Cats are extremely sensitive to the energy around them, and, because of the deep bond between cat and human, they sometimes even take on their person’s problems. Due to the shared energy in such a close relationship, energetic imbalances are shared as well. Sensitivity to energy varies among people, but we’re all affected by it, whether we’re aware of it or not.
Have you ever felt completely drained after spending time with someone? Have you ever had an unpleasant exchange with someone, and just couldn’t seem to let go of the residual bad feelings? You’ve just encountered an energy vampire. They’re the complainers, nay-sayers, passive-aggressives, and doomsday predicters in your life. Like vampires, they feed off the life force of others around them, and they would love nothing better than to turn you into one of them. Misery loves company.
I’ve found that these energy vampires don’t just exist in real life, you can also run into them online. They’re the Facebook friends whose status updates are always filled with the latest bad news. They’re the pessimists who will counter everything positive you say with a “but.” They’re the ones who leave passive-aggressive comments on your status updates. They’re genereally people who see themselves as victims.
How do you protect yourself from these energy drainers? It helps to first understand that when you feel drained after an exchange, it’s because you’ve allowed the other person too far into your own energy field. You’ve given away your power, and you may have even taken on some of their negative energy in the process. Signs of giving up your energy to others include:
- Your mind is on them a lot, even when you’re not with them.
- You’re stuck in the past, rehashing a past occurrence.
- You’re depressed, anxious, tense or frustrated after spending time with them.
Dealing with these energy vampires can be challenging, but there are things you can do to shield yourself from the damaging effects.
- Make a conscious choice to not give away your energy. Visualize your own energy field, which typically extends about an arm’s length from your body. When someone comes closer to you than that without being invited, you’ll often feel like they’re invading your space. And they’re not just encroaching on your physical space, they’re also getting into your energy field.
- Ground your energy. Visualize a cord extending from the bottom of your feet into the center of the earth.
- Protect your energy field. Visualize an energy bubble around yourself that cannot be penetrated.
- Change the topic. Energy vampires tend to favor topics that perpetuate their victim mentality.
If you’ve come away from one of these exchanges drained and frustrated, this brief meditation/visualization can help you rebalance your energy field:
- Ground yourself.
- Briefly recall the interaction or person. Don’t get stuck in rehashing it in your mind, just get to the essence of what it made you feel like.
- Ask yourself whether you are willing to release the emotions that came up. If the answer is yes, continue. If you feel resistance to releasing, be gentle with yourself. Take deep breaths, and allow the resistance to dissolve slowly.
- Take a deep breath, and on the outbreath, consciously release the negative energy.
Ultimately, you may need to make the decision to limit contact with these negative people as much as you can, or discontinue the relationship altogether.
By protetcing your own energy, you will feel lighter and more centered. And your cats will thank you, too, because it’s hard work for a cat to take on her human’s negative energy!
How do you deal with the energy vampires in your life?
Photo ©Ingrid King
Hi! Not sure if these chats are still working. Very helpful all of the comments, but please I would like to know how to protect our cat from absorbing bad energies and getting sick because of energies that we bring into our home or everyday problems that may arise. I had a cat that loved very much that got sick and dyed after a financial hardship that we went through. Thant you!!!!
I’m sorry about your kitty, Jackie. I had a cat who got very sick when I was going through my divorce twenty years ago, and I know he was taking on the stress I was feeling. Thankfully, he recovered. The best way to protect your cats from negative energy is to try and maintain as positive an outlook as you can. I know that’s easier said than done when faced with hardships, but it’s also a good lesson from our cats: rather than spending time worrying about the future, they teach us to live in the moment.
Hi there,
This post is almost two years old, so I don’t know if you’ll see this response, but I hope so. I had the amazing experience last month of being `treated’ by a cat after a bone break. Our lovely little tortie came in and checked me out when I returned from the ER, and seemed very concerned, compassionate. She laid down on my injured leg (not on the break) and looked at my son as if to say, “I’ve got this now.” She spent the next week on my bed seeming to give me active `purr treatment’. ; I don’t know how she did it, but she was never not there when I was awake. The following week I woke one night in pain, and she was in another room. When I moved, I heard her feet hit the floor and she came trotting in like she was punching a time clock. She popped up on my chest, and purred like crazy. When I started to sit up to do something different, she gently but definitely pressed me down with a paw. As long as I stayed focused on her, the pain went away, and I went to sleep. She racked out and slept hard beside me.
I was so amazed by this experience that I went looking for insights into this, and that’s when I found your website.
I also got curious about cats and energy in general, and have read that they are normalizers of negative energy–it’s not just physical pain that they respond to.
I was thinking about people who drain energy from those around them (unfortunately, I know some well), and realizing that the ones I know have a very active dislike of cats. I wonder if there’s a connection there. It stands to reason that there would be.
I love the purr treatment you got from your tortie, Kathleen. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but research has actually shown that the frequency of a cat’s purr is the same frequency that heals muscles, tendons and bones: https://ingridking.com/2009/09/14/the-cats-purr-a-biomechanical-healing-mechanism/
I wouldn’t be surprised if energy vampires in general actively dislike cats. I’m pretty sure cats don’t like energy vampires!
Is it possible to have a cat that is an energy vampire? All that sucking up to you…all that wanting to be on your lap , all that craving attention.
I suppose it’s possible, Hannah, although I would actually consider sucking up, wanting to be on my lap and craving attention something positive when it comes from a cat! 🙂
i first remember becoming aware of the energy vampires (or what I call the “life suckers”) after watching the Jim Henson movie “The Dark Crystal” where the evil skexis would drain the life essence out of the happy little peasants in the village to make themselves feel “younger” for a few moments. Since seeing that incredibly important life lesson played out in that film, it’s been a focus of mine….whenever I feel that life-suckin’ pull, I make a huge effort NOT to look at the dark crystal!! [=
I don’t know how I missed this comment, Cindy – what a great image to use to not get sucked in by energy vampires!
Living with chronic pain and fatigue, I *must* avoid energy vampires. I learned how to avoid them at early on in life – though I didn’t know that was what I was doing.
If you’ve ever had an overly clingy friend or neighbor (I’ve lived in an apartment the last 10 yrs) that you know will never result in any kind of healthy friendship at all? Then you’ve met an energy vampire.
I’ve had to rebuke a few people in my life like this. Being one of those people other people tend to gravitate to when they need advice or help, I had to learn to protect myself! It’s hard to dis-associate from such people, especially when they may be family or a co-worker you can’t avoid. In fact, I had to quit a job because of a particularly nasty energy vampire.
It boils down to your health. If someone in your life is draining your energy and making you sick(er) then you have to go out of your way to avoid them!
When you can’t avoid such people, I’ve been told imagining a mirror “shield” around yourself, like an aura, can help. Reflect all the negative energy away from yourself.
It sounds like you’ve become very good at taking care of your energy needs, Shannon. You’re absolutely right, it does come down to taking care of your health.
What a timely post! I have lately been wondering why I continue to be friends with a “vampire”; now I have a name for my ill feelings I can work on dealing with it (him). Thank you!
I hope it works out for you, Trish!
Great topic, and great responses. I have a couple of things to add. One is the importance of cleansing rituals. In addition to the essential mindfulness and grounding components described by the author, I would augment that with chakra work, cryatals, being around nature or even houseplants, and physical cleaning: Take a shower, or wash your hands and face. Include a beer rinse in the shower, an ancient remedy for removing curses. Cleanse the physical space where the person was – soap n’ water, sage, salt, energized floor wash…I also think that grounding oneself in some basic psychological theory can be useful. Instead of viewing the vampire as a villain, remember that there is a need there. A desperation to be joined in their pain. Making you miserable is an attempt at survival for them. They are still dangerous, and still responsible for their actions. But for me, seeing their energy sucking as a survival mechanism helps me keep perspective. I am not the victim; I am, in the vampire’s eyes, a potential source of survival and comfort. Setting very firm, clear boundaries is just as healthy for them as it is for us.
Gina, thank you for all those suggestions! Cleansing rituals are a great way to get rid of negative energy. I’ve found that even something as simple as vacuuming the house and opening the windows can do the trick.
Great info! However, I would probably cry at the waste of good beer <;-)
And yes I have known a number of energy vampires ("oh Ace I feel so good when i'm with you!" – meanwhile Ace is going "OMG what just happened here?") — and they all seem to go blithely on their way – smiling faces who have NO idea that they just "sucker-punched" someone in the solar plexus.
Energy vampires tend to be oblivious to the effect they have on others, Ace.
And growing up among them it’s a challenge to unlearn the trait of giving in. Poor Cookie, and Kublai before her, absorbing those encounters all those years, but they supported me in my decisions (Why do you let yourself be unhappy, mom? Just walk away.). Avoid them if possible, if not put up that shield, and never, ever let them in your space. I’m not even concerned if they may be a potential customer–vampires are lousy customers.
Bernadette, I’ve had that experience once or twice: I wouldn’t take on a new client because the energy just didn’t feel right.
Ingrid, this is sound advice. When I used to do more hands-on healing, I had to learn techniques for protection the hard way: from a psychic attack. The thing with energy vampires, they aren’t always conscious of what they’re doing. I routinely cut energetic cords every day and find meditation helpful in building a strong energy field. Animals naturally have a strong protective shield and how protect themselves and try to protect us.
Layla, I actually think energy vampires are rarely conscious of what they’re doing. I think that’s different with a psychic attack. I’ve thankfully never had to deal with that.
HI Ingrid! I popped over from the BlogHop, I need to get here more often! I love this post. Your tips are purrfect for me!
i try to stay away from negativity when possible; when it is not possible I try to remember we are all just doing the best we can. I Find gratitude that I do not live in a negative space regularly, and then I try to think positive thoughts for the vampire. If I can help them I do, If I cannot, I ask mother nature to step in as I walk away :<) Sometimes their negativity lingers, your steps will be a great way to evaporate the vampire shade.
oxox
have a pawesome week, see you soon.
Lisa (Madi and Abi)
Good to see you here, Lisa! I like your approach of trying to find something positive about the vampire.
Great article! I have been telling people about energy vampires for years! I had the very unpleasant experience of having one live with me (my brother) and the negative energy hung over and filled the house – it got so that I hated to come home. Unfortunately, energy vampires can be relative:(
It’s really challenging when the energy vampire is a relative, Dee. If you still feel the energy lingering, you can use some of these techniques to clear your space, too.
Thank you, Ingrid, for reminding us that there are things we can do to protect our energy. You are so amazing to share with us every day.
Thanks, Patty! I love doing it, and it’s always nice to hear that it’s well received!
I’m amazed at your insight Ingrid…or let’s say your insight into MY life…two weeks in a row and I feel that you’ve spoken directly to me.
Keep up the AMAZING work!!
♥toni
I’m so glad this article spoke to you, Toni. Thank you for your kind words.
Great post…. I’m gonna protect my energy… that’s for sure.
pawhugs, Max
Glad you enjoyed it, Max.