There are so many aspects of this that jump out at me. As a survivor of trauma, touch and I have a tumultuous relationship. As an autist and the mother of any autist, we have a service dog who provides tactile grounding via deep pressure therapy during instances of overstimulation. In fact, he was just on my lap. :)
What I'm pointing at here is that even when I can't accept touch from humans, that touch is vital. This post has left me with a lot to think about, not the least of which was my recent commitment to find a massage therapist--a commitment I have yet to follow up on.
What you are describing kept dangling about in my mind as I was writing this, but I could not quite approach it with the fairness it deserved as I do not know firsthand what it must be like.
Perhaps your analysis can bring a deeper understanding for a future article? That would be a must read :)
Thank you for reading, I am honored to have sparked a wheel :)