"While some might brush this off as "just needing space," relationship therapists are increasingly recognizing this behavior for what it really is: a form of emotional abuse that can leave lasting psychological scars. The silent treatment has become so normalized in our culture that we often don't recognize its destructive power. But here's what changed my perspective: after my four-year relationship ended in my mid-twenties, I started therapy to understand why certain patterns kept repeating in my life."
"According to Psychology Today, the silent treatment activates the same pain centers in the brain as physical pain. When someone you love refuses to acknowledge your existence, your brain experiences it similarly to being physically hurt. Dr. Kipling Williams, a professor of psychology who has studied ostracism for decades, found that even brief episodes of being ignored can threaten our fundamental human needs: belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence."
The silent treatment functions as a manipulative form of emotional abuse that threatens belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence. Withdrawal and stonewalling activate the same brain pain centers as physical injury, producing stress, depression, headaches, and digestive symptoms. The silent partner gains unilateral power by deciding when punishment begins and ends, eroding the other person's sense of self-worth. Cultural normalization and labels like 'needing space' obscure the behavior's harm. Therapy and research on ostracism reveal that even brief episodes of being ignored produce measurable psychological and physiological damage and warrant recognition and intervention.
Read at Silicon Canals
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