The grey rock method of dealing with a narcissist: its usefulness and the risks of using it

Unfortunately, you (seem to) have a narcissist in your life. It’s not always possible to simply leave and go no contact (right away). Possibly you have young children with the narcissist or your boss might be a narcissist. What should you do when going no contact is not an option yet?

When you have a narcissist in your life, they don’t need to have control over you or your thoughts. In order to protect yourself, you need to go through a process of detachment which could be achieved by using the grey rock method. The method will cost you energy but will put an emotional distance between you and your abusive narcissist. This can be or feel necessary in order to eventually go no contact, which is the only real solution in the long term.

The grey rock method is mentioned a lot online, but not all articles show great depth or mention possible risks. I will explain the grey rock method, its possible use, and more importantly also the risks and disadvantages of using it.

As the grey rock method can have quite an impact on yourself and your relationship with narcissists, I feel like we should handle this with care and attention. So let’s explore all there is to know about the grey rock method in dealing with narcissists and I hope this in-depth article will bring you further in your process of (emotionally) detaching from your narcissist!

The basic idea of the grey rock method

The grey rock method is a strategy for dealing with a narcissist when going no contact is not an option. You try to become as boring and unappealing as a grey rock. You minimize personal contact and interaction with the narcissist and as a result, you don’t feed their need for narcissistic supply.

The basic idea of the grey rock method thus is to bore out the narcissist. Some people might even say: ‘Bore them to death!’ By boring out we try to minimize the personal contact and interaction with the narcissist.

The method is called grey rock because you need to become like a grey rock when around your narcissist(s). You will become as bland, unappealing, and boring as a grey rock. It requires you to become emotionally non-responsive. You only respond when it’s necessary and don’t ask questions or show interest in the narcissist.

You might be reading this and think ‘this is exactly what I’m doing already’. This actually happens quite a lot, as it can be a natural response to start acting in this way. It can happen instinctively or as a form of survival mode after dealing for a longer time with narcissistic abuse.

How to act like a grey rock?

When using the grey rock method you try to respond by only using facts, because facts are more challenging to dispute for the narcissist. Some narcissists will try to do this anyway or they might try to steer the conversation to an old argument or something in the past. This is where you try to stay away from the possible argument and keep minding your own business, and maybe you could throw in a small ‘hmm that’s interesting’ or ‘you might be right’ in a non-emotional way.

As a grey rock you try to avoid conversations as much as possible, but not in an obvious way. When interacting you stick to shallow subjects as the weather. Your answers to questions will be polite, short, and conversation killers. So responding to ‘how are you?’ would be ‘okay, thanks’ and responding to ‘what did you do today?’ would be for example ‘I went for groceries and did laundry’ or ‘I worked today’.

If the conversation killers lead to a cynical response about your enthusiasm you can agree, nod, and/or smile. In some way the response ‘hmmm’, ‘we’ll see’, ‘okay, good to think about’ will become your new friends.

To summarize, we try to avoid personal life, asking questions, and telling how we are really doing. We stick to facts and shallow conversation.

Why should we use the grey rock method?

Now, why should we act as a grey rock? It’s because a narcissist likes drama, attention, interaction and are easily bored, which means they need some thrill and excitement!

Narcissists show their ways in many forms such as acting grandiose, suspicious, or cynical. They need admiration and control. Being related to or being in a relationship with a narcissist means you will experience their attempts of scheming and manipulation. This means all they do will center on getting attention from you.

You could compare the behaviour of a narcissist with a needy child that needs attention. The ego of a narcissist tells them everything needs to be and should be about them. So they will behave similarly like a child in need of attention, which can play out as being extremely sweet, ignoring, or going into a rage.

The grey rock method intends that the narcissist loses attraction to you. A narcissist eventually will then look for another source of energy, because a grey rock is not fulfilling the narcissist’s needs. A narcissist has only interest in themselves.

Acting as a grey rock is not similar to ignoring the narcissist, as you do allow interaction. The interaction itself, however, is non-emotional and you focus your attention on yourself and what you’re doing. So you won’t reward the narcissist’s behaviour with quality attention.

Grey rock is not about outsmarting the narcissist. I wrote an article about why outsmarting a narcissist is not smart at all. It’s better to focus on yourself, your energy, and what you want. The grey rock method could create the space to do this.

Grey rock is a strategy

I think that it’s important to mention that the grey rock method is a way of manipulating and thus a strategy on how to interact with a narcissist. This means when applying the grey rock method you’re participating in a game of manipulation. Please realize this.

The narcissist is a master of manipulation and therefore, as mentioned before, letting them know you are playing this game makes it very interesting for them. They might suspect or sense you are doing something because they will see a change in your behaviour.

8 insights you need to know about the grey rock method

Time to go into all you need to know about the grey rock method. I have broken this down into the following 8 insights.

1. Do not feed the energy of a narcissist

It’s all about attention and energy! A narcissist is an actor that plays many roles and sadly you are a part of the movie. Using the grey rock method is an attempt to not be part of it anymore. The aim is to be bland and without emotions. Just keep minding your own business and keep your attention mainly focused on your own activities.

A narcissist has a need for attention. When for example my dad would come home late, all attention needed to be directed at him. He pulled all energy from the room to make it center around him. Not responding or minding your own business would probably be strange for a narcissist and thus a narcissist will try harder to get attention as a response. This means at first they might try harder to get some fuzz going! Be prepared for this and stay bland.

This can be very hard, as the narcissist will try to trigger your emotions based on earlier experiences. Sadly, this is what they are skilled at. So minding your own business and staying out of playing the game of attention with the narcissist will require quite some mental strength.

2. Beware of your own energy

Try to enjoy being alone and minding your own business. This is an important consideration when applying the grey rock method because the disadvantage of the grey rock method is that it eventually will kill you from inside. It will eat your energy, because who wants to live like a grey rock?

Most partners of narcissists are empaths and very loving persons. Therefore, going grey rock is probably the opposite of how you want to live. You need to disconnect from your emotions, where this connection with emotions is your strength as an empath. Know that you can survive this and know that you are not a grey rock! You’re still a beautiful loving person!

So keep in mind that the grey rock method is designed as a temporary method and try to look after your energy. Know that the grey rock method is a form of protection and it’s not who you are.

To remember this it would be great to for example take a daily walk in nature, interact socially, and consciously having kind thoughts about yourself. Do things that always made you happy and make you feel spiritual or alive. This could be walking with the dog, baking, or gardening for example.

It’s also very possible you are mad or frustrated sometimes when still having to act like a grey rock. The method forces you to deny these emotions at that moment. It’s okay and healthy to let these emotions flow afterward or at a different time when the narcissist is not around.

The longer you need to use the grey rock method, the more important it is to keep doing these things to remind yourself who you are. You need this loving attention for yourself as a counterweight for the time you spend with a narcissist, which is very energy-consuming.

3. Grey rock is short term

As mentioned before, it’s important to know the grey rock method is a short-term technique or a technique used with more casual connections with narcissists. Also, know that the grey rock method will not be successful with all narcissists. No contact is always a better solution for your energy, however, this is not always possible right away.

If you need to interact with a narcissist because of having children together, it’s important to learn to firmly set boundaries, stand up for yourself, and set clear rules for the necessary (non-emotional) contact. To do this, you need to feel the emotional distance from within rather than ‘acting’ as a grey rock.

If you possibly have a narcissistic sibling, you can read more in my article about how to deal with narcissistic siblings. It explores several options depending on the toxicity of this person, the extent of their manipulative behaviour and your ability to set boundaries and protect your energy.

The grey rock method can be used to train yourself to not be too sensitive or affected by the behavior and opinions of others. This could be a challenge for empaths and it will make you stronger.

4. Don’t tell a narcissist about grey rock or narcissism

I should emphasize that you shouldn’t tell the narcissist that you are trying to be bland or dull. Don’t mention the method ‘grey rock’, because they will Google it and learn about it to use it later on against you!

My mother for example once mentioned that I researched narcissism to my narcissistic father and one of his new moves is now to say against my mother ‘you don’t really think I am a mean narcissist, do you? That’s a really bad thought!’.

The interesting thing is that my father now has a lot of books about narcissism and is learning new strategies to develop his never-ending ‘game’. So from my personal experience, I would advise keeping your thoughts about narcissism and the grey rock method to yourself, until you know and have observed more.

5. Think about the pace you become a grey rock

You probably use the grey rock strategy in order to protect yourself. It’s important to think about the pace at which you will become a grey rock. You could adjust the speed at which you become a grey rock depending on the type of narcissist in your environment.

It will differ how fast a narcissist senses that you’re trying to do something or playing a game. You could consider turning more slowly into a grey rock if you feel like this would be more effective or less obvious to the narcissist. Narcissists can also respond in varying ways including violent reactions, so it’s important to consider how your narcissist could possibly respond to the change in your behaviour. Take these aspects into consideration.

6. Grey rock is to find a way of detaching

The idea is to find a way of detaching from the narcissist. Naturally, when interacting for a longer period with a narcissist, you will probably already become more like a grey rock. A lot of victims realize later on they already were being a grey rock.

The constant pain, confusion, and disappointment will mostly create a detachment from emotions and the narcissist. You might be shocked when you realize that this is actually what is going on. It will be very scary to see the truth of what has happened and how a relationship has grown.

It takes a lot of courage to recognize that narcissistic behaviour is very abusive and that it has nothing to do with you! Doing the right thing can and will still hurt like hell. Try to accept that it hurts and don’t think that it shouldn’t. The fact it hurts is a sign that you are a human that is capable of love, which is great!

7. Being a grey rock in more aspects

A consideration is to go grey rock in more aspects than just conversation. This means you dress in a more boring way around the narcissist and show that you care less about the outside world. Try to be plain. You could possibly use no or less make-up, don’t use jewelry, and just show you don’t care about ‘looking good for the outside world’.

This attitude would be the opposite of what a narcissist wants, as they want to show the world how great and beautiful they are. To do this is an option if you feel like you need to take it a step further. This again would be to survive the short term, so remind yourself of who you are when not around the narcissist.

8. Document your observations

I would advise documenting everything. Observe and write down what happens or what is being said. This could be possibly useful for legal action, but also for your mental process of detaching. A narcissist can make you question what happened before and go on until you start to doubt the truth of your own memories.

They can really disturb your thoughts and make you feel like you can’t trust yourself. Therefore writing down what happened will make you stronger and you will not have to doubt yourself. It’s a way of collecting proof for your own sanity so that you know you are not the crazy one!

Method of not being good enough for you

I hope the above-mentioned insights provide some solid information about the grey rock method. Another method to lose the interest of narcissists, which is close to the grey rock method, is pulling the ‘I don’t think that I’m good enough’ card. You will say they are better off without you.

This might get them to lose interest in a safe way, as you support their ego in this way and tell them that they are great. However, there is still a risk of them saying ‘let me help you improving’ and they might see it as an opportunity to create more dependence on them.

Asking for alone time

The influence of a narcissist can be strong and you might want or need some time alone and away from them to get your thoughts straight. Just as the method of ‘not being good enough’ you could use arguments such as ‘being confused’ or ‘close to a burn-out’ to ask for some time alone.

You can remind the narcissist that you don’t feel so well lately and that you need time and space. You use your grey rock appearance as ‘not feeling so well’ and could even suggest that you know the narcissist already noticed it as ‘he or she is such a great observer’. In this way, the narcissist can feel proud about understanding it or already having noticed that you are not feeling well, while you can use the time alone.

My experience as the son of a narcissistic father

As a son of a narcissistic father (and an empath mother) I know that children experience a lot when it comes down to energy. There is always a manipulative game going on in the household, which affects children. We played a happy family for the outside world, but everyone in our family knew this was not the case. My mother developed a form of grey rock in a very slow way, and to be honest I wished she would go no contact as early as she could. She wasn’t able to do this and didn’t have the strength at that time.

If you have children of an age where they will sense what is going on or they let you know what they feel, I would advise you to consider to talk openly to them about it. My mother wanted to protect me by not telling me, but I already knew. Clearly, you want to protect your children, but the situation has already occurred. For me, the truth is always healthier in the long run.

The option of not telling is risking your connection with your children, as you will go numb slowly and your life spark fades when using the grey rock method. So my advice would be to be open about it, as this is what I would have wanted myself as a kid. Naturally, I can only speak from my own experience with this.

Conclusion

The grey rock method is a way of emotionally detaching from a narcissist. It can be hard to emotionally detach from them, but it can be a necessary step before fully detaching and going no contact. By playing the role of being a grey rock you start pulling out of the narcissist reality and energy. This leads to a certain freedom to be able to observe more, make more balanced decisions, and fully detach later on.

Keep in mind that the grey rock method is for temporary use and if you have the possibility and strength to go no-contact you should do this right away. This is because the grey rock method forces you to play a role, which is not who you are. Also, know that the grey rock method might not always succeed.

If you use the grey rock method, it’s important to keep reminding yourself of who you are and know why you are using the method. By going into nature and still have normal social interaction with others you can stay saner and not go numb overall. You need these mindful moments and try to enjoy being in the moment when the narcissist is not around. You could read my article about conscious breathing if you want to learn more about mindfulness.

The process of detaching from a narcissist is hard and is similar to grieving. You may still have feelings for the narcissist or believe/hope that they might change. It’s hard to accept and being angry or denying it is part of this process of grief.

If you have trouble with definitively leaving or staying no contact because of this narcissist trying to hoover you back into the relationship, you can read my in-depth article about hoovering by a narcissist.

Important! Never blame yourself!

Don’t blame yourself for still being with a narcissist. It’s hard for people to understand why you stay with them, but the manipulative game goes slowly. They take a small bite at a time until they have eaten your soul. They violate boundaries step by step and continue to be able to pull off more extreme or abusive behaviour. It’s not your fault!

– Did you like this article and is it helpful to you? I encourage you to share, like, follow, comment and possibly subscribe to my newsletter to receive monthly updates of my activities!
– You could try my article about what to expect when breaking up with a narcissist for more information about going no-contact. I also wrote an article going into 11 reasons why it’s so hard to end a relationship or marriage with a narcissist.

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