Psychic Vampires: Protection from Energy Predators & Parasites

Given the catchy title, some might think Psychic Vampires is a tongue-in-cheek book about all the annoying friends and family members who drain our energy. But Joe H. Slate, an academic researcher and practicing psychologist, has written an earnest discussion on a lesser-known form of vampirism: predators who feed off human energy rather than blood. Every psychic-vampire attack "consumes its victim's energy and over the long haul destroys the energy system itself," he writes. Victims of repeated vampire attacks may experience "chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances ... excessive anxiety, sexual indifference, and impaired memory." Much of Slate's book speaks to warding off these toxic energy attacks. (These psychic attacks take many forms: one-on-one conversations, a touch on the shoulder, or even a long-distance thought assault.) The best defense is a "strong internal system," claims Slate, who suggests numerous exercises and tools for boosting personal energy. Despite the havoc they wreak, most of Slate's vampires are not portrayed as evil life suckers, but rather people caught in a debilitating cycle of energy addiction. --Gail Hudson