I am very grateful to ‘how to be an analyst‘ for originally raising the subject of touch in psychotherapy with me, in a series of comments on one of my blog posts. I am also grateful for the excellent reading list suggestions!
Ever since that time, a few months ago, I have been thinking, reading, and talking to my therapist about it. I have also been meaning to write about it, and am grateful to ‘Lou’ for her email on the subject, which raised it for me yet again, and led to me writing a recent post about the desire for touch, which will be followed by another post on feeling ‘untouchable’.
This post from ‘how to be an analyst‘ draws together her very helpful and informative comments on my older blog post, which initially sparked my interest. I am very thankful and appreciative for the time that she spent writing those comments, and for her honesty and courage in speaking about her own past experience and also her struggles in therapy. I very much hope that her comments will be as interesting and helpful for you as they were for me, irrespective of your own views on the subject. Touch is not part of my own therapy experience, but it has been very valuable to think about it, talk about it, and to try and understand the views of those who advocate it, and those who are hesitant…
It has been five months since I’ve posted. Motherhood keeps me busy! Also, analysis five days a week is incredibly complex and so hard to encapsulate and put into words, especially while one is in the thick of it.
But, I am grateful to the author of lifeinabind for bringing up the topic of touch in therapy. It has long, long been a source of both pain and pleasure for me, and I think it should be something that is considered as part of talk therapy far more than it actually is.
I don’t have time to explain or write a full post, but I will edit and take some of my comments that I wrote on lifeinabind’s post to explain my experiences and thoughts on touch in analysis (wow! This ended up being very long!). Also, for anyone who is interested, I will include the list of research…
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January 14, 2016 at 2:07 am
This is the same comment I posted on the “how to be an analyst” site.
Such a profound feeling to know your comments actually “resonate” with others. I feel very fortunate to have happened upon this subject online and in my therapeutic process.
I see my therapist tomorrow and have a long list of questions for her to answer to help me feel somehow less “bad” due to her decision. I believe it is a work in progress that will take some time and consistent caring on her part but it should work out and will probably be a very important learning opportunity for both.
Thank you once again…
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January 14, 2016 at 6:40 am
So glad you’re taking these questions to her and if you feel comfortable to, do let us know how it goes. I meant say before. …whatever the outcome on touch, I do think you can work it out. A therapeutic relationship that has worked well for over four years is a big achievement and big emotional investment and her decision feels horrendous but I’m sure it must have been extremely hard for her to make. Although you may end up simply agreeing to disagree, I have to believe that her action is motivated by caring and wanting to do the right thing for you. That doesn’t make it necessarily the right decision, but I hope it means the relationship can survive and you can work through this….take care….
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July 3, 2022 at 3:45 am
Thankk you for this
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