List of good toilets for exposure practice

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rossco309
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List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:27 am

Hi all readers of this AP Chat Forum.

Some of the Sydney Support Group have talked about listing Public Toilets that we have found helpful during our recovery exposure desensitisation work.

I would like to start of this list by one I discovered today at the big 'Supacentre Shopping Centre' at Moore Park.
I was window shopping with my wife looking at all sorts of furniture, when she needed to go to the toilet, so I followed her and went into the mens on the First Floor (toilets are well marked and opposite Bing Lee - she went to the ladies of course!!). I supose my urgency level was about 6/10 but I thought it would be worth while just to see another public toilet and to do some low urgency practice. To my surprise it was excellently designed with about 7 urinal bowls (with LARGE DIVIDERS between them) along one wall and about 6 or 7 cubicles directly behind on the other wall. I had no trouble getting my flow going, and it wasn't until I finished and was washing my hands, that I noticed that two of the cubicles were occupied.

I would recommend to anyone living in this area of Sydney to try this one out. I think it should be probably pretty busy on weekends as it is a very large shopping complex. PS The furniture places looked good as well!!!

Keep up the exposure practice.

JohnW
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Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by JohnW » Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:30 pm

Thank you for starting off this thread, Ross.
Let's see if we end up with a Cook's Tour of desirable toilets!
The toilet you refer to has been there for quite some time. Would you believe, we even made use of it during the FIRST Australian Workshop, which was held in Sydney in 2003, and was run by Steven Soifer.
JohnW

Derek
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Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by Derek » Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:14 am

Thanks Rossco,
I actually have been to this Supercentre, in fact several times in 2007 during my wife's extended stay in hospital in Randwick, but don't remember this one (maybe I was on a different floor!!!).
I would also recommend the urinals at the Westin Sydney Hotel Function Centre, full length ( floor to ceiling) urinal dividers here - perhaps the only ones in Australia!?! A great start for a beginner, and a "piece of cake" for a reasonably recovered paruretic.
Urinals near BaySwiss at Pacific Fair, Broadbeach, Gold Coast Queensland also has half length dividers and several urinals,for any of our banana benders out there... Pacific Fair also has many other different toilets of varying degrees of difficulty and it is a good idea to check this out in non-peak hour to get acquainted with them - and then use them as the crowd level starts to build.
Likewise, Westfield East Gardens, in Pagewood in Sydney, also has many different public toilet varieties and levels of difficulties.
At the other end of the spectrum,and not for the faint-hearted - try McDonald's Ballina - on the Far North Coast of NSW.
Most McDonald's are of the one bowl - one cubicle variety (which can also be hard when travelling and if there are plenty of people waiting to use it_.)
Not so this one, it has a fairly close 2-man trough and only one cubicle, with almost constant flow rate from travellers etc.
Perhaps the best ones to start with are whereby there are many urinals, or trough space, but with only a low rate of traffic flow. Ones with 2 or 3 walls ( ie where you are not in direct line with others, are even better.)
In any of these ones you can get quite a bit of distance from other urinators without having to worry too much.
If I can think of any others I will post them forward.
Derek

JohnW
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Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by JohnW » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:33 pm

Derek's reference to "full-length" dividers reminded me of a toilet at the Adventist Hospital in Sydney, probably on Entrance level. My recollection is that the dividers there were full-length. I was surprised when I saw them some years ago, and I thought at the time that they may indicate U.S. influence in the design of that hospital.
BTW, we also used the Eastgardens facilities during that 2003 workshop. It was a nostalgia trip for me, as I used to live near it for some years, and I did much practising in the main toilet with its fairly long trough when I was still pursuing recovery. During that visit there in 2003, I was standing at that trough (of blessed memory!), with Steven S------ standing somewhat to my left, when one of the workshop attenders "squeezed in" between Steve and me. My recollection is that the brave attender did not have success, and his sudden appearance was not welcomed by Steve, who uttered something almost unprintable.
JohnW

Derek
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Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by Derek » Sat May 09, 2009 8:47 am

In reference to my other post "Newcastle Sojourn", the toilets of Westfield Kotara - one of, if not the largest shopping centre in Newcastle, are a must.
Urinal Dividers are at quite a few locations, and even one with full length dividers on Level 1.
These are hard to come by, and for those just beginning to make gains is a must!!!
The other dividers are about "shoulder height" for a short-arse like me, and quite private unless someone very tall is next to you.
There is also a David Jones at this location, and like Myer, they always have their own toilets - which are invariably quieter than those elsewhere if you lock up or get into difficulty.
It should also be noted that for those with severe paruresis that it is not illegal to use "disabled toilets" if you need to.
The only criticism I have of this shopping centre is that there are not male toilets with multiple walls, ie 2 or 3 walls with bowls on them, where you are not standing in the same direct line as a fellow urinator.
Finding the correct toilets for your level of recovery is essential to start the ball rolling, and start losing you avoidant behaviour, which has become inground for many of us over many years.
That may even include finding cubicles that are not too short in height, and not too exposed with very high ground-to-start-of-door height, for those that have not moved beyond cubicles.
For me I prefer not to use the word "recovery", but "discovery", since every toilet is a new adventure.
And I have virtually no memory of being a non-paruretic prior to going down the recovery track anyway!
Good luck to all.
Derek

rossco309
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Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:00 pm

Another mensroom away from Sydney is at Goulbourn.
For years we have been travelling up & down the Hume freeway from Sydney and ususally stop for morning tea or lunch at the McDonalds resturant at the southern end of Goulbourn (2nd Goulbourn turnoff from expressway). The restrooms there are a bit bigger than your typical McDs with 3 urinal bowls on one wall with 3 cubicles directly behind, but almost always very busy, and it is a very small room. In the bad old days the only way I could pee there was to wait until it was quiet, and then go by sitting down in a cubicle. Once I got into recovery mode, a year or so ago, I would attempt to pee at the urinal bowls (no dividers) and could normally get going unless someone was next to me.
Then about 12 months ago a new Bakery opened, in the same road, just before you get to the McDs. As well as better food, coffee etc, their restrooms are excellent. Still only have 3 urinal bowls, but much wider spacing, with 3 cubicles behind, but in a much bigger room, nicely tiled and much cleaner than the old McD's one.

I would recommend you try this stop next time you are travelling down that way. If you are not up to urinal bowl practice the cubicles give plenty of privacy and it is normally a little bit quieter than McDs.
Last edited by rossco309 on Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

rossco309
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:18 pm

Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:03 am

Travelling again away from Sydney.

Just tried out the public toilet in the Albury Myer Shopping centre court. To my surprise it was pretty paruresis friendly. A large room with 4 cubicles and only a 1 1/2 man urinal trough down one end away from the cubicles. There seemed to be plenty of sinks around about, one near the urinal, and I had no problems emptying out in the trough with about a 7/10 urgency.

The design of mens public toilet design/space, or lack thereof, just amazes me as I travel around. The worst ones for design/space would have to be the McDonalds chain of resturants.

Keep up that exposure practice, and we will continue to improve.

rossco309
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:18 pm

Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:36 pm

Correction to my last post on this subject. I think I ran the McDonalds chain down to early....
I have just finished a couple of weeks travelling in NSW to Albury, Griffith and Young.
Would you believe that the McDonalds at Young has 2 seperate urinal wall bowls with almost full length dividers, so that you cannot see the person next to you, there is also a single cubicle and washbasin in the same area. Best McD design I have seen ever!!!!.

rossco309
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:18 pm

Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:57 am

Hi All,

I just found another McDonalds with dividers!!!!

We were visiting friends in Wollongong and had a hour to fill in so stopped for a coffee at the McD at Dapto (its just off the freeway, right at Dapto shopping center).

I had about a 6/10 urgency so decided to keep up my desensitisation practice. As usual the mens room was pretty small, but well laid out with a urinal bowl, with FULL length dividers each side, and a cubicle at the far end. I had no problem emptying out and was pleasantly surprised at the layout.

Keep up the practice gentlemen. It certainly does help overcome this disorder.

All the best for Xmas and the coming New Year 2010.

rossco.

rossco309
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:18 pm

Re: List of good toilets for exposure practice

Post by rossco309 » Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:25 am

Hi all, I recently found another quite good layout at Westfield Hurstville.

The quite large mensroom at the Food Court end has a room with 9 well spaced urinal bowls (3 on each wall), and a seperate room with about 5 or 6 cubicles in it.

It was quite busy at lunchtime with users coming and going. I was able to use a urinal bowl with no problems with others nearby.

Keep up that desensitisation practice, it make so much difference, not to have to worry about whether you will be able to go while out and about.

Regards, rossco

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