I’ve been running Holding Space as a professional cuddling practice for a couple of years now, and there are some things about it that I want to shift.
The work I do with individual clients has been valuable to those clients. Both those experiences and the research I’ve done on the therapeutic effects of comforting touch lead me to believe this industry has a lot of potential to do good in the world, and I don’t want to stop being a part of that. But my experiences have shown me that there are a lot of people who aren’t interested in or ready for a cuddling appointment who are nevertheless struggling with something about their relationship or their desire for a relationship. I’m observing that a lot of those struggles are based in some common patterns related to how they approach other people and the world around them.
The traditional models we have for relationships are more than a little broken. I’ve been working on some writing around that, which I’m looking forward to sharing more broadly. I want to free up more time to focus on the writing part of this work.
I’ll also be focusing more on my coaching. My niche is people trying to build relationships – especially the types of relationships they don’t feel they can talk to their parents or neighbors about. I’ve got a lot of experience with different styles of non-monogamous relationships, and more than a passing familiarity with relationships that incorporate kink dynamics. I’m also difficult to shock – and I fundamentally believe that any relationship that doesn’t hurt the people involved or adjacent is valid and can be beneficial.
This work of figuring out how to get more love and support into individual people’s lives is fundamental to what I want to accomplish in the world and I’m looking forward to doing more of it. If you or someone you know is interested in working on your relationship in this way, let me know so we can explore the possibilities.
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