Remember the feeling when a child snuggles in his mother’s arms? Or the feeling you get when somebody holds your hand whenever you feel scared or low? That’s what human touch does. People often say that the human touch has magical powers. Be it as simple as holding someone’s hand, hugging them, or just lying close to them. Small gestures can make you feel calm, protected, loved, wanted, and comfortable.
The power a human touch holds cannot be denied. But as you grow up, this power of touch almost vanishes. It is because, as adults, you think twice before taking a step further to touch someone and make them feel comfortable. However, there are plenty of other reasons for not touching someone.
However, what if you get paid to make somebody feel comfortable by cuddling with them for a fixed period? Seems unrealistic, but it is true. Catering to the changing environment’s needs, many people are seeking a new kind of therapy called ‘Cuddle Therapy’.
What is Cuddling?
According to the Cambridge dictionary, Cuddling means ‘to put your arms around someone and hold them in a loving way, or to hold them close to show love or to make them feel comfortable’. It can be as simple as holding each other’s hands or lying very close to each other. It can be both sexual and non-sexual.
Benefits of Cuddling
- It helps in reducing stress because the body releases oxytocin whenever you cuddle.
- It benefits your heart’s health as Cuddling leads to low blood pressure and low-stress levels.
- It also helps you in relieving your pain.
- It prevents you from getting infected with common viruses due to stress.
- It helps in dealing with depression and anxiety.
- It enables you to express yourself better.
What is Cuddle Therapy?
Coping with the fast-paced lifestyle with almost ‘zero’ work-life balance and unprecedented situations like the coronavirus pandemic has affected every individual’s mental health. Failures, heartbreaks, loss of a loved one, emotional breakdown, etc., as individuals, you see and deal with many things in your everyday lives that make you feel physically and mentally low. Most of the time, you cannot open up to somebody due to inhibitions and social restrictions.
In such scenarios, you try to get help from an outsider by taking therapy. There are various kinds of therapy, and ‘Cuddle Therapy’ is one. It is a new kind of therapy in which a professional cuddler is hired to cuddle with the patient for a fixed period. All of this is done professionally, preventing any misconduct. As a result, the patient gets physical, social, emotional and educational benefits.
Who is a Cuddle Therapist, and what does he do?
A Cuddle Therapist is a person who has gained professional training to become a cuddler. The only difference between a professional cuddler and a normal human being is that the former gets paid for their service while the latter does it out of affection.
These Cuddlers are trained to cuddle with people without making them uncomfortable and are paid a good amount for the same. Their touch is platonic and is done after consent and clear communication between the therapist and the patient.
