Silent Treatment Appreciation – Part 3 (of 3-Pt Series)

How do I know the narc is seriously done? I am struggling with this, and funny thing, every time we “break up” and I think..this is it!…we make up. However, all the other times in the past, I have texted or emailed lengthy explainations as to why everything happened, and requests for him to explain why he keeps hurting me, why doesnt he love me, etc. Then, I get the texts or calls days or weeks later, asking when we will return each others things. We have ended our relationship before, and over 5 years, exchanged clothes or personal things, and then weeks later, he has hoovered back in. This time, I have gone NC, it has been 3 1/2 weeks, and he has contacted me a few times, at 10 day intervals, only texting “Hello Sandra, are you working today? or “what do you want me to do with your stuff” or the email subject line “my stuff and your stuff”, with the same question. Two calls later to blocked numbers, no voicemail left because I keep it full, I have maintained NC successfully, but have seen him here and there from a distance at work. We work in a large place together, where people may not run into each other for years at a time. I believe he spies on me though through flying monkeys on FB, and knows exactly where I am at work. I purposely avoid going to an area I know he will be. I also think he saw me yesterday, and can only guess that he still believes I am just ignoring him because Im mad (which I have done before). I am torn between ending my NC, just to exchange personal belongings of some important value, or continuing the NC until I MAY be stronger, but worried about having to flip the “reset” button, and start NC all over again! I have gone NC before, over the summer, saw him once for 5 min, that was the halfway point of two months of silence. The day before we were to “end it all officially” in September, he started his hoover again by texting me he was sorry he mad me cry, and he wanted to ask me a question, but then said he forgot what it was an hour later! I fell for it, and actually ended up teling him he could come by to pick up his things. Big mistake. So once he hoovered back in, it only took a few weeks before the drama and small arguments started back up. Small excuses as to why he hadn’t called me all day at work for example, (12 hours later, really?! I should not have been surprised, but THIS time was different, he said he would not let me go again, and not yo-yo my heart again!), small silences that happened more frequently, and the third argument of course involved triangulation of his new best friend, a female coworker. I was not jealous, but it was all the excuse he needed, to go silent for a long stretch, before saying we should not be together because we argue too much. His “catch all phrase” that he always used, was that WE argue too much, and I am too much DRAMA. This all came to a head, the end of October, right up to three days before my birthday. That was when I went NC this last time, for good. Question is, do I avoid any communication at all, or just get my things and click the reset button, during the Holidays? I KNOW, I am not strong enough to physically see him, I have developed a strong reaction to seeing him, and shake with anger and fear and hurt and everything else all balled into the pit of my stomach. Last time I saw him, a few weeks ago, I ran into a bathroom and hid for 20min. I was shaling for an hour, nervous, and almost had two car accidents. He was not at all physically violent with me, but his mental hold on me is so strong, I now understand that I am very much trauma bonded to him, because of my divorce 5 years ago. He has been there with me through it all, first as a “friend”, then a lover, then a boyfriend. He has kept me on a perpetual abusive rollercoaster of yo-yoing and silent treatments- disguised as being “dumped” as he calls it, but basically they were all break ups, that lasted anywhere from a few days, to 1,2,3, or 4 weeks at a time. Each one slightly longer than the other, with this last summer technically being almost 2 months, minus the brief 5 min accidental encounter. I am stronger everyday, reading and educating myself, and with a few close friends that sympathize because they either know him personally, or have just witnessed my odd behavior for 5 years! I may be crazy and pathetic to him, but Ican only hope, that I will have some form of closure. Just asking what you would do in my shoes??? God, I miss him, and this will be the hardest thing I have ever had to do, second only to my divorce. I have two children with my ex husband, and this relationship with my Narc, is starting to be noticed now by my 12 yr old daughter, who adores my Narc, by the way. That, was my wake up call, and thats when I started reading about Narcs and joing FB page with women with similar stories. That was a month ago, and until then, I had NO IDEA I was being abused….very sad.

I think the one thing that did hit me funny in this article, was the part talking about taking the time he is giving you, it didnt feel very empowering. And i feel its because, we feel as you might’ve mentioned in a different article, that its always on their time. I felt very much a victim of his timing, and it was almost as destructive as anything else. Conveniently he runs off all the time, leaving circular conversations or unresolved questions of his incongruient behaviors. It caused emotional distress that kept me bonding. I seek harmony and calmness and this was tormenting. When i shouldve not let my life go to shambles and made it all about my time he ate up with chaos. Time i lost on holidays with my kids because of him causing distress, time i couldnt focus on my goals and responsibilities and health…it was my time and i allowed him to waste it. Im the only one living this life i was given, he discarded me again and again for ripping the mask off, and now i regret giving him my energy and time because i simply wanted and did believe he loved me and as he insisted, he never lied to me about anything. If he didnt lie, why is he living the lie, and lying to his wife still about his heart and doing this to me? Logic has to prevail, when the heart cant hear maybe. I heard a relationship coach say, that when we despise something in someone, its because we despise a weakness in ourselves unknowingly. I use to hate my step mom for what she did to my family and stealing my dad away, till my mom and i began to understand my dad was a N too. I truly believe now, N’s will seek out strong loving woman, to capture what they lack, maybe even conquer it. My N love bombed me hard enough i felt he honstly loved me and i believed every word, if for any reason i questioned it to make sure wr wete both on same page, i was punished and it became about me not trusting him…its not in my nature to not trust people easily, when i tried to call him out exhausted from the fights, i ended up apologizing and not being able to stay away from the intense closeness that just had to be real . In his words, “otherwise whats it all for”. His favorite, “if we talk and share we can get through anything, we have some bumps ahead, but nothing our love cant get through”. Followed by the discard and silent treatment. If one thing can be said, being the o.w. to a narcissist is like getting a buffet of karma and not needing to wait for the check to clear. I paid, and will. Looking back…if only…i had been strong enough to take back my time during the emotional abuse i mightve saw this all for what it was, one way or another, i believe if i took more seriously my time to myself providence wouldve revealed things. Bearing in mind though the normal push pull relationship stuff i mistaked his behavoirs for, are not the same as a N’s silent treatments. Taking time for yourself has nearly the same results though which confused me, the narc comes back, or the normal guy comes back…both wanting more of you it seems. I dont know how i couldve made the distinction, except the missing episodes of rage when asked why the withdrawing, punishing and silence, and being told things were about my issues taking the focus off his lying. Being told i deserved the abuse i was asking for more of it, or that i made him do things. Only later to be told i was right and he purpisefully causes chaos out of fear.

Everything you say is exactly what i been going thru. And i have so much pain, i actually have to force myself to read because my mind races back to the rare small nice loving moments and tells me to keep believing him. I confronted him so many times about his cheating, lying, and to do right…he wanted us together he said. i got constantly punished when he would purposefully hurt me and caused chaos, silent treatment blamed discarded. i told his wife since he wouldnt, now im being threatened too aditionally. I cant reconcile in my heart the things i thought were true and the way he is being. He has done everything mean you talk of and i have had all the bad things that happen to the victim happen to me…i hurt and ache and im paralized, i dont want to feel this way anymore. I can not reconcile any of this in my heart, and free myself from this.