Hi Jen, I applaud your honesty and courage with this posting.
As a child and young adult I too was abused where tickling was a major part of it. I was 8 years old when it first started and U had it every day through to being 14 when this guy finally moved away. It started off as gentle icke of my ribs to make me laugh when I was upset about geting list in some dark woods. Once he realised I was ticklish that wa it. He was my best frends dad and we'd go for a walk with his dog every night. Hs dad would always wrestle me to the ground in a way that to onlookers looked playful , then he'd tickle me, I would be laughing and screming and he'd hien find a way under my skirt to abuse me. It was the same if we went swimming, he would put arms either side of me at the edge of the pool, tickle me and se the motion of te water to be able to abse me whilst other kids we screaming in exciteent etc my screams of pain went unnoticed. As I got older I entered relationships where they quickly found out I was ticklish and would use it in an abusive manner to satisfy their sexual needs. I would be tied up by some (non consensually) they would start to tickle me and then abuse me. On one ccasion I was held down by six men who in turn tickled and raped me. People I've spoken to about this ask why I didn;t leave or get away. Well if you're tied down you can;t,. I couldn;t fight them off on other occasions, my ticklishness rendered me incapable of doing anything other than laugh and scream, as it does to this day.
Nowadays though with a partner I can trust, enjoy being tickled, I know it is only used to provoke laughter and to give me pleasure in a way I want. I was told by a dear friend who is a sexual therapist that tickling can help women in particular who are afriad to let go and let themselves orgasm, as whilst being tickled you have no control as such if you are helplessly ticklish and if you can learn to let go with a partner in this way, it can help you to achieve sexual happiness too. I for one have found this a helpful piece of information and now find myself often reaching that point whilst being tickled. Although I've turned it round and enjoy it with my partner, I still have bad nightmares and flashbacks to the days when it was truly abusive. That was 28 years ago and after much therapy I am still haunted by it, so much so I have been referred to a special unit here in England to live ina therapeutic community for between 6 months and 2 years as a last ditch attempt to flush out the demons. Tickling can be fun and enjoyable, sexual, yes, but only when in the right hands and minds of the ler in question. Thanks for raising this topic and for making me feel I have a friend out htere and am not alone.