The modern world is filled with stressful situations that await us at every turn. Sometimes we do not have enough simple human warmth to feel more confident. The mother of three children, a Gold Coast resident, runs her own hug business, offering them to all those in need for $ 80 per hour ($ 150 for two hours plus coffee). This service is in great demand.
A unique idea for earning
Ms. O'Neill, 34, worked as a massage therapist and consultant in holistic medicine when she heard about hug therapy four years ago. “I liked the idea, but everyone else thought it was crazy,” she said.
The woman began to study this issue in more detail and found that many scientific studies have revealed tangible health benefits of tactile contact, ranging from lowering blood pressure and reducing stress to increasing secretion of the hormone of happiness - serotonin.
O'Neill found that embrace therapy could be in demand, and after receiving an online diploma, she and her partner Jason founded a business called The Connection Cure.
The target audience
The woman admitted that she expected most of her future clients to be middle-aged men. But, as it turned out, women from 18 to 85 years old and people with disabilities, mentally ill or just lonely need no less hugs.
“Sometimes newbies get nervous, but as soon as we hug, they relax,” she said. “And those who are skeptical quickly realize that what is happening is quite effective.”
When O'Neill tells people that she is a paid hug, most of them ask for this service in double volume.
“I take hugs as instant meditation ... to ease stress, pain and tension, and also a way to make people feel caring,” she said. Such contact is really able to save people from a feeling of loneliness, insecurity. Thanks to hugs, a person experiences positive emotions related to the feeling of receiving support.
Expert opinion
Gold Coast psychologist and honorary member of the Australian Psychological Society, Dr. Bob Montgomery, said that human communication is important and powerful and should begin at an early age. “If you get enough attention, you begin to feel confident in any relationship,” he said.
However, he expressed concern about physical contact in therapy, saying that people should think twice before taking a hug from an outsider. This applies primarily to those who provide this service. This can lead to unpleasant consequences.
“There are ethical codes for psychologists and for representatives of most other medical professions, which state that you should not have physical contact with the patient, because it can be misinterpreted,” he said. It is not recommended to neglect the warning, as people may react differently to such intimacy.