You feel drained when you are around them, they seem to suck the life energy right out of you. They may be friends , coworkers or even family members. The person standing next to you in the grocery line today may be a psychic vampire feeding from the energy of your life force. Learn how to protect yourself from these energy stealing menaces.

Like the vampires of legend, spiritual or psychic vampires can take many forms. The often appear in your life during times of crisis or vulnerability. They take advantage of your weaknesses and prey upon your trusting nature. Psychic vampires feed off of the energy of your aura.

All of us have bad days. We all have times in our lives when we feel melancholy or down. For the most part these are temporary occurrences and we get on with our lives. It sometimes happens that during these "down" periods we may inadvertently drain some life energy from those around us. This does not mean that we are all life energy vampires.

Psychic vampirism should not to be confused with melancholy or depression. A psychic vampire is someone who knowingly taps into the life and thought energy of others for their own gain.

How do you spot a psychic vampire? Unlike the Dracula movies that most of us are familiar with. Psychic vampires can't be spotted by not casting a reflection in a mirror. And they usually don't run around in scary capes, turn into bats and fly off to a haunted castle somewhere in Tanslyvannia.

Energy vampires look just like everybody else. They are our neighbors, coworkers, friends, classmates. So how do we determine if someone in our lives may be soaking up our spiritual energy?

Here are a few things to watch out for:

Assistance from an acquaintance which seems to good to be true should be met with some healthy skepticism. Trust your instincts about people.

If you feel mentally or psychically tired or drained in the presence of a specific person, be cautious in your dealings with that person. They may indeed be leeching your life energy. Make a note of your energy levels when that person isn't around. Be conscious of your state of mind when they are present and when they are absent. Use your own judgment about whether that person is draining your life energy.

The psychic vampires will resort to all manner of deceits and manipulations in order to gain a foothold into your life. It is ironic that in the legends of these monsters there is the notion that a vampire can only enter a home if invited.