my feeling Benny is that earlier, shorter silent treatments were practise runs.
my ex came back often. drunk phone calls telling me they still needed me. But once they find away to get those needs met elsewhere and no longer rely on us for emotional support, the silence will be more permanent. My ex disappeared 18 months ago and I never heard from him again. And yes, it is sad. Just so extreme and unnecessary. The sense of ostracism and banishment really plays with all of the fundamental psychological needs of a social creature like a human being. It goes against our very sense of survival and can be brutal in its message and damage. But only if we choose to believe what they are trying to say about us. After a point, I chose NOT to believe what his silence was meant to say about me. And I chose to believe he has an illness called BPD and that I should only own my parts and not his.
So I worked on me and why I chose him, settled, copped the abuse, gave so much. And that's where the real gift of the borderline can be found: in breaking long-standing patterns and behaviours.
Best of luck to you
BB12