subject: Paruresis (Shy Bladder) - A Well Researched and Detailed Overview Of Paruresis [print this page] Paruresis (Shy Bladder) - A Well Researched and Detailed Overview Of Paruresis
Paruresis (or Shy Bladder) is a form of social anxiety. Paruresis (Shy Bladder) is the medical term given to the inability to pee in public. In thisarticle we will take a look at paruresis or shy bladderin the form of a detailed summary. I hope you learn some useful info from your visit!
This article will also discuss The Paruresis Treatment System, a guide to overcoming Paruresis from the comfort of your own home. Click Here For The Official Paruresis Treatment System Page.
What is Paruresis?
Paruresis is a medical term that describes the inability to pee in a public restroom. The severity of Paruresis varies between individuals. A severe sufferer may not be able to pee at all in a public restroom, not even in a private stall. Where as a mild sufferer may be able to pee in a private stall but not at the urinal. Others may be fine at the urinal as long as there is not another person standing next to them. It varies between people. Paruresis is also commonly known as shy bladder, shy pee, bashful bladder and shy kidney. And also the term 'stage fright'.
How common is Paruresis?
More common that you may think. It is thought that around 7% of Americans have Paruresis. That is around 17 milion people. That figure is likely to be higher when you also include in people who suffer from some form of Paruresis at a mild level. Such as the occasional failure to pee at a urinal. Most men have experienced 'stage fright' at a urinal before, and thus have experienced Paruresis. Probably without even knowing about it. If you observe the surroundings in a busy public restroom, you will also notice that most men will choose to pee in a private stall that at the urinal. Often the row of urinals is free, where as the restroom in general is quite full. That is likely to include a number of people who suffer from Paruresis and have to use the stall. But men in general, whether they have Paruresis or not, often tend to prefer to pee in a private stall than at a urinal.
Wanting a sense of privacy when going to pee is natural. In a study conducted in 1954 titled "Paruresis: a survey of a disorder of micturition" in the Journal of General Psycholog, 1,500 college students were surveyed and 14.4% had experienced Paruresis of some form. Some on a continuous basis, some only occasionally. Paruresis is mainly associated with men and is most common amongst men, but many women also sufferer from Paruresis as well.
What causes Paruresis?
It is not known for sure. Often it can be attributed to an embarrassing event in a restroom during childhood or as a young adult. But there may not be an exact cause or a specific trigger. Some people find that over time they develop paruresis. Most often paruresis occurs in young adults in their teenage years, and often stays with them throughout their adult life.
The physical reason that a paruresis sufferer will fail to urinate in a public restroom is due to the fact that they are too anxious in order to relax a certain set of muscles that are required to be relaxed in order for urine to flow. These muscles are known as sphincter muscles and in order to urinate the sphincter muscles need to be relaxed. It is the fear and tension in the paruresis sufferer that prevents these muscles from relaxing. It might not be known what causes the fear, but what is known, is that it is a mental condition. It is a phobia, a form of anxiety. For some reason the subconscious part of the brain has been conditioned to not allow the body to urinate in public. The Paruresis affect also snowballs. By getting frustrated at the inability to pee in public you will experience a lot of tension and negative thoughts. These negative thoughts are then brought forward with you the next time you try to pee in public. It just gets worse and worse.
It is the subconscious part of the brain that causes Paruresis. The brain has been conditioned to prevent the body from peeing in public, because it thinks it is protecting the body. This is the natural job of the brain. It thinks it is doing the right thing because of all the signals of fear and negativity it is receiving.
Can Paruresis be cured?
Yes, it is possible to overcome paruresis. But many people will find that it will stay with them for the rest of their life. With a bit of hard work, however, the severity of the condition can be reduced to lessen the impact paruresis has on one's life. The reason that paruresis can be cured, is because it is a mental condition. The negative thought process of the subconscious brain can be changed to no longer associate danger with peeing in public. However, because paruresis may be firmly embedded into the unconscious mind, it can take a lot of hard work and determination to change this.
That is how one form of treatment works, known as the Paruresis Treatment System. The Paruresis Treatment System works on 'reprogramming' the unconscious thinking of the mind to no longer associate irrational fears and negative thoughts with a peeing in public.
What are the main forms of Paruresis Treatment?
There are a number of different paruresis treatment methods. In this section we will look at the main 3: desensitization techniques, professional therapy, and support group workshops.
Desensitization is a form of cognitive behavior therapy. This is where the indivdual is gradually exposed to the feared environment over time. For example, a paruresis sufferer will be exposed to the feared environment of a public restroom. The individual should be first exposed to the environment at a very mild level. This should be in a situation that the paruresis sufferer finds challenging, but that is likely to achieve. The sufferer may, for example, go into a private stall in a public restroom that has distractions of hand driers going off in the background to aid the flow to start. It is also recommended that the individual go into the restroom at a relatively high level of needing to pee.
So this first stage of exposure would only take place when the individual has a relatively full bladder Over time, the paruresis sufferer will go into the private stall with a less full bladder to make it more challenging. Eventually the paruresis sufferer may get to the stage of being able to pee at the urinal. Another desensitization technqiue involves just going into a public restroom with no intention to pee. Just stand at the urinal or in a public stall and observe the surroundings. You will find that no-one is looking at you or actually cares what you are doing. This will help eliminate some of the irrational thoughts that others are judging you in the restroom!
Therapy involves going to see a professional therapist to work on the mental thought process that causes paruresis. The therapist will work with you to try and replace the irrational, negative thoughts with more positive thoughts and rational thinking. This will likely involve similar techniques as outlined in the Paruresis Treatment System. Therapy is likely to cost a lot of money, but the advantage is that you have someone who is a professional to help you go through the process. There is also the fact that someone is holding you accountable for your progress. The therapist will also be accountable themselves and share the responsiblity of your improvement. This is an excellent method of treatment for individuals who struggle to overcome issues alone. Therapy is likely to involve 10-12 weekly sessions. A course of cognitive behavior therapy may also be undertaken as part of the treatment.
Support Group Workshops are a good way to meet fellow paruresis sufferers and to share stories. You will often find that the exchange of 'horror stories' is actually quite amusing and will help put you at ease! Support groups are good for people who like to share their troubles with others and whom progress well with help and moral support. A support group may take place at a hotel over a weekend. Sometimes you may be teamed up with a 'pee buddy'. The pee buddy will share a hotel room with you and together you can help each other desensitize. The pee buddy will lurk around in the general area when you go and pee. This will start off as being in an adjacent room but will the doors shut and music playing etc for distraction. Whatever you feel comfortable with. And throughout the day you will work at building up to peeing with the door open, and maybe even in the same room eventually.
The International Paruresis Association (IPA) in the United States and the UK Paruresis Trust (UKPT) in the United Kingdom are known to run support group workshops. So check out their websites for more information if you think sharing your paruresis with others will help your progression.
Sources of information
For a wealth of information on paruresis check out the official websites of the IPA and UKPT.
These websites include support forums where you can discuss the issue with others in the same boat. Information on upcoming support groups will also be included on these websites. The official website of Paruresis Treatment Systemis also worth investigating if you prefer to try and overcome your paruresis by yourself and at a rate that you are comfortable with. There is also a lot of free information and a free email based report on that website as well. Many thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you feel that you have learnt something!
