The silent treatment can be a form of trying to contain our emotions not to hurt the other person in the heat of the moment. However, it can also be a form of ignoring a person to communicate power over them.
This is a fantastic explanation of how the stories we tell ourselves need exploring and reframing to a more compassionate, self-caring and self-valuing perspective. This process can help us say a healthy “no”. Check it out:
I have thoroughly enjoyed this little book by the Norwegian explorer, Erling Kagge. Here is why silence is so important.