New to PAA
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 11:57 pm
hey all,
my name is andy, and im a 36 yo paruretic from perth. i was told about this site by someone on the IPA website, which i have been a part of for a few months now.
i have had paruresis for as long as i can remember, and up till a few years ago, thought i alone suffered this condition. about a year ago i started looking for a way to overcome it, and after trying all the magic quick fix bullshit, 2 months ago i started graduated exposure. without really having anyone to help, i started heading out to the bigger shopping centres on my own, 5-6 days a week, 3-4 hours a day. being unemployed, i decided to make it my job to practice. and in those 2 months i have come a long way. at the start i could only go sitting in a cubicle (and misfiring a lot of the time). now, with a full bladder, i can go in any situation.....right next to someone, in between people, urinal bowls and troughs. but now i need to take the next step. with a full bladder, i can enter a bathroom, and be completely confident of success. the worry and...fear usually felt is not there anymore, or at least not with sufficient strength to inhibit the ability to pee. which is great, amazing, i am completely stoked, dont get me wrong. but when i enter a toilet with a lower urgency, the worry and fear returns. i went today to a public toilet with a lower urgency, and it played on my mind. i was successful, but there was no-one right next to me.
so i guess im asking for some help and advice on where to go from here. continuing with the same practice i have been doing for 2 months seems pointless (i mean 6 days a week), because dont have a problem in that situation anymore. i want to improve, and most definitely dont want to go backwards! i feel my brain is almost ready to accept that yes, i can pee in front of people (i have literally done it 100s and 100s times now), but because of the 25 years of negative training, it just cant let go. anyone know what exercises are used in the workshops to combat the secondary paruresis, or some cognitive behavioral therapy that i can use, or practice, or something like that?
any advice or help would be much appreciated.
thanks for reading
andy
my name is andy, and im a 36 yo paruretic from perth. i was told about this site by someone on the IPA website, which i have been a part of for a few months now.
i have had paruresis for as long as i can remember, and up till a few years ago, thought i alone suffered this condition. about a year ago i started looking for a way to overcome it, and after trying all the magic quick fix bullshit, 2 months ago i started graduated exposure. without really having anyone to help, i started heading out to the bigger shopping centres on my own, 5-6 days a week, 3-4 hours a day. being unemployed, i decided to make it my job to practice. and in those 2 months i have come a long way. at the start i could only go sitting in a cubicle (and misfiring a lot of the time). now, with a full bladder, i can go in any situation.....right next to someone, in between people, urinal bowls and troughs. but now i need to take the next step. with a full bladder, i can enter a bathroom, and be completely confident of success. the worry and...fear usually felt is not there anymore, or at least not with sufficient strength to inhibit the ability to pee. which is great, amazing, i am completely stoked, dont get me wrong. but when i enter a toilet with a lower urgency, the worry and fear returns. i went today to a public toilet with a lower urgency, and it played on my mind. i was successful, but there was no-one right next to me.
so i guess im asking for some help and advice on where to go from here. continuing with the same practice i have been doing for 2 months seems pointless (i mean 6 days a week), because dont have a problem in that situation anymore. i want to improve, and most definitely dont want to go backwards! i feel my brain is almost ready to accept that yes, i can pee in front of people (i have literally done it 100s and 100s times now), but because of the 25 years of negative training, it just cant let go. anyone know what exercises are used in the workshops to combat the secondary paruresis, or some cognitive behavioral therapy that i can use, or practice, or something like that?
any advice or help would be much appreciated.
thanks for reading
andy