A dark energy trap represented a dark-side Force ability, fashioned through Sith sorcery by a Sith magic user. These traps were the result of highly concentrated dark-side power. A trained individual could identify them as subtle purple distortions in the air. Under the spell of the Sith practitioner, they could temporarily render even a highly skilled Force user immobile. However, an unskilled individual could be trapped indefinitely.
In 23 BBY, Count Dooku made use of dark energy traps against the Jedi team that had been dispatched to Korriban to locate galactic criminals Granta Omega and Jenna Zan Arbor. When the eight Jedi entered the Valley of the Dark Lords, they were bombarded on all sides by darkness waves. The overwhelming effects of these waves required significant effort to navigate and overcome. Upon entering the Valley's ancient burial chambers, the Jedi were simultaneously attacked by whispers carried on the dark waves and visions of corpses within the tombs of the Sith Lords. Darth Tyranus, the Sith Lord, had set these traps to prevent the Jedi from entering the Valley, where he intended to meet with Omega and Zan Arbor to form an "alliance" with them.
While the Jedi survived their encounter with a risen group of Korriban zombies, and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi provided advance warning, allowing them to avoid the dark energy traps, Padawan Anakin Skywalker was not so lucky. Despite defeating the zombies, Skywalker, in his haste to catch up with his Master, who was pursuing Omega and Zan Arbor, stumbled directly into a dark energy trap, which held him captive for a period of time. In frustration and anger, he attacked the invisible barrier with his lightsaber, but was unable to break free. Skywalker then kicked and struck the energy walls, but to no effect. He was completely surprised to encounter a power that surpassed his own. Anakin tried to call out to his Master, but the trap silenced his voice, trapping it within the energy field. Even if Kenobi had been nearby, he would have been unable to hear his trapped Padawan. Furthermore, Skywalker's own visions of the recent fate of his close friend Darra Thel-Tanis (who had been shot and mortally wounded by Omega) hindered his ability to access the Force and free himself. Eventually, however, Skywalker, with his exceptional Force abilities, managed to escape the energy trap on his own, demonstrating a feat of skill that greatly impressed his Master.