So how do we reintroduce the joy of frequent physicality into our lives? Franzblau has two simple suggestions to get you started. First, consider what she calls a “long-ass hug—or LAH.” This means any hug that’s at least 20 seconds long. Put on a timer, hug it out, breathe deeply, then “decide after, ‘Do we feel better?’ And if so, ‘Can we do this more often?’”
Another simple suggestion is to change your seating arrangement at next weekend’s brunch. Instead of sitting across from your friend, Franzblau suggests you sit side by side so you’re subtly touching and have more opportunity to interact closely.
The idea makes me picture a French café with a couple posed languidly on the same side of the table, limbs intertwined, nonchalant caress peppered throughout the meal. I wonder, could I ever be that casual about it? Am I too uptight? Too American? I flip through a mental Rolodex of my recent experiences with platonic touch—the friend who squeezed my arm for conversational emphasis, the spiritual guru who hugged me a little longer than I liked, my mom’s expression of worry and adoration as she moved the hair off my forehead.
As I replay the highlight reel of my recent run-ins, I realize how infrequent and emotionally loaded these experiences are for me. I feel like Franzblau can read my face through the phone as she says, “The word cuddle, in my business, confuses or even turns off many people. And that’s a marketing problem for me.”
Marketing problem for one—cultural problem for the rest of us, maybe. Have we lost touch with touch? Tell me your thoughts below.
For information on attending a Cuddle Sanctuary training or workshop, check out their website.