Silent Treatment Explained: Why It’s a Form of Emotional Abuse

Описание: Silent treatment is not about needing space — it is about control.

For 15 years of my marriage, I lived in a silent treatment dynamic. Not silence once in a while. Not taking a day to cool off. I’m talking about months of silence every year, with only short random periods where communication returned.

The silence could be triggered by anything — something I said, something I bought, even saying the weather was beautiful. There was no explanation, no timeline, no discussion. Just no eye contact, no conversation, no intimacy, no calls, no acknowledgment — full no-contact while living under the same roof.

This kind of silent treatment forces you to live inside your own head. You start questioning everything: What did I say wrong? What did I do wrong? What did I buy wrong? Eventually, you apologize for things you didn’t even do — just to make the silence stop.

Psychologically, when silence is used repeatedly as punishment, it becomes emotional abuse. It’s a control tactic designed to create anxiety, confusion, self-doubt, and dependence. Healthy space includes communication and a return to resolution. Abuse does not.

If this resonates with you, you are not dramatic, ungrateful, or imagining things. Silent treatment is not peace — it is power and control.

Share your experience in the comments if you feel safe. You are not alone.


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