Running on Empty

Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect

by Jonice Webb

Webb opens with a deceptively simple question: what if the wound you carry has no name? Emotional neglect, she argues, is defined by absence — no shouting, no visible harm, just a persistent emptiness that many adults mistake for personal failure. That reframing is the book's greatest strength. The writing is clear and clinical without being cold, and the self-assessment tools give the theory genuine traction. Where it occasionally flattens is in its case studies, which can feel formulaic. Still, for anyone who grew up feeling vaguely invisible, Webb's framework offers something rare — a coherent explanation, and a credible path forward.