do you think you could bring the issue up? you don't have to ask her for a hug (which i really understand can be too hard because of the potential for rejection). but you could ask her a bit about whether she does hug clients sometimes and what her policy is on that etc... it might be a (relatively) safe way into discussing it?

i would imagine... what a lot of therapists do... is when the client asks them for a hug they spend a bit of time processing what it would mean to the client. to see whether it really would be in the clients best interests, you see.

another thing that can factor in is that some people simply aren't huggy people and they don't much like being touched. it could be that your therapist is one of those. i had a terrific therapist who really wasn't. our very last session together she asked if i wanted a hug. i think she was expecting that i wouldn't. but i hugged her. a kind of gentle tender hug. and she really tried to hug me back... but she seemed fairly awkward. and when she flinched i backed off. she was trying... but i really don't think she was a huggy person.

sounds like your t does do a lot to help you feel cared about and connected :-) the cd and stuff like that :-)

i wish i could curl up but i worry about putting my feet on the couch. so i kind of lean forward with my arms on my knees and stare at a corner of the rug by my feet. the more i disclose things that are hard the more i kind of physically curl up. the more i'm sitting with an open and relaxed posture the more i'm chatting about things that i really don't give a rats arse about.

i'm glad that he doesn't comment on my posture at all. to start with i guess he thought i was leaning forward and so he tried to mirror that (which was really very awkward for me). now i think he gets that its the best i can do with respect to curling up, i guess. i might ask him at some point if he minds if i put my feet up. dunno.