There is no way to take a therapy relationship that is one way intimacy, rather than reciprocal , and turn it into a casual friendship. That will never happen.Could it become a deep friendship in which the T shares all he hasn't ben allowing in the room? Not sure. The T holds the reins and the power, which already makes a friendship problematic- can they let go of that? It creates an ethical dust up at least, so is a friendship with a patient worth that? From my perspective on these matters, it is more likely if the T falls madly in love or madly in countertransference , than for a platonic friendship. Also, to echo some other posts, touch isnt a huge feature of adult friendships, beyond hugs. I guess what I hear through the lines IS some romantic feelings for your T ( which is perfectly okay). Maybe he has those feelings too, and is protecting you from them( appropriately)? Maybe he has plenty of friends etc outside of work, and values you most deeply has a patient entrusted to his watch, nd feels uneasy about the touch piece? Touch is a super-charged topic for T's.