First off, a bit about the nature of fetishes in general. They’re quite useful and enviable things to have, if I do say so myself! One of the best, if not most comprehensive, definition of “fetish” we've come across is “something that gets you off every time”. What a delicious thought, eh? Thinking about it makes you instantly aroused, and you often incorporate it into your sexual fantasies. In short, a fetish is an action or an object that is not sexual in itself (that is, not essential for the old in-out-in-out, standard-issue, for-procreation only sex) but that you personally find very erotic and consider a significant part of your sexuality.

Strictly speaking, hugging, kissing, massaging and many other things that fall into the vanilla category can also be considered fetishes, but they’re so common that no one bats an eye at them. That should give you some perspective next time you wonder if there’s anything wrong or unnatural about a tickling fetish.

Since it involves varying degrees of power exchange, and can incorporate bondage and submission, tickling is often categorised within the larger realm of BDSM (bondage, domination, sado-masochism). Attitudes within the BDSM community towards tickling vary from "A tickling fetish, what's that?" to "I can handle any amount of pain but could never handle tickling!" to drooling Homer Simpson-style and saying "Wow, that's hot - tell me more!"

With tickling, as with any fetish, different people can find different aspects of it appealing. It could be simply the feel of a pair of hands meandering over flesh, squeezing and poking, gently scratching and flicking, and knowing that your touch is creating a helplessness and desperation in your lee (or, if you are the lee, knowing that a simple touch draws such a response in you). If you’re into implements, the appeal could be the feel of having something other than fingers do the tickling: tongues and teeth, toothbrushes, feathers, etc.

It could be the results – the reactions to being tickled that can range from the sound of giggling and squealing to screaming, crying, begging or near-silent gasps of laughter, squirming and flailing, glaring in mock anger, shaking and curling up into a ball.

It could even be the extras – things that aren’t part of the tickling itself but can go along with it: verbal teasing, touching a specific body part such as feet or tummies or having yours touched, more general humiliation, and tools and implements such as feathers, brushes and oil, and indirect reactions such as losing bladder control.

Similarly, some people consider tickling as the single most important aspect of their sexuality, present in every fantasy and sometimes more enjoyable than sex itself, while others only include it as one of many types of foreplay that can add a little something special to your normal sexual repertoire. There’s no right way to feel about it, and no shame in being only mildly interested in tickling or in wanking to thoughts of tickling or being tickled several times a day, or anything in between. In short, it's your fetish - enjoy it!

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