Negative energy can come from the living and the
dead. Over my lifetime, I’ve met my share of narcissistic and sociopathic personalities.
So have you, but you may not have known what you were dealing with. I call
these people “Emotional Vampires” because they are capable of sucking the very
life from you. Emotional Vampires can be found in all kinds of habitats; work,
home and even at church.
They don’t survive on blood, nope. If they were simply
blood suckers, we would only need a sharp, pointed stake and holy
water to rid ourselves of them. Emotional Vampires come in many guises:
spouses, friends, bosses and sadly even our children.
How
to know if you’re dealing with an Emotional Vampire
1. You
feel the need to protect your personal space.
2. You
feel emotionally and physically drained just spending a small amount of time
with this person.
3. Your
happy mood changed to anxious and depressed after spending time with this
person.
4. You
begin doubting yourself as worthwhile after being in the presence of this
vampire.
We all know someone like this. If it’s someone that
we only see occasionally, we can protect ourselves by limiting time spent with
this beastie, but what if we can’t escape? What if they live with us? You need
to know how to protect yourself.
Types
of Emotional Vampires
Hell, yeah! Emotional Vampires can fit into several categories:
Narcissist:
Me, me, me. It’s all about me. These vampires lack empathy and emotional growth
and if you don’t or can’t do things their way, they become cold, distant and
punishing. I bet you’re wondering how to handle this Ass wipe.
You can smack the shit out of them, but that might
get you in trouble with the law. You need to remember to keep your expectations
realistic. They will never change, so you need to change how you deal with
them. Picture yourself in a room with a rattlesnake. If you don’t enter the
snake’s territory, it doesn’t feel threatened and won’t strike. Talk to these
people like you would to the snake. Tell them nothing that they can use against
you. Never make your self-worth dependent on them. You have to trick them into
doing something for you by letting them think it will benefit them. While the
snake is valuable because it eats rodents that carry diseases, there is nothing
valuable about a narcissist.
The
Victim: The world is always against them. It’s never their
fault. When you offer a solution to their sorry lives, they come up with
thousands of reasons why they would still be the victim. With this vampire, you
need to set limits. Listen briefly, then say, “Unless you are willing to
change, there is nothing I can do,” then change the subject or walk
away...quickly.
The Controller: It’s my way or the highway! We’ve
all met this control freak. Nothing you do is right, if you don’t do it their way.
They will pick at your self-worth until you are unable to trust your decisions.
I put this vampire on the same level as the narcissist, but more dangerous. Be
assertive, be confident. Tell them, “Thank you for your advice, but I have
this.” Stick to your guns.
The
Splitter: This is the ‘Dracula’ of emotional vampires. They
are paranoid and may possibly suffer from borderline personality disorders. My
siblings and I dealt with this type of personality when dealing with our
mother. They try to pit people against each other and will attack if you don’t
agree with them. My mother didn’t know she was sick. We didn’t know either as
children, but as adults we began to see the signs. How do you protect yourself
from this vampire? Don’t let them push your buttons. Don’t take sides. Walk
away when their anger rears its ugly head.
I
saved the least known emotional vampire for last. There are spirits out there,
living in the space between life and death, that can attach themselves to you. These
ghosts can literally drain the joy from your very core.
Psychic Vampire: Another name for this creature is ‘Energy
Vampire’. When I go on ghost
investigations, I make sure to surround myself with spiritual armor. Being an
Empath opens me to feeling the emotions of the living and the dead. For the
most part, this is helpful in understanding the spirit world and, for knowing
when my friends need a hug or an encouraging word. I use my protective armor
when I also do spiritual readings for people, but I also make sure to say a prayer
after each reading and to cut the cord between the people that I did the
reading for. Sometimes, I encounter an energy vampire that I’m not aware of it.
This happened recently when I was at a large convention. This past week, I wasn’t
myself. I felt drained, angry and unsettled. Where did this come from? Then I
remembered.
I had met a psychic at a recent convention who happened
to mention that he had many spirits living in his home. Some of those spirits
were harmful. I thought I’d sensed a spirit with this man, but I wasn’t sure. I
said my prayers, but maybe I hadn’t realized how persistent this spirit was.
Now that I’ve identified the cause of my stress, I’ve sent the spirit away with
prayers and good intentions to protect me and my home.
Conclusion
Sometimes, we can limit our encounters with people
who go out of their way to make our lives miserable. Sometimes, we can’t; they’re
family. You can survive these people if you know how to use their tricks
against them. Think of this survival mode as mental Aikido or spiritual Kung Fu. It took me a long
time to understand the emotional vampire and to avoid them. Be strong and know
that you can overcome negativity.
