Not knowing quite what to expect for the SWLC, we headed there with open minds. It turned out to be an interesting weekend. Really, for me, what made the weekend was a single experience. We went to the body punching and face slapping workshop. While I have done some body punching, but didn't know anything about face slapping, so it promised to be a very interesting time.
I didn't know how interesting the experience would be. A friend asked me about if I had had any firsts. and I answerd, "Not really, unless, you consider almost losing control and ripping the face off of one of the presenters a first. The body punching was AWESOME. The face slapping was not so much fun. Though I *REALLY* want to play with the presenter now. The face slapping was something else entirely. It was ........ beyond words."
According to a few people, he was rougher (longer?) in what he did with me than with other folks who wanted to experience it. Part of his play is the guttaral sounds of an animal, growling, etc... By the end of the punching, I was on a major wave of endorphins, and the "animal within" was out and about more than a little bit.
It was a *SERIOUS* connection with him. So, the demo continued and it moved on to face slapping. There is actually a full technique to face slapping. It isn't "just a slap". It is very controlled, with support for the head and a very carefully placed blow. In that respect, it is just like body punching.
So, people were surprised that I didn't raise my hand for the face slapping..... when the opportunity came around to experience it. One thing in my past is that my step-mother broke 3 different metal spoon wrist supports across my face when I was around 8. So, I watched a few and then raised my hand. He worked me over, first one side, then the other and finally both at the same time. Well, I hit my point, and snapped my head back. Apparently something changed because he looked at me and said, "You really want to rip my face off right now don't you?" I said yea. He pulled me in to him and gave me a hug. I started laughing and laughed for about 10 minutes. I had my animal sitting right below the surface for the rest of the weekend.
Even now, If I focus for a moment or three, he'll surface again.
I would very much like to know what it was that changed about me that clued him in. I know my eyes will change color under certain circumstances, maybe it was a different kind of fire in my eyes? I was incredibly aware of everything about me, and about him and I could swear that I returned to exactly the same position after snapping my head back. It was a very ..... vivid experience.
It was really an amazing experience. I would have *LOVED* to have played with him.
Ironically, during the punching, I was growling and snarling the right side of my upper lip was twitching (very canine, which makes sense my animal is a wolf) Picture a snarling wolf, with the right side of it's muzzle curled to show teeth, right down to the over-production of saliva causing the wolf to drool. That would be me at the end of the punching.
It was an amazing amazing experience, and one that really made the SWLC weekend for me.