Therapeutic Nudity: How Working Nude Supports Healing & Self-Acceptance

When most people hear the term naked cuddling, they’re surprised, and sometimes even a little unsure about what it really means. In my work as a therapeutic intimacy specialist, naked cuddling is not about eroticism. It’s a consent-based, non-sexual practice that can offer profound emotional and somatic healing.

Why Naked Cuddling Can Be Transformative

Many of us grow up with complicated or even painful relationships with our bodies. Shame, judgment, and unmet needs can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves. Naked cuddling provides an opportunity to experience being fully accepted exactly as you are, in a safe and nurturing environment.

Here are some of the most common benefits my clients experience:

1. Healing Body Image

When you are held without clothing in a safe, non-sexual way, your nervous system can experience deep acceptance and relaxation. You no longer have to hide, perform, or adjust yourself to meet anyone else’s expectations.
This can lead to a profound shift in body image, helping you to see and feel yourself with compassion rather than criticism.

“Prior to our work together, I only wore tank tops to the gym, pool, or under a jacket. Since we’ve worked together, I wear tank tops in public.”

2. Reparenting and Nervous System Support

For some clients, naked cuddling supports reparenting, offering the kind of unconditional comfort and presence they may have missed in early life.
The experience of being nurtured without judgment can help the nervous system regulate, reduce anxiety, and create a sense of emotional safety that lingers well beyond the session.

”Often the image of you holding me skin to skin, the deep breaths of that little girl within feeling safe in your arms brings me to tears. Deep and beautiful!”

3. Somatic Healing Without Sexual Pressure

Naked cuddling is a practice of somatic healing, healing through the body.
It gives you space to:

  • Release shame and tension stored in the body

  • Reconnect with authentic touch that isn’t transactional or sexualized

  • Practice consent and boundaries in a fully client-led environment

Important Clarification

While I am a certified Cuddlist, it’s important to note that naked cuddling is not part of a Cuddlist session because it does not align with the Cuddlist Code of Conduct.

Naked cuddling is an optional offering for my established clients through my private therapeutic intimacy practice. Every session is built around consent, comfort, and clear boundaries—and only happens when it feels fully aligned for the client.

Feeling at Home in Your Own Skin

If you’ve ever wished you could feel truly at home in your own skin or experience nurturing touch without fear, shame, or judgment, naked cuddling can be a gentle, powerful step toward that transformation.

This work is about empowerment, integration, and self-acceptance. When your body feels safe, your heart and mind can follow.

Ready for your own session? Let’s connect at HumanConnectionLab.com.

Michelle Renee

Michelle Renee (she/her) is a surrogate partner and certified Cuddlist practitioner specializing in trauma-informed therapeutic intimacy. As Co-owner and Director of Training at Cuddlist.com and Co-chair of AASECT's Somatic Intimacy Professionals SIG, she helps trauma survivors reclaim safety, connection, and embodied healing through a collaborative triadic model with licensed therapists.

Michelle's work integrates somatic approaches, EMDR-compatible touch therapy, and nervous system regulation to create corrective emotional experiences for clients healing from sexual trauma, attachment wounds, and relational injury.

Host of The Intimacy Lab podcast and founder of Human Connection Lab, Michelle serves clients in San Diego, Los Angeles, Baltimore/DC, and Pittsburgh, with plans to expand to additional regions.

https://humanconnectionlab.com
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