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Narcissists & The Silent Treatment

silent-teatment-narcissistNarcissists will invoke the silent treatment for days, weeks, and longer with no explanation as a way to control and demoralize their partners. Narcissists are fond of using the Silent Treatment as a cruel (but not unusual) punishment for you doing nothing wrong at all and, from experience, I can tell you that the affect of this method of passive-aggressive control is sheer torture. The first time it happened to me, I felt as lost, sad, and helpless as the puppy in the picture. I thought my ex surely must be dead on the side of the road to not have called me for three days. Well, those three days turned into six weeks. Little did I know that that particular silent treatment was the first of literally hundreds to come. I simply couldn’t believe that anyone could do something like that on purpose to a person that they supposedly cared about.

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My ex-N of 12-years executed a narcissistic silent treatment, on an average, about every 3-6 months (and, during one stretch, even every two weeks),  depending, I assume, upon how his other sources of supply were faring. Each silent treatment would last anywhere from two to three days to six weeks to six months before he hoovered back or before my begging at his door and endless onslaught of desperation letters forced him to give in. The Silent Treatment, for my ex and for many others, is a powerful narcissistic ploy and/or tactic and it gets the point across.

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No matter how he goes about it or why it happens or when it happens, the Silent Treatment always sucks. The fact that the victim of a narcissistic partner rarely knows why they are receiving the silent treatment only compounds the mental torture. I remember reading an article where the writer described the narcissist’s silent treatment as particularly demoralizing because the N is clearly making a statement – in unspoken terms, of course – that you, the recipient, aren’t even worth acknowledging…aren’t worth a moment of his time…that, in fact, you are a worthless piece of shit on his shoe.  How true that is? We all get the point and fast!

“How long will the Silent Treatment last?” is always the big question. Will it go on for a day, a week, a month or even longer? Keeping us in the dark about when it will end (or even why it’s happening) is an intentional strategy designed to create as much anxiety as possible in the recipient. And it does. The longer it lasts, the worse the separation anxiety becomes and the more likely you are to feel depressed, jealous, confused, isolated, unworthy etc. The more desperation we feel, the harder it is to follow the no contact rule and to give up the need for closure. We become the puppet and the Narcissist, the Puppeteer.

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The silence is meant to hurt you. It is meant to teach you a lesson. And, make no mistake, the silence is always a way for the narcissist to buy himself some free time for being with someone else or for hustling up new sources of supply.

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Most victims  – myself included – will describe the days and weeks of silence as an agonizing torture that leaves us broken and desperate, willing to try anything and everything to get a response. If this means apologizing for the sole purpose of apologizing even though we know have done nothing wrong, then so be it. When you’re in the thick of it, the pain of the silence is far worse than the pain of being a doormat. Meanwhile, the narcissist goes on about his/her business until, for whatever reason, he feels his victim have been punished enough or the girl he’s seeing does something he doesn’t like. When this happens, he will usually return offering no explanation – or at least no logical explanation – and he will expect to pick up right where he left off and as if he’d never been gone.  So dismantled and dejected, the victim often demands no answers anyway, keeping her mouths shut and choosing, instead, to revel in the fact that her anxiety has passed. This particular response, by the way, is an intended result of the silent treatment so that the N gets away with the entire debacle. This is just another narcissistic strategy for managing down our expectations so that we expect less and less and he gets away with more and more.

Understand that a partner using the Silent Treatment for any type of punishment – let alone one for a crime not committed – is not normal under any circumstances. When a narcissist uses the silent treatment, it is just one more requirement he has filled in the overall pathological relationship agenda. No one ever deserves to feel unworthy of attention or undeserving of love and loyalty. No one …not even one time.

In my book, Stop Spinning, Start Breathing, I devote an entire chapter to a step towards recovery that I call Silence Appreciation. By learning to actually appreciate the silence given and by using the time wisely as yet another step towards mentally freeing oneself from the narcissist, you’re life will begin to make miraculous changes. It did for me and I know it can for you as well….

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150 Comments

  • Nonny

    January 18, 2017 at 8:46 pm Reply

    My father gave me and his grandchildren the silent treatment for 8yrs! Why? Because he thought I didn’t like the fact that he had moved house. He has been back in my life for mere months and is already dwinding his weekly visits down to fortnightly, with a call today to say he wouldn’t be coming due to feeling dizzy… I have been confronting him on certain issues (making demands on his self-absorbed headspace) so it looks like I’m being “scratched off his list” once again. It’s rather funny in a way because all the family snigger, frustrate, agress, moan, and outright backstab him behind his back, yet I’m be the worst in the world for pointing out why his behaviour is so nasty. I saw it all my life but have put it all together in the past few months.

    This man is a qualified builder / cabinet maker but has never once offered his skills to me or his grandchildren. No cubbyhouse building, teaching them skills, encouraging interest, but he’ll tell us about all the great jobs he’s done for others. He’s even refused to turn on the hospital tv for me. Refused to park in the 15min patient pick-up zone after I had surgery on my rear end, then asked me if I was right to walk down to where he had parked. When I said no, he gave me the silent treatment all the way home. I still wasn’t seeing it at that time (2007). He turned up the following day to continue feeding my cat, bringing his lunch with him but not calling to see if I wanted anything. He said he would have got me something but knew I didn’t eat that sort of thing – meatpies ( I have crohn’s (is it any wonder))! I took one of his pies anyway. I used to go to a Saturday morning market local to him. After the market I would go to the local shopping center, call him and say I was heading around with some pies if he was up ( he used to go to the races Friday night, so I would wile away an hour or so at the shopping center before calling; markets ended early).

    He missed my daughter’s wedding, the birth of his great-granddaughters, and says “I admit I don’t have much interest in them” after me saying what an increasing unique postition he’s in, that these little girls could have a very real and meaningful connection to / memory of their great-grandfather. I’ve never so much as received a hug or kiss from him in all my life. When I started doing it recently he turns to one side, puts his arm out and never even offers his cheek. I’m moving on. Thanks for being here.

    • Zari Ballard

      January 19, 2017 at 1:12 am Reply

      Hi Nonny,

      That is so sad, I sat and cried. I wish I could give you a hug. I’m grateful that you’re moving on because it is the only thing to do. My son’s father, after years and years of this boy trying to please him in every way, just changed his phone number one day and we’ve heard not a word since. That was eight years ago. His only son too. You’d think his family – sister and brothers or parents – would continue to reach out to my son but nothing. The funny thing is, my ex’s mother did the same thing to his sisters and her daughters, living a street a way and driving by every day on the way to work for three years as if they were strangers. Then, one day, she just pulled into the driveway and walked in the house as if she had never been gone, ready to be grandma. It’s a family thing, I guess, and it is most painful. These people are so very defective.

      In my second book, I say, “If you feel you are being erased again, let it happen.” Life is so short, Nonny. These people will never feel the loss and it truly IS their loss. Your father is missing out on his unique position…but it is simply who he is. So sad. I wish you nothing but the best, sister. I’m grateful you are surrounded by little girls because I know they have an adoring grandma in you and the love is returned. Be happy and please visit here any time. Thank you so much for sharing our story and I am grateful that you found your way here…

      Zari xo

      • Nonny

        January 21, 2017 at 6:14 pm Reply

        Thanks so much for the reply and the hug, Zari, both mean the world to me at this time. I also cried for you and your son. It’s just amazing how these … soul-less beings? are carbon copies of each other. I have more than ten relatives – a sister, aunts,cousins all living less than 15mins away, yet none of them called to tell me my uncle and my sister’s ex, someone I’ve also known since my teens, had died. I only found out when my sister called phishing (after sending a belated birthday card last year) to see what use I might be to her mortgage predicament and by then it was almost a yr after these events. Creeps.

        Much love to you and your lad xx

  • Cheryl

    December 2, 2016 at 9:28 am Reply

    So I just want to say these forums have helped me. I thought I was going crazy. I have had another discard on Friday after spending valuable time together. He bombards me when I’m out I always let him know where I am. We don’t live together but I’m the ‘ women’ of the house and certain things are expected of me. I have such a complicated story. 18 months of putting all my effort into somebody who can just toss me aside like this. I’m actually a very strong Independent person that’s why we fight but I can’t believe someone can treat you like this

    • Zari Ballard

      December 9, 2016 at 6:07 pm Reply

      Hi Cheryl,

      It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that these creatures are what they are. However, once we KNOW it, we have to make the right decisions for our lives. The narcissist never changes and he never will – not for you or for anyone who came before and will come after. He is a lost cause but that doesn’t mean you are doomed to have the same fate. Please read my book When Love Is a Lie to see how I did it…how I pulled away finally and forever. It’s not easy but it’s definitely not impossible. You don’t need to be anyone’s “woman of the house” that’s for sure.

      Stay strong,

      Zari xo

  • Tessa

    November 29, 2016 at 7:02 am Reply

    Ah and I forgot to mention. He has a lot of troubles at work too, he is lyng a lot and even if caught in a lie he keeps on lying. He never accepted my career choice and with little comments here and there made me feel insecure at all times. I was always walking on eggshells around him, being the diplomat who tries to keep the peace as you never knew how he would react. If I was for example sick, he would have something worse. If I blamed him for something or called him out he would say he needs to rest he’s tired. He has no empathy at all with other people, I told him a common friend was sexually harassed and he freaked out why I would tell him stories like that it holds him back at life, people get murdered and raped every day it’s non of his business. When I said he has changed he just said yes I did. If he does something I don’t like I am supposed to cope with it whereas he gives me the silent treatment for a month now because I told this common friend about our relationship, was asked for drinks by a male colleague (I said no!) and have too many friends and stories about them apparently. I was always good at spending time by myself so this year I went on holiday alone it was all planned before I met him and he managed to make me feel like crap every day with his little comments I couldn’t enjoy the holiday at all. Then other times he would just not call for days and weeks even if he said he would. I was always forgiving when he returned back and didn’t blame him for a second to value the bit of time we had within all his stress. Then I cried every time he left not knwoing when I would hear from him again. Sorry this got a lot longer than I thought, just getting everyhing out here.

    Thank you!! xo

  • Tessa

    November 22, 2016 at 11:07 am Reply

    Hello Zari, first of all thank god i found you and your books, and all the people suffering from the same thing, thank you!!!

    I assume my boyfriend is a Narcisisst, he fits all the criteria, the relationship does as well!

    He’s giving me the silent treatment for over two weeks now, before our last meeting where he blamed many things on me it was also two weeks. For a few months he disappears and then shows up again an der everything is fine. I never really complained as I know he has a or of stress but he changed immensely since the beginning. We have been dating since April.

    So now my question, do you think someone can be a “first time n”? He only had a very short relationship before last year and always blames the girl form dumping him but he is a Muslim and was a virgin before we met. Everything changed with me, he told his parents, talked about marriage and kids, then he changed. What doesn’t really fit is the whole betraying and other women as it’s an absolute no go for him I’m sure of that. So you think his silent treatment towards me is just a coward and I could try and safe the relationship (although I have to admit I felt miserable for months, but I love him dearly) or is he a full blown n? He always made me feel insecure, has zero empathy with anyone and thinks highly of himself, calls himself strange and a monster but with an attitude that lets you know he enjoys it. He swept me off my feet in the beginning as I said, but then everything changed

    Thank you!

    • Zari Ballard

      November 29, 2016 at 6:24 am Reply

      Hi Tessa,

      How much do you really know about this guy? Because of his culture, he can easily make it “appear” that he was a virgin before you but I’m not so sure if I’d believe that. The fact that he is so confident, sure of himself, and shows the cocky attitude as he calls himself a monster – I dunnnooo. Narcissists are like they are their whole life but it’s in adulthood that it really shines through. If they’re very young, they might not be so polished. I mean you have to have experience giving people the silent treatment if you want to do it right. know what I mean?

      And not for anything but I know all narcs are bad but Muslim men who are narcissist can be just awful. I speak with several women who are overseas (mostly UK) who have long distance relationships with Muslim boyfriends and it’s horrific. They can rule the entire relationship from a cell phone and Facetime and they are masters at it. They use the cultural difference to fly on many things and say what they need to say to get what they want. Families, it appears, will cover for them.

      Let me know a bit more information but just the fact that you found your way to my site tells me that you have your finger on something. Trust your intuition, sister, because it is never ever wrong.

      Zari xo

      • Tessa

        November 29, 2016 at 6:52 am Reply

        Thank you so much for your reply Zari! I am depreate by now, I tried to reach out to him by text several times. We work together so when I saw him there and once contacted him about something for work he was funny and nice as always but doesnöt respond to any of my texts. I am sure he was a virgin, he had barely any idea about sex and was pretty shy and most of all had such a bad conscience that for several times we decided to let it be but always restarted somehow. I donöt knwo what to do anymore, I know something is wrong with him maybe everthing has just been too much and he wanted space and doesnöt want a relationship and is scared to say it. In our last conversation about a month ago he said he couldn#t say yes or no to a relationship right now he needs to gather his thoughts but before we barely saw each other for months, it was always on his terms. He turned into someone very grumpy and harsh and provokative. I hope from the bottom of my heart he comes back and was just scared even though things were not going well, but I am not even sure he would. If he does, I need to be sure he is not a narcissist though the stories I read here are unbelievable. When we got together he was proposing me a realtionship like a kind of business deal, which made me angry but then he convinced me somehow and I fell for him. He alway said this is serious for him he doesn’t want to be together for two years to see how it goes. And now he just disappeared. It’s breaking my heart my appartment and work and the whole city is full of him.

  • Marilyn Atkinson

    November 21, 2016 at 4:59 am Reply

    Hiya Zari and thank you so much for sending me your book. I haven’t had chance to read it yet but when I finish work today I will get stuck in. Once again thank you so much I am finding out so much about narcissism that it frightens me but I cannot put your book down When love is a Lie. Thank God for people like you bless you and Sky Marilyn xoxo

  • Marilyn Atkinson

    November 19, 2016 at 10:17 am Reply

    Hi Zari read your book When love is a lie and I now do believe my ex was a narcissist. Like you said I could see myself on every page. What gets me is the constant lying why????? and the denial of everything that they have done. Your story was tragic Wayne what a plonker ( sorry I am from UK) plonker is someone who is not on the same page as everyone else. I am glad I never invested the time that you and your son Sky did. But I see how you tried to mend the broken toy that was Wayne. I tried to do that with Roy as I say I have a platonic relationship with him now but even that is on the wane no pun intended Zari. Roy is 61 years old now and I would like to think that all his chickens are coming to roost. That his misdeeds are preying on his mind but they are probably not. Zari, could you tell me if some narcissists are gay or bisexual because I always had this nagging doubt that he was and consequently had an Aids test done it came back negative. Love to you Marilyn xoxo

  • Karen

    November 15, 2016 at 2:01 pm Reply

    I have been with my narcissist for 2 1/2 years – he has never used the Silent treatment on me before and I am completely lost and perplexed as to what has caused this. He has blocked me so I cant text or call – I have tried emailing him and had no reply, Im now considering going round as I am in a complete anxiety state. I so wish I was stronger.

    • Zari Ballard

      November 21, 2016 at 1:56 am Reply

      Hi Karen,

      I have been there a zillion times so I know exactly what you are/were feeling. Six days have passed since you posted so please fill us in. You have to know that our suffering changes nothing and this is a very important thing to understand. He’s going to do what he does NO MATTER IF YOU SUFFER OR NOT so you may as well live your life. Please read my book When Love Is a Lie because it is all about the silence and what it means. Let us know…

      Zari xo

      • Karen

        December 16, 2016 at 9:59 pm Reply

        Hi , as predicted the silent treatment was because he was away for a few days with his new girlfriend !!!! I have spent the past 6 weeks going crazy , doing drive bys , checking , double checking …… In fact longer than 6 weeks if I’m honest . Anyway long story short his girlfriend was round , I sat outside all night …. Waited for him to go to work , then went to meet her !!! The whole of our relationship has been a complete lie ….. He has had 3 other full blown relationships whilst he’s been with me …. I spoke to her for hours , she’s been with him for 18 months now ( she was also married when she met him ). Everything was identical …. I’m in complete turmoil …. He says she’s the one !!! He wants to be with her , I apparently never was but he didn’t know how to tell me !! A week until Christmas and I feel as though my heart is breaking . I honestly don’t know how I can ever move on .

        • Zari Ballard

          December 26, 2016 at 7:20 pm Reply

          Hi Karen,

          Tell me about Xmas….did you make it through? We have a NEW YEAR coming. Things can only go UP for you. You have discovered the crux of who he is. This is the truth. HE IS THE LIE. As sad as it is, you have to move forward. If you allow time to pass, you will get over it. I guarantee it.

          Stay strong and be confident IN THE TRUTH THAT YOU KNOW.

          Zari xo

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