what do you think of the silent treatment as used for punishment?

[ppr128]

I think it is one of the worst possible ideas. It may be an effective threat, but if it is carried out, it hurts terribly. To deliberately cut off contact is only going to make re-establishing it more difficult.

A variant on this, that of cutting a sub off from their friends or family, was also proposed to me once. I hated the idea of that even more; there are times when I am not available to talk to, and what happens if something big in their life happens? If someone they are close to is injured or passes away, or they recieve a long-awaited promotion at work or hear of a loved one getting engaged, married, or having a child? It is bad enough to be punished, let alone to redouble it due to unforeseen circumstances.

What if the same happens to the other person and they want to reach out to the submissive for company or celebration? Why punish someone else in addition to the submissive?

Admittedly I am not big on the idea of punishment; I find other techniques to be more effective and enjoyable, both for me and my partner. Personally, playing "no talkies" strikes me as juvenile. Your mileage may vary; if it works for others in their relationships, that is fine. It is simply not for me.

[Miner]

I think it is one of the worst possible ideas. It may be an effective threat, but if it is carried out, it hurts terribly. To deliberately cut off contact is only going to make re-establishing it more difficult.

A variant on this, that of cutting a sub off from their friends or family, was also proposed to me once. I hated the idea of that even more; there are times when I am not available to talk to, and what happens if something big in their life happens? If someone they are close to is injured or passes away, or they recieve a long-awaited promotion at work or hear of a loved one getting engaged, married, or having a child? It is bad enough to be punished, let alone to redouble it due to unforeseen circumstances.

What if the same happens to the other person and they want to reach out to the submissive for company or celebration? Why punish someone else in addition to the submissive?

Admittedly I am not big on the idea of punishment; I find other techniques to be more effective and enjoyable, both for me and my partner. Personally, playing "no talkies" strikes me as juvenile. Your mileage may vary; if it works for others in their relationships, that is fine. It is simply not for me.

That's a different issue. The silent treatment generally means refusing to speak to the sub for a specific amount of time in punishment for a transgression, rather than refusing the sub access to others (other than her dominant of course).

Refusing to speak to the sub for a specific time is usually effective as a punishment, lol.

[Veridical]

I think it is one of the worst possible ideas. It may be an effective threat, but if it is carried out, it hurts terribly. To deliberately cut off contact is only going to make re-establishing it more difficult.

A variant on this, that of cutting a sub off from their friends or family, was also proposed to me once. I hated the idea of that even more; there are times when I am not available to talk to, and what happens if something big in their life happens? If someone they are close to is injured or passes away, or they receive a long-awaited promotion at work or hear of a loved one getting engaged, married, or having a child? It is bad enough to be punished, let alone to redouble it due to unforeseen circumstances.

What if the same happens to the other person and they want to reach out to the submissive for company or celebration? Why punish someone else in addition to the submissive?

Admittedly I am not big on the idea of punishment; I find other techniques to be more effective and enjoyable, both for me and my partner. Personally, playing "no talkies" strikes me as juvenile. Your mileage may vary; if it works for others in their relationships, that is fine. It is simply not for me.

This. My thoughts exactly. Except for the punishment part at the end.
A BDSM relationship, in my view, is based on two founding principles; Communication, and trust. I feel, personally, as if the silent treatment completely and totally breaks both of those things.