The Art of Receiving and Giving

<p>Why would most people endure unwanted or unsatisfying touch, rather than speak up for their own boundaries and desires? It''s a question with a myriad of answers - and one that Dr. Betty Martin has explored in her 40+ years as a hands-on practitioner, first as a chiropractor and later as a Somatic Sex Educator, Certified Surrogate Partner and Sacred Intimate. In her client sessions, she noticed a pattern wherein many clients would "allow" or go along with discomfort or unease rather than speak up for what they wanted or didn''t want. Betty discovered there was a major component missing for people -- the confidence that we have a choice about what is happening to us.<p/><p>In her framework, "The Wheel of Consent-" Betty traces the fundamental roots of consent back to our childhood conditioning. As children, we are taught that to be "good" we must ignore our body''s discomfort and be compliant: to finish our food even if we''re full, to go to bed - even