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

[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.

[funluvin1]

i have experienced this form of punishment in a past relationship. As stated by several, it was for a specified period of time and only as a last resort. i can honestly say i hated it, it was a very effective punishment that caused me to never repeat the same infraction again. (i still remember exactly what i did though it was years ago....needless to say, it stuck with me) To crawl to His feet, or to ask if He desired anything from me at the moment only to be completely ignored and made to feel invisible instead of the usual pat on the head or kind word was not only eye-opening & saddening, but humiliating. When the time was over my feelings and His were discussed and i was able to move on without guilt for what i had done. This is only me, everyone is different.

[Mature Sir]

Exactly... everyone is different, and every relationship has it's own dynamic. Personally, I like open communication, so would not be inclined to use the 'silent treatment' as a punishment. I like to know what a sub is thinking and feeling, and there are so many other ways to punish an errant sub without cutting off communication.

[DowntownAmber]

As is everything else in this Lifestyle, it's not so much what we do but how and why we do it. C'mon people, we hit each other for fun - CLEARLY we defy convention, so let's try to approach this topic with an outta' the box point of view as well.

Many couples use physical punishments, but we can all see there is a HUGE difference between telling your sub what bothered you before putting her over your knee to spank her and walking into a room and punching her in a fit of anger. There's also a huge difference between cutting off communication with no explanation or emergency contact method, and setting a period of silence and/or no non-essential communication.

Frankly, if a sub were willfully breaking rules and wasting a Dom's time and effort, I see nothing wrong with said Dom saying, "if your time with me means so little, then we're going to spend some time apart. Don't contact me, and I won't contact you this weekend."

[didoanna]

I like to know what a sub is thinking and feeling, and there are so many other ways to punish an errant sub without cutting off communication.

Umm, but the thing is when I'm like on the receiving end of it by the Female Head of the House and her long term male friend, I hate it as I know that I'm being punished for something I've done wrong and so upset them. I hate having it done to me and they know that so they only use it now and again.

I mean I hate the fact that once I'm in my room away from them (no music and no TV) all there is to is think about why I've been punished eg for saying something mean to one of her friends or something like that. And that means it is really hard to not think about why I'm in my room, not being talked to and stuff like that.

[chantress]

For me... The silent treatment is effective in one thing and that is me being devastated and withdrawing completely! I love my Master dearly but I have problems and He knows that it would totally tear me apart. It would be very hard for me to reestablish that connection with Him. I am the type of person that struggles to connect with people and I do not do terribly well with being ignored. It is all to easy for me to slip into a state of mine where nothing matters to me, I believe I matter to no one and stop having any drive to be near anyone. So no this is not a feasible punishment for me. My Master loves me and ultimately my punishments are His choice. I know that He will not do anything to leave me emotionally hurting and vulnerable. I gave myself to Him willingly knowing that He will care for me. However - I can say that for every couple it is bound to be a bit different. Each couple has their own dynamics and relationships operate differently.

[Scooter05]

we have a time between the actual punishment is handed down and the punishment this is to reflect on the transgression