The Silent Treatment: Unpacking the Pain & Finding Solutions

 The Silent Treatment is abuse,

being ignored 

causes the same chemical reaction

in the brain as being physically

hurt.

-Unknown

Have you ever experienced someone in your life suddenly ignoring you, refusing to talk or respond to your emails? If so, you know how confusing and painful this can feel. This phenomenon is known as the “silent treatment” and can be used as a weapon of emotional manipulation. It’s an insidious tactic that has tangible somatic effects on the person subjected to it.

In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into what happens when someone gives us the silent treatment, why they may do it, and offer solutions on how to cope with it.

The Physical Impact of Being Ignored

The silent treatment is incredibly damaging because it can leave people feeling isolated and disconnected from their support system. It also affects them physically by causing anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, digestive issues, and more. While these symptoms are real and can be extremely uncomfortable to experience, they’re important indicators that something deeper is happening in our lives—that we need help addressing those issues before they get worse.

The Narcissistic Cycle of Abuse

Narcissists often use the silent treatment as a way to control people around them or punish those who don't agree with them. They tend to be highly sensitive people who cannot deal with criticism or rejection in a healthy way—and instead lash out at those closest to them by cutting off contact completely. Unfortunately, this cycle of abuse can cause long-term psychological damage for everyone involved if it's not addressed quickly enough.

Photo credit: Nadine Shaabana@ Unsplash

 What Can You Do?

If you're dealing with a narcissist who frequently uses the silent treatment against you, there are several things you can do to protect yourself from their behavior while working towards healing yourself from any trauma they may have caused:

• Reach out for support from family and friends—having their presence will remind you that you are not alone in this situation and that other people care about your well-being.

• Practice self-care activities like yoga or meditation to help manage your stress levels while working through your emotions—this will give you space to process all that's happened without feeling overwhelmed or triggered by further interactions with the narcissist in question.

• Seek counseling if needed—getting professional help can make all the difference when trying to work through difficult experiences like these. A therapist can provide valuable insight into how best to navigate these challenging situations and start putting yourself first again after being subjected to such toxic behavior from someone else.

• Set boundaries with the narcissist—it's important that they understand that their behavior is unacceptable and won't be tolerated anymore so that they don't continue using this tactic against others in future relationships as well.

• Last but most importantly - forgive yourself for being put through such an ordeal! It's not easy but understanding what happened and allowing yourself time for healing will ultimately allow you to move forward in a healthier way than before.

The silent treatment is an emotionally manipulative tactic used by narcissists which causes real pain both physically and mentally for its victims; however, understanding why they may do it (to protect themselves) as well as taking steps towards healing oneself from any trauma incurred during such experiences can help one cope better in future relationships where similar situations may arise again down the line.

Remember - always look after yourself first! With some concerted effort on our part along with reaching out for help when needed - we'll get through this together!

Photo credit: Sander Sammy @Unsplash