STROKING COMMUNITY'S


A stroking community is a support group for people who are getting in touch with themselves by getting in touch with others with non-sexual, noninvasive touch.

People never outgrow their need to touch and be touched, and suppressing those needs is hazardous to heath - physical and emotional health. The group provides a safe environment for giving and receiving good strokes in a supportive, nurturing environment for friends to enjoy clothing optional non-sexual massage respecting the personal privacy and boundaries of each individual.

The Stroking Community was originally a national network of groups founded by David Linton and four others based on massage workshops held in Philadelphia, in the 1970s, led by some of the prime developers of Esalen massage. Their motto was "massage a way of love".

I attended, in the 1980s, Stroking Community workshops on the East Coast, enhancing both the physical and loving spiritual aspects of Esalen massage by doing group massage.

Before moving to Phoenix I lived in Minneapolis all my life and was very active in the Minnesota Therapeutic Massage Network of professional therapists. At an annual meeting we had David Linton as the keynote speaker. He was outstanding in his expression of loving mankind and expressing it with massage. Sadly he died suddenly and unexpectedly soon after this presentation. The biography he wrote for the speech turned out to be his obituary published by The Stroking Times newsletter, March 1987. We use a short tape in the Liberated Christian massage workshop which shows David, a hunchback older man with a heart of gold and filled with love which he taught and expressed through massage.

The Arizona Stroking Community is more than seven years old and meets monthly at homes throughout the Valley and in some outstate areas.  There is a couples only group and a main group, which meets on the 2nd Sat of each month for everyone.

Single men need to make reservations or be on a waiting list, since there often is "too much male energy" and gender balance is roughly maintained. Some of the members are also active in our Liberated Christian group.

Note this group is TOTALLY NON-SEXUAL. If you want to share any sexual massage this is clearly not a group you should consider. You will be kicked out very fast if your interest is sexual. That is not what this group is about.  In Liberated Christians our massage groups/parties have more sexual options but presently are part of our workshop series for couples and single women only, after attending a required 3-hour intro session. The next intros will probably not be until early 1998.

For information on the Arizona Stroking Community, contact founder Neil Baker at (sadly Neil Baker died a few years ago.. updated info to come)