Lets use the example of a partner withholding affection to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.
1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality and the needs and feelings of their partner.
2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person has formed habitual patterns of withholding affection as a way of asserting control or expressing displeasure.
3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to withholding affection in certain situations.
4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons body and mind manifest in a way that allows them to withhold affection and perceive it as a means of control.
5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind) interact with their partner and the external world.
6. Contact (phassa): The persons partner desires affection or demonstrates behavior the person views as negative, which triggers their habit of withholding affection through their sense bases.
7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences a sense of satisfaction or power in withholding affection, which reinforces their habit.
8. Craving (tanha): The person desires control over their partner, and withholding affection is a means to achieve that.
9. Clinging (upadana): The person becomes increasingly attached to the habit of withholding affection, which intensifies their craving and reinforces their sense of control.
10. Becoming (bhava): This clinging to the habit of withholding affection reinforces the persons sense of superiority, which they activate in other relationships.
11. Birth (jati): The persons habit of withholding affection manifests in the form of emotional distance, which reinforces the cycle of mental formations and karmic consequences.
12. Old age and death (jara-marana): The persons habit of withholding affection, if left unaddressed or over a long period of time, can lead to physical, mental, and emotional suffering for their partner, which perpetuates negative karma in future situations, or even future lives.
In this example, we can see how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the cycle of withholding affection. By understanding the dependent origination of this habit and recognizing the interdependence of the Twelve Links in this context, a person can cultivate mindfulness and work towards breaking the cycle of suffering it creates, ultimately leading to healthier relationships and greater peace.

How to break cycle at each point:

To break the cycle of dependent origination in the context of a partner withholding affection, one can engage in the following practices:

1. Ignorance: Develop greater awareness of the true nature of reality and the interdependence of all beings. This can be achieved through study, meditation, and cultivating mindfulness and compassion.

2. Mental formations: Recognize habitual patterns that perpetuate suffering in relationships and work to develop new, healthier habits. This may involve seeking therapy, participating in couples counseling, or engaging in personal growth practices.

3. Consciousness: Cultivate awareness of your habitual patterns and develop the ability to respond to your partners needs with greater insight and compassion.

4. Name and form: Develop greater awareness of how your body and mind manifest in response to your partner and cultivate a more skillful response that is rooted in compassion and empathy.

5. The six sense bases: Develop greater mindfulness of your sense organs and how they interact with your partner and the world around you. This can help you respond to your partners needs with greater skill and wisdom.

6. Contact: Reframe your relationship with your partners behaviors as an opportunity for growth and development, rather than as an opportunity to exert control.

7. Feeling: Recognize the impermanence of feelings and sensations and develop the ability to respond to them with equanimity, rather than seeking satisfaction or power.

8. Craving: Develop greater awareness of your underlying desire for control and work to reframe this desire in a more skillful way, focusing on mutual respect and affection rather than domination.

9. Clinging: Work to cultivate a more flexible and open relationship with your partner and develop the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and needs.

10. Becoming: Recognize the ways in which your behavior in one relationship may affect your behavior in others, and work to break free from negative karmic patterns.

11. Birth: Cultivate greater empathy, understanding, and affection in your relationships, breaking the cycle of emotional distance and disconnection.

12. Old age and death: Work to alleviate the suffering of those around you and cultivate positive karmic consequences by engaging in acts of service and compassion, both in your personal relationships and in society as a whole. As one develops greater awareness and compassion, they can break the cycle of dependent origination at any point, leading to greater peace and harmony for themselves and those around them.