What happens When You and the Narcissist Both Start Giving Each Other the Silent Treatment
They cannot sustain the silence because they cannot survive without supply. Your silence is self-sustaining. It heals you. Their silence is self-destructive. It starves them.
Eventually, they will have to break the tension. They will reach out. It may be a fake apology, a passive-aggressive remark, a sudden crisis, or a casual message acting like nothing ever happened.
But make no mistake: when they reach out first, it is proof that their game has completely failed. They wanted to punish you through silence, but you used their own game to strip them of all their power. You forced them to show their hand. You forced them to reveal how desperately they actually need you to exist.
This dynamic teaches us the ultimate lesson in narcissistic abuse recovery. True power does not come from screaming the loudest. It comes from realizing that you never needed them in the first place.
When they give you the gift of their absence, you do not cry over it. You take it. You lock the door behind them, and you use that silence to rebuild your beautiful life.
If you’re currently sitting in the silence, hold your ground. Do not give them the reaction they’re starving for. Let them suffocate in the void they created.
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