Psychology
Running on Empty
Jonice Webb, PhD
4.2 (29000) 8 min read 6 key ideas
A therapist explores the long-term effects of childhood emotional neglect, distinct from more overt forms of abuse, and how to heal from it as an adult.
Key takeaways
- The Neglect That Leaves No Visible Marks
- Growing Up Without Emotional Mirroring
- The Persistent Sense of Emptiness
- Why CEN Goes Unrecognized in Therapy
- Learning to Recognize and Value Your Own Emotions
- Breaking the Cycle for the Next Generation
Action checklist
- Identify one emotional need from childhood that went unmet, and name it without judgment
- Practice naming and expressing one feeling today instead of pushing it down
- Ask for support from someone today instead of defaulting to self-sufficiency
Final takeaway
If you struggle to identify your own feelings, or experience a persistent, hard-to-name sense of emptiness, Webb's consistent invitation throughout the book is to consider unaddressed childhood emotional neglect — not just more obvious forms of trauma — as a genuine, addressable contributing factor worth exploring.
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