relationship communication

What to Do When Your Partner Is Stonewalling You?

When people talk about conflict in relationships, they often imagine shouting, disagreements, emotional storms. But one of the most painful forms of relational breakdown isn’t loud at all—it’s silence. Stonewalling doesn’t arrive with explosions; it arrives with emotional shut doors. One minute you’re trying to explain how you feel; the next, your partner retreats into a quiet, impenetrable wall. No answers. No acknowledgment. No emotional presence.