Silent treatment in relationships: the quiet killer of intimacy and trust
When couples come together, open and honest conversations build closeness and understanding. However, many fall into a harmful pattern—the cold shoulder, the silent treatment, or refusing to speak. Purposely depriving your partner of words, often as punishment or to exert control, causes profound emotional pain that can tear even the strongest relationships apart. This “silent treatment in relationships” may seem tame, but its roots are surprisingly cruel. In the 19th century, sailors used merciless silence to discipline misbehaving crew members on long ocean voyages. The writer Otis Ferguson called it “a process so effective…as to make strong men weep.” What