Ever notice a person that 'isn't there'?

[Lira]

I don't know where to ask this question, but it could be energy related.

When I was in college, I noticed something about one of my professors that was rather startling to me. It was as if he just 'wasn't there'. I'm not sure how else to describe it -- I could see him, talk to him, etc., but when walking by him or being in the same room with him, there was just no sense of him as a being. It wasn't that he was out of it or was ignoring his students...he was engaged and responsive. I would get more a sense of 'something' walking past a manequin in a store than I would walking past this guy.

It was really strange, and to this day, he is the only person that I've ever noticed this about. It's not something I would have noticed or thought about except that it was like an absence. And I noticed that absence.

Anyone else had an experience like this?

I wonder if he was just really, really good at shielding his energy and keeping it close to him.

[Beekeeper]

I haven't experienced this, unless we're counting vacuous celebrities we see on television. It's an intriguing experience.

[ButterflyWoman]

I haven't had this experience, but the thought that this was someone who was just very, very good at shielding his energy isn't a bad thought.

I have the ability to sort of fade into the woodwork, so to speak. I learned it as a child, because my household was volatile, and sometimes it was good to be able to just "disappear". I can still kind of go "invisible", where I just quietly blend in and nobody notices me or pays any attention.

I'm wondering now what my energy field must "read" like when I do that (I don't do it often now, as I have no particular need to do so).

Very interesting food for thought.

[Palehorse Redivivus]

What it reminds me of is one time some friends and I went to a goth club a few years ago. At the time, whenever I'd go somewhere crowded, I was having a hard time with feeling bombarded by other peoples' energy and empathic "stuff", and I commented that I wondered if I'd taken care of it well enough yet or whether I'd be feeling it that night. So we get there, and while the room is full of people, energetically it feels like nobody's there. :shock: We all felt the same, and said it was because goths are generally so turned inward (we said "self absorbed" but we were totally joking lovingly) that they don't project energy outward. :P

Creepy effect, though... "is anyone out there? Hellooo? *pokes random clubbers in forehead*"

*edit, forgot to add* Reading OW's post, I think I have that same thing going on (possibly for the same reason). I can do what I call "functional invisibility" where it seems that my energy is altered in such a way that my presence doesn't register with people. In high school I used to have fun with it even though I didn't fully know what I was doing or that there was a real energetic component; this got me nicknamed "the phantom." There have been other times when it switched on by itself... which could get sort of awkward. I have it more under control now, lol.

*poof*

[Mishell]

I have the ability to sort of fade into the woodwork, so to speak. I learned it as a child, because my household was volatile, and sometimes it was good to be able to just "disappear". I can still kind of go "invisible", where I just quietly blend in and nobody notices me or pays any attention.


Wow, OW, I used to do that too. Being invisible was good protection. But the older I got, it seems like i forgot how to turn it off. :?

I'm reading a book on soul loss and how it can affect our bodies regarding physical illness. Makes me wonder about my health... You have fibromyalgia too, don't you?

I suppose if we're "gone" enough, that part just stays "gone". I want me back, dammit.

[ButterflyWoman]

You have fibromyalgia too, don't you?
Yes, although I must admit, it's getting better (ooh, that's a Beatles song, cool). I've been very deliberately working toward healing it. I'm not sure how I'm doing it, other than my usual combination of intention and surrender.


I suppose if we're "gone" enough, that part just stays "gone". I want me back, dammit.
I don't think it's necessarily gone. Maybe bits get "lost", but I spent a lot of years in a very, very fragmented state, and while it's taken a long time to "get it together", it has been happening. Again, intention and surrender. That combination always works for me. State the intention (and mean it) and then surrender to the process.

[Lira]

Oh my gosh -- you guys have fibro too? I've had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for about a dozen years. Fibromyalgia became a part of the mix about half way through that. In fact, it was this that led me to energy work in the first place. I've learned a lot about myself in the process.

As to the posted question -- thanks to all for answering. I'd never thought what it could feel like from the point of view of the person shielding. I almost wish I could accidentally meet this former professor just so I could experience this again -- and even ask him.

I am used to being an observer, and I enjoy being quiet and just seeing how things unfold. I'm definitely an introvert. I have noticed, though, that one of the most common responses to me is that strangers will walk up to me and tell me their life stories -- complete with things that people do not normally tell other people about. I've always been known as a good listener. As you can imagine, this is sometimes a handy trait, but also can be overrwhelming when people are just 'too much'!

[Mishell]

I have noticed, though, that one of the most common responses to me is that strangers will walk up to me and tell me their life stories -- complete with things that people do not normally tell other people about. I've always been known as a good listener. As you can imagine, this is sometimes a handy trait, but also can be overrwhelming when people are just 'too much'!

Me too! Man, I used to know some secrets!

I bet they feel a whole lot better after talking to you, don't they?! This probably means you're an empath. Do you notice that you tend to feel the emotions of these people?

[ButterflyWoman]

I was thinking more about this. I have extraordinary stage presence. Not that I do a lot of stuff on the stage, but I did when I was younger, and everyone always commented about my presence.

I'm wondering if it's related. You know, a sort of hide-or-shine thing? I can do both. I can really turn on the charm (one of the few nice things my mother ever said about me was that I could "charm birds out of trees") and really shine brightly if I have some reason to do so, but I also have that "disappear into the woodwork" thing, as well.

Hmmmmmm.

[Palehorse Redivivus]

Ooooh you give me ideas OW. :P I love being onstage, though haven't had the chance to do much of that really. You've got me wondering if I can "turn up the juice" the same way I go incognito, tho. Maybe I'll try that just while I'm out and about and see if anything interesting happens.

*Hmmmms, too*

[Lira]

Such interesting responses and points -- I must admit, I've got the 'shine' thing as well. When I choose it, and especially when it is a topic that I'm very passionate about. I've done a few lectures for local groups this year on a topic outside my profession -- one guy actually came up and told me that any time I was going to talk, no matter what it was about, that he'd be there. He said I had a 'way' -- and that he was in a profession that required speaking on a regular basis.

And I love doing it, but as someone who has been dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome for so long, it is necessary for me to learn to 'manage my energy' so to speak. Usually after a presentation I have two or three completely down days just to sleep and recuperate as I can. But that's probably because I have a tendency to be a procrastinator and perfectionist on the visual portion of the presentation. That's not a very good combination, at least in terms of energy conservation.

[Beekeeper]

I'm relating to invisible and presence. :wink:

[boris]

i get this alot at work, to the point where i can be standing directly in front of someone and have them completely ignore me, the response is always the same, I end up yodeling and waving my hands in front of their face (in a nice way), and they jump out of their skin and apologise for not seeing me.

come to think of it there another guy who has the same effect, yeah its like hes a ninja ghost manakin of some sort.

I think we subconsciously shrink our auras, may also have something to do with soul fragmentation.

[Lira]

Yes -- that's exactly what I mean. No presence. That's a good word for it. I'm going to have to pay more attention to pets!