Has anyone ever been or heard of being tickled and feeling it is torture? I just did a google search on "tickle torture" and some awful-sounding websites popped up. I didn't open any of them and don't ever want to. I was absolutely astounded at just the names! And with videos! The horror of it all. Anyway, I'm a female in my 40s now and someone in my family used to pin me down and tickle me against my will and I still have nightmares (although once in a great while now) to this day. I've only mentioned it casually to, say, my hubby and a friend or two in all these years and no conversation ever ensued from it. Something has come up in the family recently that has made me want to delve into this a little more. Anyone know anything? Can share in this experience? I refuse to check out "those" websites that came up. They sound disgusting. Anyway........

Oh my gosh. How horrible. I had my ex husband hold me down once and tickle me and I got absolutely hysterical. It's awful. I don't blame you...I wouldn't want to look at the sites either.

Thanks for that website....I'll definitely look into it--didn't know where to go. Am feeling like I would like to talk a bit and "connect" now, so thanks. My dad would pin me down on floor (always when mom was gone), telling bros to hold arms down (pulled up over my head) while he held legs down by sitting on them I think, and he would tickle me in armpit and up and down along ribcage for seemingly minutes (while he laughed) while I tried my hardest to get away and scream. Very difficult to do when being tickled. (my 3 bros were never mean to me--only at insistence of dad would they do this--they'd get their own abuse in other ways, hitting or whatever). At home here with kids I cannot even STAND when hubby will just playfully tickle kids. I will freak out and break it up immediately. (but not if they are not being held against will and I can see they can easily roll away from it) Or when someone tries to do it to me now. I get superhuman strength to stop it. Anyway, folks divorced when I was 10 or 11 and that ended. Loving dad in every other way though. So have been confused by it. (but just finding out relationship he had with mom and a bro--not good--made me want to delve). I truly think that physical pain would be better to have.

When I was a child, I had aunts, uncles, and cousins who would hold me down and tickle me until I pee'd my pants. It was horrible. I hated family reunions because I knew I'd be tickled and the grownups just laughed and thought it was funny. To this day, I hate to be tickled.

This is a definite means of torture. It is not funny to the victim and can be quite damaging to a child and should never be allowed to go on. It is also used as a sexual tool of torture which should tell you something right there. I have joked about the fact that I am sooo ticklish on my neck that if a serial killer were to grab it to strangle me I would literally die laughing!!! Not funny I know but true. This is and can be a serious problem and also not funny...

Forcible tickling is not only torture, it's abuse. Like other forms of abuse and even rape, it's really all about power and control. No child should ever be forced to endure it.
smile

I'm beginning to think you are right--power and control--that's him all right. (I hope this posts correctly--I'm a brand new member and never posted.)

Lenora, Thank you for sharing. I think a big part of my confusion is I've "always" felt alone. I've never heard of this happening to anyone else and so when I casually mention it, it gets shrugged off, as no one can really know what it is like unless they experience it. You may be sort of laughing on the outside as it begins, but you try "desperately" to scream, cry, etc. Saying stop does not good. (Actually now that I think about it, I have recurring dreams of trying to scream about other things but nothing comes out....Now I believe this is linked.)

Boy, I'm really not posting very well. The above "Lenora" should say "Lynnie."