I’ve been surprised to learn how many women have suffered the silent treatment for days, weeks, even months at a time in their marriages. I remember feeling extreme anguish when my guy wouldn’t talk to me for a couple of hours—and he wasn’t trying to dole out the cold shoulder but simply cooling off.
The silent treatment is painful to endure, and in my opinion someone who stonewalls another person to gain control of a situation is emotionally abusive. They’re saying, in essence, “You are unworthy of being recognized as a human being worth decent treatment.”
Some psychologists say that the silent treatment causes emotional damage that similar to physical abuse. The brain reacts in the a similar way, whether the behavior is physical harm or emotional neglect.
Others, however, say that typically the silent treatment is just a poor form of communication.
“It is often part of a pattern of poor communication,” says Nicole Prause, Ph.D., a psychologist at UCLA. “But the silent treatment, when structured, is a part of research-supported Behavioral Couples Therapy.”
In this form, Prause says, the partner states that they are starting to become upset, need to take a time out, and will check back in an hour. They can then be silent towards their partner for that time.
“This is in no way abusive and helps improve each person’s ability to regulate their own emotions when they come back together to discuss,” Prause says. “It also is not a ‘get out of jail free escape, as the partner taking the break has agreed to engage again at a specific time.”
source http://tasboy.com/best-punishment-ever/
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