Unholy Hungers: Encountering the Psychic Vampire in Ourselves and Others

by Barbara E. Hort. Shambhala, Boston , 1996

Review by Vivienne D'Avalon

This is a fascinating exploration of manifestations of the vampire archetype in human psychology from a Jungian point of view. The author is hard on vampires (evil things which must be destroyed), but she is referring to particular forms of psychological manipulation that we all, at one time or another, have been victim of and even perpetrated ourselves. She is not referring to symbiotic psychic vampire relationships, nor blood drinkers, but rather to a much more common and insidious form of predator who counts on our humanity, sympathy, craving for love and the instincts to be polite and protect the weak to prey upon our energy and drain us of our vital spark and creativity.

Hort explores four different permutations of vampiric relationships and draws extensively on myth and popular culture for examples: Male/Female (the classic Dracula ); Female/Female (often a mother/daughter relationship; Hort cites to Gypsy and The Glass Menagerie ); Female/Male (using Oedipus Rex as an example) and Male/Male ( The Portrait of Dorian Grey and the movies Greed and the Firm are mentioned).

It is well worth reading the book simply for the refreshing and innovative interpretations of various myths, novels, plays etc. that Hort examines from a vampiric point of view, and makes one stop to think about what other characters in art and life could be considered vampiric when examined in this way. But the author also pulls together composite examples from her own clients' and personal experience, and shows how the mythic examples she uses are exhibited in the real life cases. For example, she tells of a charismatic (Draculan) vampire who periodically wined and dined a victim, always made charming conversation about his world travels and intellectual and creative pursuits, but left the victim feeling grey and depressed, like a sparrow with dull plumage and a pointless life next to a peacock jet setter. Until the victim realized at one dinner party that the sparkling conversation he was making was repeating an idea of her own, delivered almost word for word the way she had discussed it with him weeks before. Suddenly she knew that he managed to keep up his veneer of charm, wit, and fascination by collecting others' stories (sound familiar to Harry Potter fans? Remember Prof. Lockhart?)

Holt ends by discussing ways to circumvent the vampiric manipulator, whether you are a victim or are unconsciously feeding the vampire within and victimizing others. The tools she gives for finally killing the vampire include the mirror (vampires, like Dorian Grey, prefer to divorce themselves from their shadow side and pretend it doesn't exist, and hate to have their true reflection, including both good and bad traits, shown to them); the stake of truth (making the vampire conscious of their manipulations) and the fire of love. Definitely a book to read again and again, sure to provide fresh insights each time.

Rating: 5 black roses!