How Many "Ticklephiles" Are Knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs?

[Amnesiac]

A recent situation has created within my unusual brain an idea that at first may sound ridiculous, but upon reflection yields merit:

How many ticklephiles are TRUE knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs?

Virtually everybody here likes tickling...but it remains a debate about why. And at the heart of that debate is the question of how many of us like tickling (ticklephiles in general) and how many of us love it (knismolagniacs/acarophiliacs).

For example, we've all seen relationships here on the TMF that fell apart for some reason or another, and afterwards, one or both parties never come back or participate in any tickling activity; TummyDragon and ForeverRio are a good example: Rio wasn't into tickling until her 40s and that was primarily because she met Dragon...after their divorce, I find it unlikely that Rio would engage in it with her new beau. Also consider The Laugher, who was forced into abandoning This Thing of Ours for personal matters...but still holds on to his passion in spite of his inactivity.

I'm not talking about late bloomers vs. lifers, or even converts per se. I'm talking about the people who NEED tickling, in some way shape or form once they've discovered it, vs. the people who've incorporated it into their lives but can live without it. We've all met converts who go the rest of their life NEEDING it, but we've rarely--if ever--met lifers who give it up for anything.

TMF members like Me, Mimi, The Laugher, TicklishGiggle, would be TRUE acarophiliacs for example. Feel free to name others.

TMF members who would be the latter are unknown to me right now, but I'd suggest ForeverRio as one.

So, again, the question is: how many of us do you suppose are TRUE knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs, and how many of us are just plain "ticklephiles"?

And upon answering that, reflect on this: Does the presence of "mere" ticklephiles serve as a detriment to the community or a boon?

 

[PiedPiper]

Dang,.... You caught me.

--- Yep,.... I'm a "mere ticklephile." I should have known I could never pass for a true Knismolagniac/Acarophiliac,... and get away with it for very long. (Sigh) You guys are good. I'll start getting my things together.

 

[simulated]

A recent situation has created within my unusual brain an idea that at first may sound ridiculous, but upon reflection yields merit:

How many ticklephiles are TRUE knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs?

Virtually everybody here likes tickling...but it remains a debate about why. And at the heart of that debate is the question of how many of us like tickling (ticklephiles in general) and how many of us love it (knismolagniacs/acarophiliacs).

For example, we've all seen relationships here on the TMF that fell apart for some reason or another, and afterwards, one or both parties never come back or participate in any tickling activity; TummyDragon and ForeverRio are a good example: Rio wasn't into tickling until her 40s and that was primarily because she met Dragon...after their divorce, I find it unlikely that Rio would engage in it with her new beau. Also consider The Laugher, who was forced into abandoning This Thing of Ours for personal matters...but still holds on to his passion in spite of his inactivity.

I'm not talking about late bloomers vs. lifers, or even converts per se. I'm talking about the people who NEED tickling, in some way shape or form once they've discovered it, vs. the people who've incorporated it into their lives but can live without it. We've all met converts who go the rest of their life NEEDING it, but we've rarely--if ever--met lifers who give it up for anything.

TMF members like Me, Mimi, The Laugher, TicklishGiggle, would be TRUE acarophiliacs for example. Feel free to name others.

TMF members who would be the latter are unknown to me right now, but I'd suggest ForeverRio as one.

So, again, the question is: how many of us do you suppose are TRUE knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs, and how many of us are just plain "ticklephiles"?

And upon answering that, reflect on this: Does the presence of "mere" ticklephiles serve as a detriment to the community or a boon?

We must drive these mere ticklephiles from our ranks, lest there fall upon us the dark shroud of a new barbarian era

 

[theshire]

Definitely a knismolagniac/acarophiliac here. 😀

 

[GuldenVleugel]

how many of us do you suppose are TRUE knismolagniacs/Acarophiliacs, and how many of us are just plain "ticklephiles

I am one since I am sexually aware and before that I intensely enjoyed tickling. Due to the fact this forum is aimed at one of the base instincts of man (sexually arousal), I think must of us are TRUE knismolagniacs/acarophiliacs.
It just happens to be a basic need for many of us to live a happy life. 🙂

Does the presence of "mere" ticklephiles serve as a detriment to the community or a boon?

None of both, as I actually don't consider us as a vast group, but as individuals with separate interests (except for tickling itself). I personally am not a fan of the community-idea, as I view this forum as any other forum "an online discuss board" i.e. something that spices my life, but without which I can live an equally worthy life.

Without the discovery of this forum, I still would be a practicing ticklelover. I really don't care which people join these boards, and I am one of the few non-frustrated members of TMF if I were to believe some responses I read here (like how people get mad if you hotlink a youtube-vid, as like you are damaging some idol for a cult worshipping it).

Then again, many people act as if they're still in the Stone Age when sexuality is involved.

 

[milagros317]

Here is what I believe:

The desire to identify "true" community members and ask if others really belong is very harmful to any community.

There is a spectrum of interest in tickling, from slightly interested to 24/7 obsessed. Don't worry about where people fall on the spectrum and make them all welcome here.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

I totally agree with Mil. I also feel it to be potentially harmful to start naming names...esp. of those who don't hang here that much. People are entitled to their own levels of interest AND their privacy. It's up to each individual to share according to our comfort level. It's not the place of others to point these things out. (And before anyone says it, I know this is a public forum where they've posted. But, it's still up to them how much is revealed about them.)

 

[isabeau]

i don't understand this thread...i will say this...i have and can do without tickling...what does that make me? and i won't give up the life i have now for a lifetime of tickling...

 

[chicago]

Huh?

 

[Bugman]

Here is what I believe:

The desire to identify "true" community members and ask if others really belong is very harmful to any community.

There is a spectrum of interest in tickling, from slightly interested to 24/7 obsessed. Don't worry about where people fall on the spectrum and make them all welcome here.

Well said Mil's,and i agree with Anns comments also.

 

[alex]

Now wait a minute...

The distinction between those who need tickling (like me) and those who like it but could live without it strikes me as a pretty interesting one. (Though no doubt there's a wide spectrum between the two.) Surely nobody is seriously suggesting that the latter should be less welcome here - that would be stupid. But does that mean we can't even explore our differences?

As to which ones predominate here: it would be an interesting subject for a poll. I can't even guess how it would turn out. On the one hand, those of us who need it are more likely to be drawn here. On the other hand, I suspect there are a lot more folks out there who like it but don't need it, so (if I'm right about that) even if a much smaller percentage of those folks participate here, they could wind up outnumbering the smaller group.

 

[Amnesiac]

Okay, Okay...

Obviously I didn't word this as well as I thought I did.

This thread IS NOT an "US vs. THEM" HUAC-style loyalty test about people in the TMF. Any names I mentioned were meant as examples of people who I know to be the type of ticklephile I was talking about, not "true and full-blooded and therefore the only acceptable kind of ticklephile" that everybody seems to think I meant.

I was referring to the difference between one kind of ticklephile and another, but I used 2 separate terms to avoid confusing the two when describing them. Obviously, this fostered the "us vs. them" tone people have detected, but that's accidental. I used "ticklephile" as a general term, since it's our casual catch-all term; I used "knismolagniac/acarophiliac" because they are technical terms about tickling fetishist/enthusaists, and I used it because its clinical quality would help illustrate my distinctions.

So to clarify what I meant, I meant "ticklephile" as anyone who likes tickling at some level. I meant "knismolagniac/acarophiliac" as anyone who likes tickling because it seems inherently a part of themselves. In this context, a "ticklephile" would be someone who eases into tickling or learns to like it; a "knismolagniac/acarophiliac" would be someone who "gets it". Even if they dont know why or how, tickling makes sense to them almost naturally.

"TICKLEPHILE" EXAMPLE: A woman is introduced to tickling by her boyfriend and takes a liking to it because she equates it as a form of intimacy play. When the relationship breaks up, she no longer pursues it and doesn't think about it; it's something she did with the person she liked at the time, but when the impetus is gone, so is the activity. She could go the rest of her life without tickling and never even miss it.

"KNISMOLAGNIAC" EXAMPLE: A woman is introduced to tickling by her boyfriend and takes a liking to it in a way she hadn't before. Whether lee or ler, she engages in it whenever she can; when she thinks about it, she asks "where have you been all my life?" When the relationship breaks up, her tastes in men may have changed, but her feelings about tickling haven't. From now on, tickling will be a part of her life and herself; even if her new beau doesn't let her practice it...it'll always be on her mind.

The reason I mentioned the names above (and tickleshotel should have been up there) is because they were examples of people who I know to represent the latter. TicklishGiggle once said she's always been into tickling since she was a kid, even though her sisters hate it ("tickling's the bomb diggety" as she put it); her love of it wasn't contingent on a relationship or a continual output from an outside force...she liked it for what it was and that was that. Whether they discover it as a child or as an adult is immaterial, just that they like it as is.

As to why I asked if the presence of "mere" ticklephiles were a detriment or a boon to the community had to do with the effect it had on relationships and friendships: We've seen relationships fall apart in the community because the importance of tickling just wasn't balanced; one person was into it more than the other and that just frayed the bond. How many posts have we seen where the other person ALLOWS themselves to be tickled or PLAYS ALONG by tickling, but doesn't really..."get into it"? They don't like it the way their S.O. does and that vexes the S.O. Could this be avoided?

This doesn't make "mere" ticklephiles a bane of the community that have to be drummed out for "pure" ticklephiles; they're welcome here. This is a tickling community, not The Tickling Community. I was just asking if there should be an accepted distinction so that ticklephiles who get involved know what KIND of ticklephile the other one is so there's no conflict of interest.

So to repeat the question more clearly: How many of us do you suppose are the kind who "get" tickling (knismolagniacs/acarophiliacs) and how many do you suppose are the kind who think "it's alright, it's fun" (ticklephiles)? It's more of a majority-minority/Ratio kind of question than an actual naming names kind of question.

Naming names questions would kind of imply there's a needed weeding out or something. But feel free to mention what kind you are as a matter of pride if you'd like, since neither one is anything to be ashamed of.

 

[LindyHopper]

"TICKLEPHILE" EXAMPLE: A woman is introduced to tickling by her boyfriend and takes a liking to it because she equates it as a form of intimacy play. When the relationship breaks up, she no longer pursues it and doesn't think about it; it's something she did with the person she liked at the time, but when the impetus is gone, so is the activity. She could go the rest of her life without tickling and never even miss it.

I wouldn't even call such a person a "ticklephile." If she's not enjoying the tickling for it's own sake, then she's doesn't have an interest in tickling; she's an "intimacy with my boyfriend-ophile," or even merely "accommodating," that's all. I've spent time with several such women while they were dating men who attended tickling parties, and I very much doubt they would categorize themselves as "ticklephiles." My own husband has indulged me for years, as generously as any "knismolagniac" could possibly ask, and I wouldn't call him a "ticklephile" either.

As to why I asked if the presence of "mere" ticklephiles were a detriment or a boon to the community had to do with the effect it had on relationships and friendships: We've seen relationships fall apart in the community because the importance of tickling just wasn't balanced; one person was into it more than the other and that just frayed the bond. How many posts have we seen where the other person ALLOWS themselves to be tickled or PLAYS ALONG by tickling, but doesn't really..."get into it"? They don't like it the way their S.O. does and that vexes the S.O. Could this be avoided?

If you're involved in such a relationship, or any relationship, then you have to communicate clearly about level of interest in tickling, just as you have to communicate clearly about a million other things. The bigger issue, if you ask me, is that the vast majority of the world is comprised of people who aren't "really" into tickling. Most of us, if we want a successful relationship, have to negotiate that. If you're interacting, on this forum, with someone who spends time here, then you're already in the 99th percentile of tickling interest. If you can't negotiate the last .001% or whatever of difference, you ought to be trying harder.

This doesn't make "mere" ticklephiles a bane of the community that have to be drummed out for "pure" ticklephiles; they're welcome here. This is a tickling community, not The Tickling Community. I was just asking if there should be an accepted distinction so that ticklephiles who get involved know what KIND of ticklephile the other one is so there's no conflict of interest.

I would say no. I like milagros' point about how level of interest in tickling is a spectrum. I believe this is one of those situations where two categories just won't cut it. There's no real shortcut to the aforementioned clear communication. 😉

So to repeat the question more clearly: How many of us do you suppose are the kind who "get" tickling (knismolagniacs/acarophiliacs) and how many do you suppose are the kind who think "it's alright, it's fun" (ticklephiles)? It's more of a majority-minority/Ratio kind of question than an actual naming names kind of question.

I would assume that the overwhelming majority of people on this forum are very passionate about tickling. If it was just a passing interest, they wouldn't bother to spend time here. I mean, I enjoy beading, but I don't hang out on beading forums to discuss its multifaceted impact on my life.

In fact, I won't claim to know everyone who's ever visited the TMF... but the only people I can think of who fit your definition of "ticklephile" are the ones who were in a relationship with a tickle fetishist, and came here looking to understand their partner better. They were in no way available to anyone else, and when they got what they wanted, or when the relationship ended, they disappeared. So I'm not convinced that this hypothetical problem of a relationship falling apart because a TMF regular wasn't "really" into tickling is even an issue. How much time are you going to spend on the TMF if you don't really "get it?"

 

[StuGatz9]

I'm a tickler who's been obssessed with tickling all my life to the point where I think about it constantly.

I admit to being a slave to my addiction to tickling.

I know I couldn't live without it and wouldn't even begin to try.

On one hand, I love that there's something that is such a powerful force in my life but on the other hand, there have been times where it can feel like a curse too.

It has brought me much pleasure but also much pain.

I've lost relationships, lovers, friends, jobs, money (all of which I've replaced) but I wouldn't change anything.

I get so much satisfaction from tickling females that it outweighs the disappointments I've experienced.

 

[FatJay]

My tuppence

I think we're all here because society at large doesn't cater for us in the mainstream. I suspect that everyone would want to indulge their fetish to the nth degree if they could, but we are all bound to some extent by convention and what those around us expect. I for one am very secretive about my fetish, but I would do it all the time if I could.
So by the definitions, I'm a ticklephile, but only because of the world I live in.

I've recently outed myself and have been happier to explore my fetish this year, but I am still restricted in how much I can practice - but believe me, I would do it a lot more if I could.

Just to have my footworshippalace session back in May took a whole lot of preparation and a convincing lie to the colleague I was travelling with. It takes effort to pursue one's desires!

 

[PainTrain]

Proud "knismolagniac/acarophiliac" here, and I wouldn't want it any other way. And I'll never change. For anyone.

 

[Tickler Bart]

To quote StuGatz9 . . .

I'm a tickler who's been obssessed with tickling all my life to the point where I think about it constantly.

I know I couldn't live without it and wouldn't even begin to try.

On one hand, I love that there's something that is such a powerful force in my life but on the other hand, there have been times where it can feel like a curse too.

It has brought me much pleasure but also much pain.

I get so much satisfaction from tickling females that it outweighs the disappointments I've experienced.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[drew70]

I've heard the word, "knismolagniac" before. Where was it? Hmmm...Wait! I've got it! Star Trek, The Next Generation. Season three, episode 65. Sins of the Father. When Worf asked Picard to be his Cha'DIch, Picard's response was "knismolagniac."

Now to address Amnesiac's question, I don't believe that ticklephile's even by Amnesiac's definition are of any detriment to the community or the forum. I know Amnesiac wasn't suggesting any kind of ostricization, I think I get what he really means, I just don't see it as something about which to be concerned. I think that even a passing interest in tickling is a cool thing and I try to encourage it whenever and wherever I see it.

 

[SimplyRio]

TummyDragon and ForeverRio are a good example: Rio wasn't into tickling until her 40s and that was primarily because she met Dragon...after their divorce, I find it unlikely that Rio would engage in it with her new beau.[/B]

I seriously beg to differ, Amny (a.k.a to me as Tickle Boy)… enjoy that while you can, though, because I never EVER beg for annnnything, understood? 😛

Contrary to your belief, since childhood I was (and still am) completely infatuated with every aspect of tickling… even before the days of this community, when this “fetish” was not yet considered to be even pseudo-mainstream, I fantasized and craved to be tickled beyond my ability to take it. While I did not have the luxury of indulging in the “torture” on a regular basis until I was in a relationship with a fellow fetishist (and did he ever), it does not mean prior to that, that I didn’t ever indulge at all (as if!) LOL

Bottom line is, my craving and desire to be overwhelmed by my ticklishness is how I’m hardwired – I've been that way from the womb… nobody “introduced” me to it.

As you may vaguely recall, I am excruciatingly ticklish… so much so that I almost instantly become weak as a kitten, barely able to move, and collapsing into a little mound of a hysterically ticklish little girl (a ticklish paralysis, if you will), making it impossible for me to even protect myself. Yet to this day, I still have no greater hunger than for the very sensation my body is physiologically incapable of tolerating. My appetite to be completely and overwhelmingly tickle tortured beyond my ability to take it is insatiable and runs rampant through every single fiber of my being.

My beau is a pureblood tickle fetishist and doesn’t even know it. Without question, he NEEDS to tickle. He masterfully demonstrates many times, every single day/night, that he has that full-blown blatant desire to tickle the ever-living daylights out of me – and he isn’t even aware of this community (nor my previous involvement with it)… which I actually find quite refreshing. Without even being aware that there are even such terms a “lees” and “lers” or even “safewords” he is, by far one of the most devastatingly accomplished ticklers I have ever had the delicious pleasure of knowing. So, fear not, I most certainly still do “engage in it.” 😀

Not knowing how this does or does not fit into your knismolagniac vs. acarophiliac theory… I now humbly stumble back into my active lurker status, simply noting that I am one of you… I have no choice, it is who I am.

~Rio

 

[Amnesiac]

Ooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit. I...didn't know you were....still around. Neither of you came back and there wasn't any e-mail answers so I figured you...kinda left everything. Oops.

Uh, okay, I'm finding myself in the precarious situation here...of being wrong about something. I thought FOR SURE you told me that you didn't get into it until your 30s (I wrote 40s above--sorry guys, I didn't notice that one until now) and that it was Dragon who helped develop it in you. Then again, that WAS almost 4 years ago and I didn't exactly write that down. I wouldn't have said it unless I was sure, at least at the time. But, if I'm wrong about that, then...*sigh* then I'm wrong about that.

Damn women always gotta be right...especially if they actually ARE right.

As you may vaguely recall, I am excruciatingly ticklish… so much so that I almost instantly become weak as a kitten, barely able to move, and collapsing into a little mound of a hysterically ticklish little girl (a ticklish paralysis, if you will),

Oh I remember allright...daily. The paralysis is called cataplexy.

Not knowing how this does or does not fit into your knismolagniac vs. acarophiliac theory…

Well, if what you said above is true, that makes you a knismolagniac/acarophiliac then. Whether childhood thing or adult thing, it's the fixation on tickling that matters. I thought you didn't come into it until late and that you gave it up once the divorce happened. Myyyyyyyy mistake!

In that case, I guess I have no example of a general "ticklephile" who isn't a real "knismolagniac/acarophiliac" then. But I assume they're out there, and the question still stands!

By the way, Rio...nice to know you're still with us, even if you aren't...y'know, with us anymore. Sorry about this.

 

[giggle-maker]

The paralysis is called cataplexy.

Why can't I be afflicted with this??? This sounds wonderful!!

And would save some trips to the hardware store AND some $$




Oh...BTW, lifelong lee. It's even my first name! No kidding!!

 

[Coda]

I've never been so specific about these definitions, but this prompted me to check all of them out. I'd never considered a "ticklephile" to mean anything less than a person who <I>loves</I> tickling, and now the only difference I can see is that "ticklephile" doesn't necessarily include a sexual association while the others do. Anyway, aside from all that, it's a good question.

I'm all about working on the answers to why people with any kind of special turn-on are affected by it, including myself. (I'm mystified by the number of posts that suggest their writers don't share that curiosity.) In any such situation, it's always helpful to have a lot of perspectives, so I think that any member motivated enough to join the forum and communicate, is valuable. It might even be helpful to talk about tickling on the forum with people who don't even like tickling in the first place.

 

[Headsnap]

Huh?

Yeah.

 

[IrishTickle]

Doesn't ticklephile as a word mean someone who is sexually arouse by tickling? Like Necrophile of Pedophile? It's based on sexually obsession with something, isn't it? Meh, it's late and I'm not nearly drunk enough...

 

[curious]

I would say that I need it

I would say that I am an acarophiliac. I don't think I can go 24 hours without thinking about tickling in some way shape or form. As I think I may have said in an earlier post if I had to choose between an hour of sex with a beautiful woman or to tickle a beautiful woman, I would choose to tickle her.