The Cuddle Couple

This morning on @cbcradio with Piya Chattopadhyay, there was a wonderful discussion about the importance of touch and the impacts of touch hunger during covid from a professor of psychodynamic neuroscience. Among other things, they talked about: What goes on in our brains when someone touches us The built-in need for touch in humans and how we are born bathed in touch... The mental, physical and emotional effects of touch deprivation / touch hunger Giving versus receiving touch Touch when we feel strong feelings towards someone versus when we don’t Remedies for a lack of touch during a pandemic: watching people hug, eliciting past memories of touch and engaging in self-hugging practices Touch in advertising Touch as confirmation of reality If you’d like to listen to it, you can check out their website or send us a message as we have the recording! We have been so pleasantly surprised at seeing all the articles and discussions that have centered around touch during the past few months, and wish we could share them all with you! Keep following our stories as we do regularly post some there . . . #thecuddlecouple #hugs #touchtherapy #cuddletherapy #vulnerability #shopsmall #isolation #mentalhealth #toronto #virtualsupport #covidsupport #torontowellness #therapy #community #healing #connection #anxietyhelp #relationalcoach #covid #depressionhelp #meditation #professionalcuddling #touchdeprivation #platonictouchtherapy #coach #mindfulness #fulfilled #selflove #selfcare #touchhunger

Do you know what to do on a day to day basis to create and maintain healthy relationships? What does a happy, healthy relationship really look like to you? What does it feel like? How would you feel each day? What would the ups and the downs be like? What would you want when you are feeling down, or when you are wanting to expand? pause for reflection ... Far too many of us either haven’t had good models of what a truly heartfelt happy and healthy relationship looks like, or haven’t been shown the skills and mindset needed to get one or to maintain one It has been truly heartwarming to hear from clients that they now have a sense of what they would like to work towards - that it now feels more tangible and more achievable. Getting clarity on what we want, on how we would like to act and feel in relation with others, and on what we need to say no to is critical in developing long-lasting and fulfilling relationships. Unfortunately, it often isn’t until we get to the point of needing couples therapy that all these things suddenly get pushed to the forefront - at a point when it may already be too late. Today, we invite you to reflect on these questions. Meditate on them, journal about them, and be honest with what is still missing. This is your first step toward changing your life, your future, your happiness : Bathsheva

Do you feel like you’re always chasing the next thing? The next stage in life, the next job, the bigger home, the first child, another child, the next new thing, the best item of clothing? So many of us hold on to this idea that once we get there, we’ll have made it - that we’ll be happy. Besides leaving situations that harm us, though, there are not often times when getting to that next person, place or thing will bring us a lasting sense of fulfillment It can feel hard t...o face the fact that we are doing this. It can be hard to take a step back and look at what we have been avoiding, what we have been trying to control, what we have been deeply longing for, and what is no longer serving us. It can also feel really scary to live, to open up, to feel and be vulnerable. Life, though, can be so much better lived when we are able to connect with ourselves, our people and the world around us in a deeper way. That’s when the fun begins and we can use all the colours. Yes it can be messy, non-linear, with twists, turns and surprises, but through all that, life can feel so wonderfully fun, fulfilling and exciting again. So if you were to be honest with yourself right now: How would you like to feel more present, more at peace, more content with what is here right now? What would help you stop that chase? What would you like instead? What would your life look like then? Take some time to reflect, and let’s hear some of your thoughts in the comments

Get ready for an Instagram Live event this Thursday, February 11 at 8pm EST!! Wellness Consortium founder Katie Martin is currently offering a virtual Winter Wellness Series that provides free, peer led mental health support during the challenging season of winter over on Instagram. We are so excited to be the fourth guests in the series this Thursday at 8pm EST! During the live program, we will guide attendees through a visualization, utilizing breath work and touch-based ...exercises to tune in to what helps you feel connected and alive. Be sure to bring a blanket, a pillow or other cozy items while we co-create this comforting and healing environment together. Attendees can expect to be held in a nurturing space while learning some effective tools that bolster mental health during difficult times - all from the safety and comfort of their own homes. This event is part of an ongoing series that will run from through March 2021. Musicians, coaches, physicians, and healers have been and continue to offer practical and accessible tools to create positive shifts as we begin this new year. To learn more and see the rest of the series, please visit us @thecuddlecouple and @thewellnessconsortium on Instagram! We look forward to seeing you all LIVE this Thursday! https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessconsortium https://www.instagram.com/thecuddlecouple

Even After All this time The Sun never says to the Earth,... "You owe me." Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the whole sky. -Hfiz Loving one drop of sunshine at a time, what does that look like? Do you offer a hug because you think the hug is wanted, or maybe because you just really want the hug? Both are valid! It can move mountains when we own what we want to ask for and when we own what we have to offer. Maybe it’s harder to ask for what we want without offering something in return... but that could also offer our partner the opportunity to love us as the sun loves the Earth. How deep can our love go when we swim confidently in our personal desires, learn about our partner’s desires, and find those sweet spots of mutual desire too? How rich these moments can be? You can find effortless love in the mutual exchange, generous love in your partner’s desires, and vulnerable love in your own. If you and your loved one are interested in cultivating more communication, vulnerability, and passionate enthusiasm without the doubts and confusion that can arise, we would be more than happy to work with both of you to help you each get to a place of basking in the sunshine of your love. Send us a message to learn more about our relational coaching sessions for couples and we would love to join you on this journey of finding each other - and yourselves - again : @itsjessicagrace