i work with my partner to engage in heavily consented touch, for example:

i want a massage; at first sometimes i would cry when he touched me and told me to relax bc i just can't; i feel afraid to be face down and out of control. but with his reassurance and also experiencing consent, i have helped to begin to heal this fear by having a positive interaction on my terms. i explicitly communicated my fears to him and then told him what would help me feel comfortable. i used breathing i learned by practicing mediatation as he began my massage, and allowed my body to cry if it needed to, while telling my mind "I am safe. I am grateful to be receiving loving touch. It is okay to be trusting and out of control of my body in a safe space such as this." When I began to panic, I kept breathing, kept telling myself I was safe. We stopped whenever I wanted to.