Why That Emptiness Feeling Inside

Why That Emptiness Feeling Inside

By Jeffery Vanderpuil

Introduction

A lack of purpose or meaning are experienced by
most people at some part in their life. Some have
chronic feelings of emptiness, emotional numbness,
and even despair. Other health concerns like
depression, anhedonia, and schizophrenia are some
to mention.

Table of Contents

Cover Page
Introduction
Table of Contents
Symptoms & What Causes
Diagnoses of Mental Health Associated With
Emptiness
Emptiness, Spirituality,
And Existentialism
Treatment for Emptiness
Research Examples
of Feeling Emptiness
Information and Help Hotline

Symptoms & What Causes

Feelings of emptiness that people have in life for
many reasons could be from the loss of a loved one
from death or separation. Leaving a feeling of
emptiness in the absence of a person who may have
made an impact to his or her life.

A dramatic change in someones life circumstances
could also cause such feelings. An occurring
symptom of feeling emptiness is the feeling that life
lacks meaning.

As a result, there is a form of therapy to help people
find meaning in every aspect of life, naming it logo
therapy, which comes from the Greek word logos
(meaning).Emptiness can have a person feeling
emotionally numb, despondent, isolated, and anxious.

People attempt to fill that void in many of ways, often
being involved in activities that are ultimately
unfulfilling, such as compulsive shopping, eating, or
the use of drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, our
consumer ways capitalizes on feelings like emptiness,
promising fulfillment with this or that product.

A person might instead attempt to fight feelings of
emptiness and give a new meaning of life. One being,
taking up a hobby, adopting a pet, cultivating or
maintaining a spiritual practice, or other engagements
that will prove to be more emotionally fulfilling.

Diagnoses of Mental Health Associated
With Emptiness

The three conditions in the DSM (Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual) that provides emptiness as a
criterion for diagnosis is Depression in the sense of
hopelessness, loss of pleasure, low self-worth, and
low motivation.

Alcohol and drug addiction users may attempt to
alleviate feelings of emptiness and depression by self-
medicating. The lack of availability of an addictive
substance or attempts to quit using can also produce
feelings of emptiness. Borderline Personalities who
have chronic feelings of emptiness associate with
impulsivity, an unstable sense of self and suicidal
ideation or self-harm.

Emptiness, Spirituality, and

Existentialism

The idea of emptiness is also connected with many
philosophical and spiritual traditions, though its
meaning in each of these contexts differs from the
potentially distressing psychological state addressed
on this page. In Buddhism, for example, the concept
of emptiness, known as Sonata, is associated with
renouncing ego and desire in order to achieve
openness, inner peace, receptivity, and ultimately,
enlightenment.

This type of emptiness is a way of perceiving
experience without the attachment of ego or self, and
it is a goal for practitioners of Buddhism. Similar
themes of renouncing worldly desires and greed
appear in many forms of Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam, though the ultimate goals of achieving
emptiness can range among the traditions.

Existentialism identifies meaninglessness as a reality
of life, like death. The theory views people as capable
of finding meaning in their own lives, and existential
psychotherapy techniques, such as logo therapy or
humanistic psychotherapy, can help people find their
inner wisdom and accomplish a sense of meaning.

Treatment for Emptiness

Feelings of emptiness cannot be tolerated and they
can have the unfortunate effect of leading people to
believe that there is nothing left in life to hope for, that
nothing will ever make the emptiness feelings go
away. However, with therapy that can help with the
feelings of emptiness, whether the feelings are
caused by a diagnosable condition or not. A shrink
can do several things to help a person move past
these feelings.

Find out if the feelings are caused by a treatable
disorder such as depression and if not, help an
individual seek the reason for his or her feelings.

*Giving authority to the individual to find and
implement strategies to cope with emptiness.

*Help the individual perfect the skills needed to get
past behaviors that contribute to emptiness and find
ways to bring it to a holt.

*Help an individual find methods to figure out
interpersonal conflicts that lead to feelings of
emptiness.

*Provide encouragement conversation that will help
an individual better understand his/her needs.

Research Examples of Feeling
Emptiness

Feeling depressed after college Tammy, 24, enters
therapy with a sudden onset of depression with
prominent feelings of emptiness. She has just
graduated college, is not working, and recently broke
up with her boyfriend, whom she had dated for many
years during college. The therapist asks about her life
goals and plans; she does not have any. Together,
they uncover Tammy’s feelings of terror about being
alone and beginning her adult life.

Through therapy, Tammy begins to explore what her
life means to her, her fear of death, her ambivalence
about her sexuality, and the resources available to her
both outside and inside that can help her feel peaceful
and cope with her doubt of life.

Beginning into retirement Al 69, recently retired and
has found he no longer likes any of his previously
happy activities. He even avoids spending time with
his grandkids, which used to always bring a smile to
his face. He feels that his life has been a waste of time
and he is full of regrets, but mainly he reports just
feeling emptiness during therapy.

Al discovers how important work was to him for the
recognition and sense of accomplishment it afforded,
but he also acknowledges his resentment at having to
work so hard when he would have liked to enjoy more
free time activities. Over the years, Al lost his feelings
of love from his family. The therapist helps Al identify
the source of his regrets and figures out ways to offer
forgiveness in these areas.

The therapist helps Al identify the source of his
regrets and accept them, normalizes AL’s
ambivalence about retirement, and helps him

identifying other activities that will offer pleasure and
meaning.

Information and Help Hotline

Alcohol and Drug Helpline - Provides referrals to local
facilities where adolescents and adults can seek help.
Brief intervention. 1-800-821-4357
Child Abuse National Hotline, call 1-800-252-2873,
1-800-25ABUSE
Child Abuse: To report call 1-800-4-A-CHILD
Cocaine National Hotline 1-800-COCAINE
Children in immediate risk or danger 1-800-THE-LOST

Covenant House Nine line - Crisis line for youth,
teens, and families. Locally based referrals
throughout the United States. Help for youth and

parents regarding drugs, abuse, homelessness,
runaway children, and message relays.
1-800-999-9999

CyberTipline for reporting the exploitation of children.
1-800-843-5678
Domestic Violence Resource Hotline - referrals for
shelters and counseling in your area. 1-800-799-7233
1-800-787-3224 (TDD)
Elder Abuse Hotline 1-800-252-8966
Friends of Battered Women and Their Children, 1-800-
603-HELP

Kid Help - Children and adolescents in crisis will
receive immediate help. Referrals to shelters, mental
health services, sexual abuse treatment, substance
abuse, family counseling, residential care,
adoption/foster care, etc.

1-800-543-7283

NAMI Helpline National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 1-
800-950-NAMI
National Youth Crisis Hotline 1-800-448-4663
National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-25-ABUSE

National Mental Health Assn. Provides free
information on specific disorders, referral directory to
mental health providers, national directory of local
mental health associations
1-800-969-6642 (M-F, 9-5 EST)

National Institute of Mental Health Information Line:
Provides information and literature on mental illness
by disorder-for professionals and general public.
1-800-647-2642