Can A Friend Become Ticklish Again?

Reader’s Question

My question is: can someone that isn’t ticklish become ticklish again? I know it’s how your nerves work and your senses, but what if a person ignores pain? Pain and tickling is the same thing basically, so if he ignores pain he isn’t ticklish. But is it possible to make him ticklish? When he was younger, my friend usee to be so ticklish, but he had some changes in his life that made him turn “evil”; he became used to pain and ignored it. But after he met me he was slowly becoming “normal” and nice and everything and not thinking so negatively. Is it possible for him to be ticklish again?

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

We are ticklish because the brain perceives it as a humorous or mock physical attack. We allow the situation to be viewed as humorous and not aggressive. If we are grabbed or poked in an aggressive manner, as in a physical assault, the brain recognizes that the situation is dangerous and we don’t feel ticklish at all. Your friend, because of his background, may now be viewing tickling as a physical assault rather than a humorous behavior. In a way, he has been traumatized by his past experiences. There is a good chance that over time, and when feeling secure, he may again be ticklish as the behavior becomes recognized as physical playfulness.

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