Impromptu public cuddles???

I'm pretty new to this but definitely getting more comfortable with touch in general. That got kicked up to a new level last night in an unexpected way. I was dancing at a club with friends and we noticed a person who was dancing alone, so we welcomed her in to dance with us. After a while it became clear that she wanted to be held and caressed more than to dance, so I just went with it. Has this happened to anyone else? How did it feel? I felt some stares but it really seemed more important to nurture at the moment.

UKGuy

No, I've never had a group of girls, or a group of anyone, invite me to dance with them. If the person dancing alone had been a guy, would your actions have been the same?

Was she intoxicated by chance?

happybear

i was at a strip club out of town several months back and in conversation with a dancer, mentioned cuddling and this website, a while later she returned and must of looked at the site and asked to cuddle with me. we met after for a 1-1/2 cuddle. this person needed to be held, it was one position, arms wrapped around one another with her head on my shoulder. it was great being there for someone that needed it.
@salsaoma , great you could be there for someone else in need, definitely a testament to your character, be you

@happybear thank you❤ and thanks for sharing that! @lilredmage she was able to keep dancing, walk, etc so I don't think she was drunk. @UKGuy this was a bit of an odd situation. I was at a gay club for a dance party and she was transgender and seemed very sad and lonely; she didn't seem to fit in with the crowd at all and we all felt compassionate towards her. The biggest thing that came out of this for me was to start thinking about people that were genuinely hurting, like terminally ill people for instance, that would benefit from touch. I lost my best friend last October to cancer and whenever she wasn't feeling too fragile, I would rub her feet or brush her hair for her, whatever she needed. She was in so much pain and so scared. There must be cuddlers in hospice, somewhere, or I sure hope so!

pmvines

I am sorry you lost your friend in Oct, cancer is a cruel disease. Re your comment about hospice and cuddling. I am a hospice social worker and don't cuddle my patients, as there are professional boundaries that must be adhered to. However I do always offer hugs to my families and the patients, and am always holding a hand or touching a shoulder when it is called for and when there is a mutual consent to it. In fact touching those with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer Disease, really can take the person back to a memory of a person, time, place, or experience and can have a very calming effect on them. Unfortunately not everyone has the same level of comfort with affection. I even recently had a family member complain to my supervisor and request a different social worker because I gave her a hug that she says seemed to linger a little too long and felt uncomfortable. And this is someone who I had hugged many times before with consent. So obviously something about that particular time triggered something in her that made her not feel right about it. So no, as a licensed professional I cannot cuddle my patients. There are many ways to convey support and caring that are non verbal and non touching forms of communication as well that I always make sure to demonstrate when they are feeling vulnerable. I do agree that for those who are open to it and those who need it, it would be great to have a person for them to cuddle though .

@pmvines thanks for your response; having done that sort of work also, I know there is conflict involved and it can be tricky. It would need to be done as a volunteer or pro cuddler, I imagine. Hospice work is definitely a vocation and I'm sure your clients are blessed by what you do for them.

happybear

I work with people who live with mental illness (bipolar,depression,ocd, bpd and anxiety) as well as their families. There are alot of people alone, struggling and in need of someone to be there for them, be supportive, non judgemental. A talk, hug or physical touch goes along way.
This community is is made up of alot of good hearted givers, who promote wellness and self-care. Glad to be part of this.
Society needs more people to help one another, be there in positive ways.