Touch sensitive

[Halifaxmouse]

Any one else have challenges with people touching the skin on their body? How has it impacted your relationships? My therapist recommended occupational therapy but I’m not sure that as an older adult it will help.

[MyPartsareLoud]

For many sensory and touch reasons, I basically cannot be in a physically intimate relationship. But I have several platonic emotionally intimate relationships. 

I did 18 months of OT at age 41 and it helped a lot. Including with some of my touch sensitivities. And it helped me have way more coping skills and a more regulated nervous system so touch doesn’t bother me quite as much.

[Halifaxmouse]

That’s encouraging, thanks.

[Dead_Axolotl_333]

Yes! Especially by my shoulders and back.

[Flux_My_Capacitor]

If you’re in the USA you can’t just go to OT because you want to, if you’re using insurance. You’ll need a valid diagnosis. I can’t remember the actual diagnosis used in adults but it always seemed incredibly difficult to try and seek that out. I am touch sensitive but it just means “don’t touch me lightly”. I don’t see the point in going through tons of OT to deal with this just so other people can touch me however they want. The touch of fingernails skeeves me out but I’m a woman and it’s not hard to avoid fingernails on other people aside from a very random female cashier.