Somebody else here must feel like me...

[slagneb]

First off, I hope I don't come off wrong here as I am envious of the seemingly vast majority of people here who are so happy and comfortable with this fetish. But I gotta figure there are at least a few out there who struggle as I do with it. I feel sick even looking at the videos or pics anymore, though I'm powerless to stop. I did see the poll about given the choice, would you change the way you are, but I'd like to get into it a little deeper on both sides of the issue to whomever might be interested in sharing their opinions.

 

[U.N.Owen]

I felt like you do when I was a teenager. It felt like there must be something horribly wrong with me to like something other than just sex. But as I got older, I started to realize that everyone has their own taste, and that being into "just sex" is boring and uncreative. It helped when I managed to work up the nerve to tell a therapist about my tickle fixation. She told me it was one of the nicest, cleanest sexual tastes she had ever encountered, and that I should be completely comfortable with it.

 

[dude123]

It is a difficult thing. Our minds create the notion that it is so unacceptable. I think it is most difficult for those of us who have experienced acceptance of some sort from someone who does not have the fetish. I used to want to changed, but similar to U.N., I met someone who provided me with acceptance and essentially said that it was okay to feel the way I do. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[slagneb]

Makes sense, having a partner who shares your tastes would change things drastically. Maybe that's the ticket

 

[DarthGrinn]

I'm just curious how something like tickling could have such a profound impact on peoples lives. I don't mean that in a belittling way, but I'm starting to realize that some people here actually have lives that are severely impacted by tickling (for better or for worse.)

 

[slagneb]

Because we allow it to

 

[juanmiller]

It used to bother me, but not anymore. I also asked my therapist about it, and she said it seemed completely harmless and fine. She also made this point: If a friend of yours came to you and said they had this kink, would you judge them harshly and say they were a sick person who should be ashamed? No, that would be an overreaction. So why would you say such a thing to yourself in your own mind? Give yourself the tolerance and reassurance you would give a friend.

 

[LittleFeather1]

I felt like you do when I was a teenager. It felt like there must be something horribly wrong with me to like something other than just sex. But as I got older, I started to realize that everyone has their own taste, and that being into "just sex" is boring and uncreative. It helped when I managed to work up the nerve to tell a therapist about my tickle fixation. She told me it was one of the nicest, cleanest sexual tastes she had ever encountered, and that I should be completely comfortable with it.

I've experienced something quite similar. I was raised in a highly religious home, and brought up with the mentality that anything 'deviant' in the bedroom was disgusting and sinful. At 10-12 years old, I would cry at night because I thought I was going to go to hell for my fixation with tickling, something I couldn't understand or control. As I matured, however, I learned that it's really okay to be different, and that not everybody likes the same things in the bedroom. Hell, in fact, I think most everyone likes something different - I doubt there are very many people who like 'just sex', missionary style, every single time with nothing else incorporated. I used to think I was the only one in the world with my fetish, but came to find out that I was dead wrong. I'm not alone, and neither are you - you're not wrong for liking what you like, nobody is. Just accept yourself for the way you are...after all, if we were all the same, life would be pretty goddamn boring.