LEARN THE PRACTICE OF TOUCH
LOOKING FOR A WORKSHOP? WHY NOT BUILD YOUR OWN!
Touch Practice is taught in open-to-the public workshops once or twice per year. I also create private, local workshops for specific groups, whether men from a certain city, a pre-established group, a team, or spiritual community. If you’re interested in a workshop for your group or area, I’ll work with you to design one together. Here’s what you need to know:
TOUCH PRACTICE IS CUSTOM-BUILT
Each workshop is custom-built for the group I’m working with; there’s no such thing as a “standard” Touch Practice workshop. I can design a workshop for groups ranging from 6 to 24 men. I will want to talk to you about your group, your goals, and listen to your questions, hopes and concerns before creating a workshop that is just right for your team. Workshops can be as modest or as comprehensive as desired.
TOUCH PRACTICE IS FOR ALL MEN
Touch Practice can be practiced by men of any sexual orientation or relational status. Workshops can be built specifically for men who identify as straight, men who identify as gay or bisexual, or where orientation is undeclared, mixed or unknown. Sexual orientation and marital status are irrelevant to applying the techniques and principles of Touch Practice; it is not a sexual practice. We hold respect for all individuals, beliefs and practices.
WORKING WITH EROTIC ENERGY IS OPTIONAL
The main principles and practices in Touch Practice involve clothing-on, hug-based practice. Nakedness is never a requirement, nor is genital touch. If desired and appropriate, an understanding of working with erotic energy can be explored either clothed or unclothed. For groups that choose to explore naked touch, explicit agreements about personal boundaries are created and respected so all men feel safe and comfortable. The work is about relaxing into, and feeling safe in, our bodies. Individuals always remain in control of their own boundaries.
TOUCH PRACTICE IS OFFERED AT NO CHARGE
There is no charge or fee for Touch Practice. It is a part of my spiritual practice and something I am committed to as a form of service to others. I do request reimbursement for actual cost of travel expenses, lodging, and meals when I travel for workshops. I can sometimes facilitate workshops for 10 or fewer by myself. For workshops of 12 or more, it is generally advisable for me to bring a skilled co-facilitator and my partner in this work. These costs can usually be recovered through fairly small suggested donations from each participant; see the “sample workshops” below. Actual costs vary based on geography, cost and type of lodging, travel distance, and size of group. Typically a Touch Practice workshop requires a modest donation in the $50-100 range per person in order to cover these out-of-pocket expenses.
TOUCH PRACTICE IS PORTABLE
All that is really necessary is a comfortable, well-heated private space big enough for the participants to work in. I can confer with you about specifics, but a minimum of 50 square feet per pair of men might be a good guideline. A padded floor, such as could be used for wrestling, gymnastics or martial arts, is ideal, but participants can bring a blanket, a sleeping bag, or camping-type mattress for work on harder surfaces. Each person should bring a pillow for sitting work. In naked practice, each person should have a towel. For small groups, I’ve even taught Touch Practice in a large living room.
SAMPLE WORKSHOPS
- Three-hour workshop is enough to give men a start on how to set and sense boundaries, how to engage in grounded, conscious touch, and how to use that touch as a way to support ourselves and our brothers.
- Full-day workshop (either morning and afternoon, or optional evening session) provides a comprehensive overview of Touch Practice, and a brief introduction to the basics of working skillfully with erotic energy.
- Two-day or three-day weekend retreat (with an optional Friday evening start) has produced participants who have written months later to describe the impact as “life changing.”
Workshops can be focused more specifically towards (or away from) these areas of interest: erotic energy, modalities for working with trauma such as accident, illness or abuse; applications for therapists, pastoral workers and other care providers; and exploring fear and aversion to touch, among others.
Read what I wrote about Workshops For Groups in my February, 2012, Blog.
I’d love to talk with you about planning and booking a workshop or retreat for your group! CONTACT >>