
How to respond when someone gives you the silent treatment?
Oct 23, 2021 · When the narcissist believes that the other person no longer wants to address a specific issue, or has been punished enough for a perceived slight committed against the narcissist, the silent treatment will end. This can be hours, days, months, or even decades. There is no predetermined timeline by the narcissist.
How to shut down the narcissist during the silent treatment?
If your partner is using the silent treatment, here are some things you can do: 1. Set boundaries – You deserve respect and if they aren’t willing to give it to you then there need to be consequences. Let them know that if they continue to use the silent treatment against you, the relationship will come to an end. 2.
How to respond to narcissistic silent treatment?
Apr 06, 2022 · The silent treatment is a manipulation tactic where a toxic narcissist will stop talking to you for days, hours, weeks, or even months to punish you for some perceived slight. It can cause severe emotional and psychological damage if you don’t realize what is happening.
How to handle silent treatment abuse with dignity?
This is why it’s okay to give a narcissist the silent treatment as long as you can make sure that the issue isn’t something serious. Giving a narcissist the silent treatment is one of the easiest ways to get revenge on a narcissist. As it’s not a confrontation — no matter how much they want you to think about them.

What do you do when a narcissist gives you the silent treatment?
Calmly tell the person that you've noticed they're not responding and you want to understand why. Emphasize that you want to resolve things. While it's not your fault that someone else decides to give you the silent treatment, you do have a responsibility to apologize if you've done something wrong.Apr 30, 2019
How long can the silent treatment last?
If the perpetrator still refuses to acknowledge the victim's existence for long periods of time, it might be right to leave the relationship. In the end, whether it lasts four hours or four decades, the silent treatment says more about the person doing it than it does about the person receiving it.Mar 26, 2021
Do narcissists return after several months of the silent treatment?
Yes! They most often come back after ending the relationship if there is still enough supply for them. Table of Contents: Why narcissists come back.Jun 18, 2013
Why is the narcissist ignoring you for days?
Put simply, they ignore you to regain control. The narcissist uses ignoring you as a way to punish for some wrongdoing you committed. They don't feel the need to tell you what the wrongdoing was, they just jump into ignoring you as quick as possible to protect themselves from further narcissistic injury.Jul 7, 2021
What type of person gives the silent treatment?
Research. Researchers have found that the silent treatment is used by both men and women to terminate a partner's behaviors or words rather than to elicit them. 1 In abusive relationships, the silent treatment is used to manipulate the other person and to establish power over them.Jun 1, 2020
How do you win the silent treatment?
Maintain your dignity and try these six strategies.Look for the reasons behind the silent treatment. ... Share the psychology behind silent treatment. ... Avoid reacting to silent abuse. ... Respond with calmness and speak kindly. ... State your boundaries clearly. ... Take care of yourself. ... Consider professional therapy.Apr 26, 2021
How long does it take a narcissist to show his true Colours?
Through his research, Campbell found that the four-month mark — the apparent satisfaction peak in any dating relationship — is typically how long it takes for someone dating a narcissist to see their true colours.Jul 24, 2015
When you see the narcissist after no contact?
A narcissist will come back after no contact if they find themselves low on attention, and they consider you easy to get that attention from. Most narcissists hate being alone, and they need attention far more than most people. Narcissists don't care about your feelings, and they don't miss you.Mar 9, 2021
How do you tell when a narcissist is done with you?
For starters, narcissists are finished with you once your narcissistic supply gets stale.When they show more interest in those outsides of your relationship as they seek validation, your opinion is becoming less valuable to them.They start to devalue you.They finally ignore you for good.More items...•Mar 12, 2021
What happens when you ignore a narcissist who ignores you?
If you ignore a narcissist and deny them their source, they may become enraged and try even harder for your attention – especially in ways that can be toxic or abusive. Ignoring a narcissist will enrage them because of their fragile egos. They'll feel humiliated and lash out against you to protect themselves.May 19, 2021
What drives a narcissist insane?
The thing that drives a narcissist crazy is the lack of control and the lack of a fight. The less you fight back, the less power you can give them over you, the better,” she says. And because they never think they're wrong, they never apologize. About anything.Jan 30, 2019
What a narcissist does at the end of a relationship?
At the end of a relationship, narcissists may become combative, passive-aggressive, hostile, and even more controlling. People with NPD often fail to understand other people's needs and values. They are hyper focused on their egos, but do not account for how their actions affect others.Aug 25, 2021
What is the silent treatment of a narcissist?
What is the narcissist’s silent treatment? Just to be clear, the silent treatment is a manipulation tactic where a toxic narcissist will stop talking to you for days, hours, weeks or even months in order to punish you for some perceived slight.
How to understand a narcissist's silent treatment?
Understanding the Narcissist’s Silent Treatment. The first thing you have to do is to educate yourself about the situation. I always say that knowledge is power , and the first fact you need to know about this issue is exactly why narcissists give you the silent treatment in the first place.
Does silent therapy work for narcissists?
Plus, the silent treatment works particularly well on sensitive, empathic people (who are often quite attractive to narcissists ), because we are wired to respond to and attempt to soothe the emotions of the people around us, especially those we love.
Do narcissists want you to bend over backwards?
But the truth is that this is exactly what the narcissist wants – for you to bend over backward trying to appease them. All the while, the narcissist has no intention of allowing that to happen – they will only stop using the silent treatment when it is convenient for them or they want or need something from you.
How to deal with Narcissists?
If they happen to pass your way, then you can politely but firmly inform them that you aren’t interested in what they have to say. However, to get rid of them once and for all, you’ll have to resort to the silent treatment, a classic method of control. The best way to deal with a narcissist in this manner is to simply make yourself disappear.
What happens when you stand up to a narcissist?
They will try to make you feel like you are in the wrong for standing up for yourself, but remember that the only thing they care about is how you make them look. If you have a narcissist in your life, there is a good chance they have been making you feel victimized for a while.
What Happens When You Give a Narcissist the Silent Treatment?
This technique works because it makes the narcissist feel ignored and insignificant. This, in turn, will make them seek attention from someone else. The only downside to this is that you have to do it for a long time before it has any effect on the narcissist.
How to Deal with a Narcissist That Uses The Silent Treatment
Whether you’re dealing with an individual that you’re deeply in love with or someone you just met, the idea of walking away from a conversation that’s going nowhere can be daunting. But it doesn’t need to be. You can be assertive and say what you want instead of letting them dominate the conversation.
What does narcissist do when you ignore them?
In most cases, they don’t mean to be hurtful. Many narcissists genuinely don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. They’re just so obsessed with their own needs that they never think about anyone else’s. When they think you are ignoring them, they can’t control their temper, so they tend to lash out more easily.
Why The Silent Treatment Works?
The silence is important for two main reasons. Firstly, it stops the narcissist from being “the center of the universe.” By controlling what they can control, you’re able to get back at them for their behavior.
How To Give The Silent Treatment?
If you’re in a relationship with a narcissist, make sure that you say something nice and sweet to them before you give them the silent treatment. If your partner is a petty narcissist, they’ll probably respond with an even more petty response if you start this way. It might happen that if you are lucky enough you may get the silent narcissist.
What is the silent treatment narcissists use?
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.
How long does silent treatment last?
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.
What does silence mean?
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.
Does silent treatment suck?
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.
How long does a narcissist's silent treatment last?
Narcissists have a huge patience in waiting for the narcissistic supply. Thus the narcissist’s silent treatment can long for days, weeks, months and even years also.
What does silent treatment mean for a narcissist?
In other words, whenever the narcissist feels a decrease in their narcissist supply, he/she uses the big weapon of silent treatment on targets. So, if you want to know why your narcissist is giving you the silent treatment, you gotta trace out the incident that made him feel less valued.
What happens during silent treatment?
So, during the silent treatment, you get confused and chase back the narcissist. Even if you did not chase, the narcissist knew that you are wondering and thinking about them continuously. This is what makes the narcissist’s ego satisfied and his longing for the narcissistic supply will be fulfilled.
What happens when you get irritated by a narcissist?
You get irritated, you get disturbed, You lose control of yourself and finally, You chase the narcissist and come to them. . And exactly this is what a narcissist expects and wants. By doing so, the narcissist automatically gains control over the relationship..
What is the silent treatment?
To be frank, the silent treatment is one of the narcissist’s cruel weapons used on people who love him. In other words, on the people from whom he gets that narcissistic supply. If you are in a relationship with a narcissist, you might already know how the silent treatment is like.. No calls..
Do narcissists leave their exes?
No matter how much rude they can be.. The narcissist never ever leaves a person from whom he gets the narcissistic supply. This is the reason why many narcissists even try to get in contact with their exes even years after their breakup.
Do narcissists come back?
Narcissists do come back in most cases after the silent treatment. If you clearly observe narcissist patterns and deeply understand a narcissist’s past behaviours, you’ll figure out one thing. No matter how many new people narcissists meet.. No matter how much rude they can be..
What happens when a narcissist uses the silent treatment against you?
When a narcissist uses the silent treatment against you, he or she is playing an emotional game of chicken with your mind. You will be tempted to reach out and speak first. When you do, the narcissist will have considered your reconciliation action a form of “ flinching.”. In their gamebook, they win, and you lose.
Why do narcissists use silent treatment?
Narcissists use the silent treatment as a tool for exerting power over someone or creating emotional distance.
What do narcissists do?
What narcissists typically engage in is an insidious psychological technique called “gaslighting.”. On a very simple level, it goes like this: The narcissist does something selfish, and you confront them about it. The narcissist then twists this event around to make it sound like you were the selfish one.
What is silent treatment?
Psychologists consider the narcissistic silent treatment a form of abuse. It’s a popular form of mental torture used by narcissistic individuals, whereby they cut their victims off by not talking to them for extended periods of time.
Do narcissists look good?
Narcissists are experts at reframing reality in a way that makes them look good and you look bad. While it can be infuriating and confusing, don’t fall for it. Stick to your guns. The silent treatment is never a healthy or functional way of dealing with problems in your relationship.
Do narcissists care about you?
But just try to drill this into your head: Narcissists really don’t care. This is especially true when they use silent treatment to punish you. They don’t have the same feelings of longing and remorse as you do after spending time apart. And they certainly don’t feel guilty about it.
Why do narcissists use silent treatment?
Silent treatment can be initiated to show you that you do not matter, to gain compliance, or to punish you for doing something wrong in the relationship.
What does it mean when a narcissist is silent?
Silent treatment can also mean the Narcissist is otherwise preoccupied and is choosing to intentionally ignore you. If you don’t reach out it will probably frustrate and confuse your narcissist. However if you reach out too persistently or ask too many questions then be prepared to continue to be ignored.
What happens when a narc goes silent?
The narc goes silent and need you to plead for him/her to pick up the phone or respond to attempts of contact. Your attempts of contact, is super fuel to the narcissist. During the silent treatment, it is not unusual for the narcissist to block and unblock, block and then again unblock their victims. The.
What happens if you don't reach out to a narc?
-The Narc will leave hints about their whereabouts or activities on social media or other places you are sure to notice.
What happens if you react harshly to someone?
If you react harshly, for example, calling them out on their behaviour, then they will go into a narcissistic rage, a result of narcissistic injury . This will either cause them to completely discard you or be vengeful. However, If you react positively, then this will give them more power over you.
How long does silent treatment last?
Like me if you to be the narcissist’s friend who refuses to reach out, the silent treatment will last at least 2 weeks. Quora User. , Dog daycare attendant, vet physiology ast, vet tech.
Can a narcissist unblock you during silent treatment?
During the silent treatment, it is not unusual for the narcissist to block and unblock, block and then again unblock their victims. They would have turned you on and off like a light bulb if possible. This, because your attempts of contact in the period of silent treatment is super fuel to the cruel narcissist.