My boyfriend and I broke up around four months ago and he has insisted that there be no contact between us. He says he doesn’t know if we can ever chat again because he doesn’t know how he feels about the end of this relationship. I thought I would be okay with this because I assumed it would be a temporary break. We used to be great friends, and I always thought we could continue to be close because of how important he is in my life and how important I thought I was to him. The longer he stays away, the harder it is for me to manage because I miss him in my life. I know we aren’t going to get back, but I don’t want this absence to be permanent. How do I change his mind and get him to take me back into his life as a friend again?
You can’t rush someone’s grieving process just because you think it’s right for you. The end of a relationship will always affect both partners differently and you can’t presume to know what he’s dealing with or how he’s trying to cope. You may have feelings about him as a friend and missing him is perfectly normal, but if he has asked for time away from you, there’s nothing you can do but honour those wishes because communication is a two-way street. Wait for a while and hope that time eases the pain of separation for you both. You can send him a message telling him how you feel, but whether that changes his mind is impossible to know. The best thing to do is wait and hope that he starts to feel the same way about your friendship again.

I love my boyfriend and know that he can be a better person, but his past always gets in the way. Should I convince him to seek therapy?
If neither of you has the tools to cope with this, professional help can certainly make a difference.