Struggling with Going Non-Verbal

My girlfriend goes nonverbal often, and I know for her it helps to not force her to speak or anything like that, because it makes her worse. I think the main thing is, is recognizing that going nonverbal mostly doesnt harm you. Being nonverbal is also a coping mechanism, in my opinion its one of the healthier ones so i would just say don't be too hard on yourself if you slip into mutism. It'll eventually go away and if you have a chart with communication pictures, that also might help you feel better about going mute.