esteem can involve various dimensions, including competence, achievements, social skills, appearance, etc.
Self-efficacy is a related concept in psychology. It is an individual’s belief in his or her own ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a particular task. It is a person’s confidence in his or her ability to organize and execute the actions necessary to achieve a desired outcome. Self-efficacy beliefs influence the way people think, feel, and behave in various situations.
Original Nosferatu poster by Albin Grau 1921
Burnout usually occurs in the workplace and has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by feelings of exhaustion, detachment, reduced professional effectiveness, and a sense of ineffectiveness that includes a lack of accomplishment. Burnout is often experienced by people who work in demanding and emotional situations and professions. Its consequences can be serious.
Depression and burnout share similarities, such as feelings of exhaustion and a sense of hopelessness, but they are distinct conditions with different causes, symptoms and treatments. Depression can be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. It can occur due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, traumatic life events, chronic stress, or a family history of depression. Burnout shares symptoms of exhaustion and hopelessness, but is usually contextual to the source of stress and the situation such as the workplace.
Editorial note: If you or someone you love is suffering from depression or burnout, there is help. Here are some resources below:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: This helpline can answer questions about mental health, treatment and local support groups. Staff members are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: 1-(800)-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 741741.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA’s helpline offers 24/7 assistance in English and Spanish for treatment guidance and support. You can call anytime you have questions about depression or substance use disorders.: 1-(800)-662-HELP (4357).
MentalHealth.gov: This website provides information about mental health disorders and available treatments.
National Institute of Mental Health: This site provides open access, research-based information on mental health.
So, what do we know about the energy vampire? Write for Psychology todayy. Tchiki Davis, Ph.D., founder and CEO of the Berkeley Well-Being Institute, wrote that energy vampires are best thought of as “people who take more energy from you instead of sharing it or giving it back.”
Davis added: “Energy vampires are people who tend to prey on highly sensitive, empathetic and happy people and feed off their kindness and compassion until they leave them drained of energy. . » However, they are generally unaware of their predatory energy behaviors.
Extensive research on energy vampires is mixed and mostly concerns self-help.
One source is controversial physician Christiane Northrup, MD. She is a former doctor of obstetrics and gynecology. She is a strong advocate for alternative and intuitive medicine and mind-body healing, while also having opinions on certain medical topics, including vaccinations and COVID, which have attracted significant criticism from the community medical. Northup advised self-awareness as a defense against energy vampires and also advised on stress management.
Other peer-reviewed research has suggested that narcissism may be strongly conjoined with energy vampires. Narcissism describes a personality trait or mental disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of exaggerated self-importance, a need for excessive attention and admiration, and a lack of empathy toward others. People with narcissistic traits often have a grandiose sense of their importance, believe themselves to be special and unique, and require excessive admiration from others. They often have a sense of entitlement and lack empathy for the needs and feelings of others.
“History of vampires and evil specters: with an examination of vampirism” edited by Masson, Paris 1820 – Collin de Plancy
However, the behaviors exercised by energy vampires are very damaging. They often have little awareness of how their actions affect others. But energy vampires share a lack of responsibility for their behavior, they disparage their accomplishments or even their targets, they enjoy being the center of attention and drama and, unsurprisingly, their conversations revolve around them.
To achieve their goals, energy vampires are manipulative and equally comfortable with intimidation and the need to take action to achieve their energetic goals.
So how are the behaviors of energy vampires neutralized? Conservation of Resources (COR) theory offers an answer. COR theory is based on the fundamental principle that people are motivated to preserve and develop their resources. This is where the limits seem important.
Clear, obvious, and reinforced emotional and behavioral boundaries frustrate narcissists and energy vampires alike. The first of these limits is to limit your availability. Davis notes, “We may not be able to (or even want to) exclude these people from our lives, so if you feel comfortable having a conversation about their actions and how they impact your well -be emotional, it might be worth talking about. It’s out.”
Like all energy work, positivity attracts energy vampires to a person. But whether through circles, rituals, affirmations, conversations, and/or simply remotely, we can create effective boundaries that signal to energy vampires that sucking up positivity will require more effort than it’s worth. penalty. Energy vampires are aware of this and hate this possibility because they cannot feast on what you will not offer them or which is too difficult to obtain.
