Ama K. Karikari spent 15 years in a marriage defined by chronic silent treatment before recognizing it as abuse. Here’s what she learned.
Sometimes the hardest relationships to leave are the ones that don’t look obviously harmful from the outside. There may not be a single incident you can point to or a piece of evidence that makes everyone around you immediately understand what you’re feeling. Instead, there’s withdrawal, punishment, confusion, and a growing sense that you can’t trust your own interpretation of what’s happening anymore.
My guest today, Ama K. Karikari, spent fifteen years experiencing chronic silent treatment in marriage before recognizing it as a form of emotional harm. Today she helps other women and mothers find language for experiences they may have struggled to explain even to themselves.
In this conversation, you'll learn:
- What the silent treatment actually is — and the critical distinctions between it, a cooling off period, and involuntary stonewalling
- Why the silent treatment triggers the same neurological pain centers as physical violence
- Why it’s so hard for others — friends, family, even clinicians — to recognize it as abuse when there’s no visible evidence
- How chronic silent treatment erodes self-trust over time and causes women to doubt their own perception
- The four potential outcomes of staying in a narcissistic relationship, according to research
- The one safest first step for a woman who still feels confused or afraid to trust her own experience
Ama’s free resources
Find both in the links below.
Website: https://www.amakkarikari.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amakkarikari/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amakarikariyawson/
eBook — Silenced to Soaring: Heal from Chronic Silent Treatments, Toxic Relationships and Abuse: https://www.amakkarikari.com/
Soaring Sisters Community — guided lessons, practical exercises, community webinars, and optional weekly peer support circles: https://www.skool.com/silenced-to-soaringmoms/about
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