Precisely. Emptiness as practiced by a lone determined fool. See niece/nephew of your comment. I did it through disciplined meditation on emptiness and compassion in turns, and a sort of retreat from the world, as I had a little money put away and few expenses. It was wonderful for a while. I felt very happy. I literally felt that I'd dismantled everything that I thought I was. I no longer knew what I liked or disliked. It was very difficult to have an opinion about anything. I certainly wasn't hacking. I moved through the world in a sort of wide eyed daze (probably due to over-oxygenation :) It felt like I got maybe a quarter of the way to wherever it was I was going, although I have no way of knowing.

But life demands, and I stopped my practice and dove back into it with little thought, and that's when things got bad. I had no drive, no motivations, and didn't have a clue who I was anymore. But I also wasn't meditating, which can serve as preventative medicine against the effects of these things in the "real world". I felt kind of clueless and naked, like an amnesiac dumped in the middle of a big city.

Well, anyway, long story short, you'd be surprised how powerful these ancient techniques can be, and you'd be wise to seek guidance from someone experienced before you go dismantling yourself all willy-nilly :). I'm doing wonderfully now, though. And I'm not currently practicing.