Reading Time: 3 minutes When you are involved with someone who’s been some sort of presence in your life and that person simply disappears, that is ghosting.

Maybe you had a couple of dates and texted frequently, and then it just stops without explanation. Maybe you were in a relationship that seemed to be on track for something more, and your partner quits returning calls or showing up without actually breaking up with you. They just disappear. It’s the kind of disappearing act that initially makes you think they may be unconscious in a hospital somewhere.

Today I heard a new phrase. Zombie. When your partner goes zombie, that means they haven’t cut off communication entirely. However, they aren’t showing up to be in the relationship at all. They might answer a text if you’re asking a question. However, they don’t initiate contact and have obviously disappeared in all other ways. This kind of disconnect makes you wonder if you’ve been dumped but leaves you hanging on thinking something else must be going on.