The essence of this message is a request to talk about group cuddling. You can skip everything else.
Here’s my journey. I think of platonic cuddling as private, non-sexual full-body contact between two people that is usually combined with another activity like watching TV, or as a prelude to sleep. With that mindset, I was surprised to read about cuddling being a solitary thing in itself, public cuddling, cuddle parties, cuddle puddles, and all the excitement over the cuddle events that are about to happen in New York and elsewhere.
One part of me figured that my idea of cuddling as a (combined or prelude) private event was outdated, a byproduct of the notion that platonic cuddling is a non-sexual activity. If no one is doing anything naughty, then why not do it in public or groups? But I still couldn’t let go of cuddling being a bonding between two (not three or twelve) people. Old School, I guess.
(And along these same lines, initially, I was surprised to learn of professional cuddling which, in my mind, seemed to be missing the essence. In fact, I felt that—going to extremes to make the point—bonding without touching at all for an hour or two was preferable to holding someone for whom you felt no connection. These days I have a more sanguine view of professional cuddling since I have come to understand that pros are sensitive enough to forge a connection. But I digress.)
So I searched the forums and found this:
What do you like to do while cuddling?
@michael_j (post): What do you all like to do while cuddling? Movies, television, music, conversation, or just silence?
@Morpheus (post): I like to cuddle when I cuddle.
So there’s part of the answer. Like most things, the answer is: it depends. For some, cuddling is a thing itself that doesn’t need any ancillary activity. For others—like me, I guess—it gets combined. And, although it was new to me, I kind of "get" public cuddling between two people.
But I still need help with group cuddling. I’ve read about it, so I think I know what happens. But I’d like to hear from people sharing their feelings about it, what they get from it, and how it’s the same or different from cuddling between two people. Does the bonding that seems so important to me happen in a group setting? Is it a succession of bondings, or is the zen of group cuddling something completely different? I'd like to hear how it works for different people.