The Power of Platonic Touch: Inside the World of Cuddle Therapy

In this episode, we explore the world of cuddle therapy with Michelle Renee, a San Diego-based Human Connection Coach, Cuddlist, and Director of Training at Cuddlist.com. Together, we unpack what platonic touch looks like in a professional setting, why consent and boundaries are everything, and how this work offers more than comfort; it offers repatterning.

From nervous system regulation to post-trauma reconnection, Michelle shares how this misunderstood modality helps people reclaim safe, consensual, body-led touch, and why that matters more than we might think.

KEY LEARNINGS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Cuddle therapy is a real, structured practice.
  It’s grounded in mutual consent, verbal agreements, and body-led pacing. It’s not woo, it’s attachment-aware and trauma-informed.

• Touch supports nervous system regulation.
  Safe, platonic touch helps shift the body out of chronic fight, flight, or freeze. It sends powerful cues of co-regulation and relational safety.

• Reclaiming touch is powerful.
  Many people have experienced touch as harmful, performative, or unsafe. Cuddle therapy offers a space to rewrite that story on your terms.

• Touch can support safety after trauma.
  For survivors of assault, neglect, or emotional disconnection, touch can be a powerful way to gently rebuild trust in your body and in others, when offered with care, clarity, and consent.

• You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit.
  You might just feel disconnected, over-functioning, or touch-starved. Cuddle work meets you there, no fixing, just presence.

• Consent is an active practice.
  Cuddle sessions model real-time consent: asking, checking in, and honoring every no or pause. That alone can be deeply reparative.

• Spaces like The Human Connection Lab offer low-stakes practice.
  They create real-world opportunities to practice boundary-setting, emotional presence, and connection in a safe, guided container.

Bio: Human Connection Coach | Cuddle Therapist | Director of Training at Cuddlist | Host of The Intimacy Lab

Michelle Renee is a San Diego-based Human Connection Coach and Professional Cuddle Therapist who has dedicated her life to helping people feel safe, seen, and nurtured through consensual, platonic touch. With a deep understanding of trauma-informed care and nervous system safety, Michelle brings a unique and powerful presence to the world of intimacy, healing, and connection.

As Co-Owner and Director of Training at ⁠Cuddlist.com⁠, she not only provides one-on-one sessions but also trains and mentors aspiring practitioners across the globe, guiding them in how to hold consensual, attuned, and healing space for others. Her teaching combines compassion, science-backed principles, and a commitment to honoring each person’s boundaries and agency, especially survivors of sexual violence, for whom safe, trusted touch can be profoundly reparative.

Connect with Michelle Renee:

• Instagram: ⁠@meetmichellerenee⁠

• BlueSky: ⁠meetmichellerenee.bsky.social⁠

• Facebook: ⁠facebook.com/cuddlemichellerenee⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/meetmichellerenee⁠

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