Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog
What is Silent Divorce?
Marriage always has its ups and downs. As couples navigate their lives together, they often come across some rough patches. Many times, partners are able to work through their differences and get their marriage back on track. Other times, the relationship continues to degrade and spiral into a place where married couples turn into roommates. Sometimes, couples continue their marriage in this way.
What is Silent Divorce?
Silent divorce is also called an emotional divorce, quiet divorce, or invisible divorce. It is a lack of connection or love in a marital relationship. It happens when intimacy slowly erodes so that partners are living mostly separate lives, while still living together in their marriage. When this happens, parties may believe that their marriage is over, but have not taken steps to formally end their union. Instead, they stay together, sometimes believing that it is best for their children. However, a silent divorce can take a toll on everyone in the family.
Signs of Silent Divorce
Many times, couples do not officially discuss their relationship in terms of a silent divorce. In fact, often, lack of communication is one of the problems and something that is a sign of a silent divorce. If you recognize signs of silent divorce in your marriage, you may want to seek professional marriage counseling or couples therapy.
No Communication
One of the first signs of a silent divorce is a reduction in communication. You and your spouse may no longer engage in discussions and may even stop talking altogether. In some cases, a person may avoid communication as a way to prevent arguments. Lack of communication may quickly result in a downward spiral of the relationship unless you take steps to intervene.
Lack of Arguments
Couples who argue a lot may begin to tire of the situation, especially when nothing changes. Over time, the arguments may end, not because couples are in agreement, but because they are just no longer interested in feuding. Rather than fighting, parties may simply find it easier to avoid contact completely. Couples often stop any physical connection and may take separate bedrooms.
Loss of Respect
In a healthy relationship, spouses care about and respect each other. They often go out of their way to do kind things for each other. When a marriage is ending, the parties may lose respect for each other. They start to take an attitude that the other person no longer matters. One or both parties may become disrespectful and may say or do things that are mean or degrading.
Ambivalence
When someone is no longer interested in their spouse, they become ambivalent. They may emotionally disengage entirely from the relationship. The other person may not matter as much, and therefore, spouses start to live separate lives without consulting their partner. Couples may begin to seek outside interests rather than spend time at home.
Are You Part of a Silent Divorce?
Silent divorce can be emotionally challenging. Couples may be in this position without having discussed it with their partner. As couples grow apart, they may no longer turn to each other for the love and support they need, and communication becomes difficult or sometimes nonexistent. Marital counseling may be helpful in trying to save the relationship. When couples are no longer vested in the relationship, there may be nothing that can be done to save the marriage.
If you are participating in a silent divorce, it is helpful to seek professional guidance as soon as possible to see if you can redeem the marriage. To be successful, you both must be willing to communicate honestly and be forthright about your expectations and wishes. It can take some time to resolve the issues that are troubling your marriage. Sometimes, these efforts fail, or parties are just not willing to make an effort to fix the marriage. In these cases, it may be time to move on and take steps to separate and get a divorce.
Call Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to talk to our compassionate family law attorneys today.
The family law practice group at Arnold & Smith, PLLC includes two Board-Certified Family Law specialists and one Child Welfare Law specialist, as well as several attorneys with many years of family law experience that are committed to providing a powerful voice to individuals facing the often-tumultuous issues in this area of law. The range of issues our family law clients may be facing include pre- and post-nuptial agreements; separation agreements; post-separation support; child support (both temporary and permanent); absolute divorce; divorce from bed and board; military divorce; equitable distribution of assets; child custody (both temporary and permanent); retirement benefits and divorce; alimony and spousal support; adoption; and emancipation. Because this area of the law is usually emotionally charged and complicated, the family law attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC act with the utmost dedication to ensure that each client understands his or her options, and then act to achieve the best result possible for that client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://ktvz.com/health/cnn-health/2025/04/26/signs-youre-in-a-silent-divorce-are-loud-and-clear/
https://dictionary.apa.org/couples-therapy
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https://www.freeimages.com/photo/couple-standing-in-park-2011932
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