Negative Stigma of Ticklishness

[KLH]

This is an old post and I haven't read all the replies...


I just know that I absolutely despise being tickled. Yes there is pleasureable laughter but I totally feel violated after someone tickles me. If I ask them to stop, I mean it. Did I mention I despise being tickled?

In school I leant that soft touch = tickling. Soft touch is generally a no no in massage (sad but true)...OMG how could touching someone softly have an effect! :roll:

 

[Matty]

I've also heard that the more ticklish an area is, the more it needs to be worked on..not sure about that. :?

 

[Saramlou]

This is an old post and I haven't read all the replies...


I just know that I absolutely despise being tickled. Yes there is pleasureable laughter but I totally feel violated after someone tickles me. If I ask them to stop, I mean it. Did I mention I despise being tickled?

In school I leant that soft touch = tickling. Soft touch is generally a no no in massage (sad but true)...OMG how could touching someone softly have an effect! :roll:

I think if a person asks for tickling (or ANY touch) to stop, it should be stopped at once, and not restarted. If you hate being tickled, nobody has a right to tickle you. I do know many people who enjoy being tickled briefly - usually children. But when they are done, whoever is tickling them needs to STOP.

Soft touch does not always equal tickling, though!! I have a lot of ticklish clients who are seldom to never tickled by anything I do (after the first session it is never), and I do some feather stroking on most everyone. We were taught the feather stroke in school, so it is just dependent on the instructor, I imagine.

As far as the teaching that a ticklish area needs more work, I think that is also the opinion of an instructor. Some people are just ticklish! It's not a sign of an emotional or physical problem, it is just a fact. I'm not ticklish, and never was. I remember feeling very left out as a child, watching the other kids giggling hysterically, and me not feeling tickled at all. But I also remember being grateful not to be ticklish, at times, when an adult refused to quit tickling a child begging to be let go, because of the belief that laughter=fun.

I think the recipient of being tickled is the only one who knows and has a right to say if it is okay or not, and is the only one who knows and has a right to say if something tickles or not.

 

[joeyharrington2002]

"Some people are just ticklish! It's not a sign of an emotional or physical problem, it is just a fact. I'm not ticklish, and never was."

Good point Rose of Sharon.

"I remember feeling very left out as a child, watching the other kids giggling hysterically, and me not feeling tickled at all. But I also remember being grateful not to be ticklish, at times, when an adult refused to quit tickling a child begging to be let go, because of the belief that laughter=fun. "

We all come from different backgrounds & this is important for us to remember as MTs. For me as a child, my big brother used to tickle me and wouldn't stop...he also would also do a noogie type of tickle that hurt sooo much (& he wouldn't stop - I still have nightmares about it!). So I guess that is where my negative association comes from!

I'm a little frustrated lately with the no pain, no gain attitude of some therapists I've been around lately...thanks for the reminder of feather strokes. I've lost a little perspective lately (seems I've been seeing many clients with bruises from harsh MTs recently too) .

 

[Yokune Ruko]

We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, and what works for one person won't work for all. From my personal experience and that of my family, friends, and clients, ticklishness is no laughing matter. Though they may laugh, the tickling hurts. I have a lot of tension in my back and some ticklish spots right along my spine. The ticklishness diminishes the more it is worked on. So, to me, equating a tickle with tension or spasm just makes sense. The muscle is already overworked and hypersensitive. If I ever had a client that specifically requested being tickled, I would try to find someone to refer them to. I'm not into doing something to someone that I myself find no enjoyment in. It wouldn't be beneficial to the client.