had you ever heard of anything like that before? vaguely, yeah. i didn t have much of an idea. i did have to come home and do a lot of research, yeah. because it scared me. so you weren t into it, initially? oh, my gosh, no, i was terrified. i knew this would really require me to take some risks and get close to someone in an intimate way. even just a hug. what propelled you to go forward and do it? i kept thinking about how lonely i was and how much i really wanted a deep emoti connection. for keith, sexual intimacy is indeed a long-term goal, but that s way down the road. can i give you a hug? first, he must learn to find comfort in the simplest forms of touch with another human being. hi. how are you doing? yea. i m so glad to hear that. may i put my hand on you? yes, you may. thank you. yeah. let s take a couple deep breaths