What’s your relationship with physical pleasure? What’s your experience of touch as a pathway to deep connection - with yourself, with others, with the world?

Humans are physiologically designed to thrive in response to consensual, caring, responsive touch. When we are in healthy states with open communication then connection is pleasure. However, for many (Most? All?) of us, some of what we have experienced around touch and pleasure has created trauma. The trauma of being touched when we didn’t want to be, in ways our bodies and hearts didn’t like. Or the trauma of the absence of the type and frequency of touch we were truly longing for.

This is as broad as being forced to hug people as a child, being subjected to physical violations by medical professionals, or having partners withhold s.ex and physical tenderness as a form of emotional manipulation or ‘punishment’. And more. So, so much more. So much has disrupted our natural desire for and expressions of intimacy. So much has disrupted our natural ability to find sublime pleasure in the receiving and giving of even the most simple touch.

Sometimes we are even too numb to feel our true desire for connection anymore, we’ve forgotten (or never known) the true pleasure to be found in platonic touch. Or we know, but we are too afraid to ask, so unused to voicing clear desire.

——

Stop for a moment. Feel into what you’ve just read.

Is there something in this that resonates in you? Resonates in either pleasure or pain?

You are not alone in any of this. It’s all of us in vary ways, in varying contexts. Come, let’s unravel some of these things together. Explore, feel, create space for new opportunities to heal, new opportunities to relax into connection, open up to pleasure.

——

Join me, Gabriella Salmon, for a 2.5 hour dive into Platonic Pleasure through physical touch. This will be a fully clothed, non-sexual, yet intimate event interweaving solo practices & partnered & group connection. There will be touch in the form of massage, movement, and cuddles. Everything is optional, and clear, moment-by-moment consent is the foundation on which this experience will grow. These can be highly charged waters, we will enter mindfully.

I am a degree qualified counsellor with over 13 years experience leading and mentoring people from all walks of life, using a wide range of creative practices. I currently regularly teach acroyoga and am a qualified massage therapist. Platonic pleasure, sensual self-love, and wholistic intimacy are areas I am deeply passionate about, both personally and professionally, and I offer this experience because it is the kind of space and process my body and heart has been longing for and I haven’t found it, so I’m creating it in the deep knowing that it’s never just me who’s longing for similar things. We are never alone in our pleasure, our yearning, or our pain.

—

Practicalities:

When:

Saturday 25th June, 6pm-8:30pm

Where:

Crystal Living, Caloundra

Who: Come with a partner or solo. (If you come with a partner, you will not be working with them the whole night, we’ll be mixing it up and some things will be the whole group.)

How much:

Pay-as-you-feel.

** I've decided to offer this work as a gift with no prescribed dollar value. However I, like you, need dollars to exist in this society, so I’m trusting your generosity in giving what feels right for you. Cash or transfer or gift hampers all gratefully, graciously received!

(If the open ended nature of this pricing feels too tricky to navigate and you’d rather just be given a figure, my suggestion is $35. Or wait until after the event and feel into it then. :))

Gabriella Salmon

BSB: 732 596

Account number: 587 175

***

IMPORTANT! If you are committing to coming, you MUST register via the Humanitix link. The space is very small (intimate!) and we can only accomodate 10 people. Please be mindful that your last minute no-show could very well mean someone else misses out, so if you register please make it a priority to communicate asap if you can no longer make it and we can offer the space to someone else.

****

Pre-Event Prep:

Be clean - You will be sharing close physical space with others, so please be freshly showered and in clean clothes, probably avoid eating a heap of garlic that day, and definitely avoid strong perfumes or aftershaves.
Be clear - Leave your sexual needs and wants at home. (There is the possibility you may get turned on during an exercise. There’s absolutely no shame in this if it’s a genuine, physiologically spontaneous response. Refocus on the platonic intention and it will dissipate on its own.)
Be sober - No exceptions. This is sensitive space and there is physical contact involved. And we want your full presence and focus. Anyone arriving at the event obviously altered by any substance will be refused entry and ticket price will be forfeited.
You're invited to wear form-fitting clothes that you can easily move in. (Think yoga or workout wear.)

——

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. Otherwise see you on the 25th!

Much love and curious exploration,

Gabriella