Nonsexual touch is a powerful and healing tool for men. However, it's often not the first thing we think of when someone says "M4M TOUCH"...Yet, if we remember being held as children, it is easy to recall how this touch can be calming, reassuring, and beneficial.
Nonerotic touch not only feels good, but it also boosts immune system function, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decreases anxiety and depression levels, and stimulates creativity in ways similar to meditation…
Why then do most men today never even thinking of the term nonsexual touch? One reason may be that there are still so few opportunities for us to receive this simple form of stress relief in our daily lives. Today as we men explore ways to touch and be touched, we are often drawn into eroticism. Always taking touch in a "TANTRIC" direction is highly limiting and a contributing cause to the often uncomfortable grey area surrounding one of today's most important topics, consent.
A traditional therapeutic massage is a way to receive nonsexual touch, and when done properly, this is true. Yet it is unidirectional; the therapist touches and the client gets. At INTOUCHMEN, we take a slightly different approach. Each of our gatherings provides men the chance to touch and be touched, give and receive, with multiple partners. Other hands and varied energy create the INTOUCH magic. One member said it best "The touch I receive at gatherings is like the different setting on a massage tool. Each set of hands may be doing the same technique, but each is so unique and different."
We do not shy away from the body, intimacy, nudity, and close connections; the nature of touch encourages it. We are men, and erections happen naturally. We admire and respect them; however, we consciously choose to leave them be. Taking a moment to decide how to touch and where to touch intentionally is vital. With this one decision, we can access the depth and healing found in what we at INTOUCHMEN call a conscious touch practice.
The AMAZING HUMAN energy of sensual erotism is next to impossible to control once introduced; grab a boner, slowly caress the inner folds of the glutes, and off it goes... Attraction is the most powerful force in the universe. Although it can feel incredible in the moment, erotic energy is genetically designed to make us want more. If unchecked, it is likely to generate addictive patterns of recreating that experience again and again. Yes, there are moments when you want a quick release or a deep sexual connection with a partner. Consensual tantric touch exploration can be wonderful; however, if this is the only way you know how to give or receive touch, those feelings turn into other not-so-good patterns.
With touch, we gain awareness. The linking of gaining awareness, our most profound human pursuit, to sensual erotism is a slippery slope that, in my opinion, can never be truly gratifying. Erotic energy is explosive and designed to make us want more. Deep in our DNA runs the "I WANT, I NEED, I WANT, I NEED" mantra. This is what keeps our species moving forward. If carefully contemplated, is this the best mantra to us as a doorway into finding balance in life? If we limit touch to the erotic, are we missing something?
A nonsexual touch practice development is a way to care for yourself and others in your life in a more profound, less momentary, and object-oriented way. It can be used as a tool to help you feel calm during times of stress, comforted in times of need, cared for in times of want, and guided in times of profound self-discovery. REMEMBER conscious touch boosts AWARENESS!
So, what can we do about exploring nonsexual touch more?
At INTOUCHMEN, we have a way. Our gatherings focus on giving men access to feeling like more than just an object of desire. In so doing, we discover ways to understand our bodies and thoughts while consciously exploring the bodies and thoughts of our fellow members. With this, our men begin to grow and open up as we embark on relaxation together. In the end, we are lighter and not so burdened by our stress and insecurities. Together with caring, we grow in self-awareness, clearing out the grey areas so often blocking our paths.
The next time you wish to touch and be touched, try visiting INTOUCHMEN.
