It has traditionally been believed that the feeling of emptiness was typical of those suffering from mental disorders such as trough. But the truth is that it is a mental condition that we can all suffer from and that can become chronic if we don't pay attention to it.
A team of psychologists from the University College of London decided to delve into the sense of emptiness and found that it is much more widespread than socially recognized. Perhaps out of fear of being stigmatized or a lack of habit of talking about our emotional states, the truth is that many people carry this feeling of emptiness and loneliness on their own.
Therefore, anyone can experience feelings of emptiness, regardless of their mental health history. It is a complex experience whose ramifications extend to all areas of life and which can be dangerous. This is why it is important to know how to recognize it in order to face it in time.
"A bottomless vase"
These psychologists spoke to more than 400 people between the ages of 18 and 80 who had felt empty at some point in their lives, some sporadically and others all the time. These people filled out a questionnaire that investigated those feelings of emptiness. It is therefore a pioneering investigation that provides a first-person approach to the feeling of emptiness.
Some participants described this feeling of emptiness as "A kind of bottomless vase that can never be filled" o "A feeling of otherness and separation from society" is "Absorbs all your life and energy".
In fact, one of the distinctive characteristics of the feeling of emptiness and loneliness is precisely that feeling of inner emptiness. That feeling of emptiness comes, in large part, fromanhedonia. In other words, people who feel empty experience a kind of "emotional anesthesia" that prevents them from feeling despair, but also joy. When they look inside, it is as if they find nothing.
These psychological feelings are often accompanied by unpleasant physical sensations. For example, people described a pain, a knot, a feeling of emptiness in the body and often indicated: “I feel like a void in my chest”. These perceptions indicate that the feeling of emptiness has a physical impact.
"I feel invisible"
Emptiness is typically experienced in relation to one's relationship with others. First, the participants felt they had nothing to offer others. They felt unable to have a positive impact on their life and to make a valuable contribution to their interpersonal relationships and community life. For this reason, they described themselves as "a bother" o “A burden for others”.
Second, they experienced a lack of recognition, indicating that the feeling of emptiness is not something that grows from the inside out, but can also be fueled by circumstances, especially when we move in emotionally disabling environments.
One person said: “I feel invisible to those around me”. Those who felt emptiness said they were neither heard nor noticed by others, including the people who mattered most to them. They felt like one "Missing person", despite being surrounded by people.
Interestingly, this disconnection with others was also associated with the feeling of being objectified and expendable. Many people have reported being victims ofdoormat effect or to feel someone else's tool, especially those who were part of theirs circle of trust. They also felt alone, disconnected, isolated and emotionally distant from those around them.
"Everything I do is useless"
Another of the states that accompanies the feeling of emptiness is the feeling that everything lacks meaning and purpose in life. Most of the participants acknowledged that they did not have "Nothing of value to commit to", not to be able to participate in any significant activity and to "Do not want anything". This means that they had no direction in life.
One of the people interviewed explained: “You feel that everything you do is useless and you keep moving. You just try to fill time until death. Sometimes you have fun or something nice happens that can distract you for a while, but in the end there is an inner emptiness that never goes away. It is as if you are transparent and anything positive like love or joy passes through you without attaching themselves, and then it is as if they have never been there ”.
Another person said: "I felt like I wasn't part of the world, I didn't feel anything and nothing I did had an impact on events or other people, I 'existed' but I wasn't 'alive'".
People who feel empty find no meaning in what they do or in life itself. Many hear of live on autopilot always inserted. They carry out the actions necessary for survival or respect for social conventions, without any conscious involvement but in a mechanical way. It is as if the world has left them behind, unable to absorb that vitality and dynamism.
These feelings can be dangerous. Indeed, these psychologists have identified a link between recurrent feelings of emptiness and suicidal ideas or behaviors. People who reported always feeling empty had thought about suicide or even attempted to commit suicide.
The trap that gives us the sense of emptiness
The feeling of emptiness is rooted in the absence of emotion and a purpose in life. It is an existential feeling, a basic orientation that structures the way in which the ego relates to the interpersonal and impersonal world. That feeling is a way of "being in the world".
Consequently, the ego is perceived as diminished, empty and worthless, driven solely by inertia. This creates a potentially deadly trap as, in the absence of motivation, the feeling of emptiness deprives us of the experience of research and commitment. Instead, the empty self locks us up in some sort of inner bubble or prison that holds us back and prevents us from connecting with others or enjoying the world and life.
Interestingly, half of the study participants had never had psychological disorders, which shows that the feeling of emptiness is not unique to those suffering from depression or borderline personality disorder, but can be experienced by anyone. That's why we need to be careful of its signals.
Source:
Herron, SJ & Sani, F. (2021) Understanding the typical presentation of emptiness: a study of lived-experience. Journal of Mental Health; 10.1080.
Admission The feeling of emptiness told in the first person by those who lived it was published first in Corner of Psychology.
