Measuring emotional ’emptiness’ could help manage a potentially life-threatening experience

Shona Joyce Herron - Comment: Measuring emotional 'emptiness' could help manage a potentially life-threatening experience - Dr Shona Herron (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) explains the experience of emotional 'emptiness' and how we should measure it in The Conversation. Imagine a hollowness deep in your chest, a vacant space where feelings should be. Imagine being numb and devoid of all'emotion, happy or sad - with any sensations simply passing right through you. You are watching the world go by from behind a screen - so disconnected that you feel a million miles away from people you care about the most. This is how  hundreds of people  have described the existential feeling of emotional "emptiness". Perhaps some aspects may feel familiar to you. After all, research has repeatedly shown that emptiness is  a common experience , felt by many of us around the world.