What surfaced for you in this body-based exploration?

 

As someone who is generally very insecure, especially about appearance and body image, i found this exercise left me with conflicting feelings. Additionally, i find it hard to say ‘no’, maybe i don’t want to annoy people or come off as rude but i tend to internalize my feelings and let them brew rather than be more communicative. The no/yes/modify exercise was liberating in a way and interesting to test the limits of where i felt comfortable being touched, especially since touch can sometimes be distressing and almost painful due to my anxiety which made me think of all the times i’ve had panic attacks which have been exaggerated by someone trying to calm me down by touching me. My partner for this exercise, Manvi, was very lovely and we both were very respectful and i felt communicated in a way that allowed us to fully engage with the task. overall this task brought feelings to the surface surrounding consent, pasy panicked experiences and also allowed me to reflect on how much my mental health and mindset rely on how comfortable i am feeling in my body at the moment.