Touch never really came up as a discussion as to whether allow touch or not, but all were very careful, particularly if I was upset, to ask and let me know before they touched me because of my background. I had no problem with a hug at the end of a session; I just saw my T in the grocery store a few days ago and we just naturally reached out and gave each other a hug. But if I was really upset, dissociated, etc., the warning and/or permission was a must. Fortunately, they all seemed to know to do that on their own.

I would think if a withdrawal of touch would be a crushing blow, then starting with touch could really be a risky venture. For me, touch wasn't something I longed for or needed in therapy, so occasional touch was nice and appropriate and supportive and helpful in the moment, but whether it happened again or not really wasn't something I even thought about. I think the danger for you is that you would equate touch as acceptance and affection and lack of touch later as rejection. In that case, it might be best to find other ways to deal with the issue. We've seen over and over here people who really suffered when touch was withdrawn because therapist became uncomfortable with it or felt clients depended too much on it from them. Tread lightly on this one.