ABSTRACT
This is a remarkably common request from people in treatment. It is surprising how often this comes up and how frequently therapists see it as innocuous. In my opinion, people who want you to hug them are “acting in”; there is nothing innocuous about it. Responding to their request with any sort of physical contact is a mistake in technique. Hugging exacerbates erotic transferences in the person you are treating, blurs boundaries of the therapeutic barrier, and causes emotional havoc in the person.
