Many of us are acquainted with the concept of ‘ghosting”, a social faux paus that occurs when something arises in a relationship, or friendship, testing the boundaries of what’s comfortable . An awkward conversation , or date, can lead to this outcome , which is accompanied by never hearing from the person. Ever again. Somehow , this has become a normal part of our modern-day vernacular .
If something happens that makes us feel uncomfortable, we avoid, and then avoid further , until we make ourselves invisible . In our avoidance, we gather up reasons for why it’s justifiable not to respond back to the person. Further justifying our cause, we make a choice to not respond to text messages, emails, or voicemails. This is at the very core of the concept of “ghosting”, and although it might be thought of in some respects, as taking the proverbial “easy way out “, it can , serve another function , which is self protection .
“Ghosting”, can also accompany the recovery period after ending an abusive relationship with a Narcissist, or any type of toxic union. After this type of toxic pairing , a person could be left feeling that the world is a scary place and the need for self protection overrides any temporary social , emotional or physical need, to be around other people, in a variety of capacities .
It is possible to ‘ghost’ , your own life, and its parallel term in psychology is called isolating. This is when a person prefers to withdraw from society, for a period of time, and its driven by more than just the need for “alone time”. This is purely driven by the memory of the pain they experienced in the abusive relationship, that causes them to pull away from others, at least temporarily .
Manifestations of “ghosting” can take on many forms , from taking a temporary reprieve and staying off all social media , to opting for more alone time, to the more extreme choice of isolation, that borders on being unhealthy . The main determiner between “good for you”, and “probably not good for you “, rests within the individual and really should be measured by what it is they are trying to heal from . For example, in the case of someone who is coming out of the tail end of a savage betrayal by a Narcissist, they may choose an extended period of healing where they p[refer their own company as they attempt to process the myriad of emotional upheaval they have gone through .
