At the age of 52 I attended my first workshop in 2009 held in Sydney with enormous apprehension and anxiety but actually found it to be a life changing experience as it was the very first positive step on my road to recovery. It took me out of survival mode for the first time in my many years of trying to beat this debilitating condition that us paruretics have to deal with and put me into a position where most situations became manageable. I was by no means cured but the anxiety that i had faced previously in most situations was seriously eroded. The fact that i had sat down for the first time with a group of people with exactly the same problem and freely discuss it and then practiced urinating in a controlled environment with others around was overwhelming and a long overdue release mechanism.
I did not follow up with any practice sessions as advised in that workshop so my recovery stagnated as i had become complacent with the success that i had achieved from that workshop. In the past 2 years I have a made a concerted effort to beat this problem and have told some close family members of my condition who were very understanding and helpful and have started practicing a lot more. I have progressed from not being able to go at all if anyone was around to at first closed cubicles then on to open cubicles and then on to single urinals as long as i have medium to high urgency.
When John sent out the emails of the Melbourne Workshop and being from Melbourne I enrolled this time with a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation as i saw this as a great opportunity to progress further in my recovery. The group consisted of 7 participants of varying levels and was run by John who is to be commended for his excellent effort and dedication to this cause of helping people with this condition. John was also involved with my first workshop along with Russel Gibbs so he has been there for the long haul. The weekend went really well and i believe that most participants benefited and had some progress on their road to recovery. I was extremely happy with my progress as i was able to get further than i had ever been before by urinating in a trough with other people around me using the trough at the same time. This time I have embraced the tact of practicing on a more regular basis and at every available opportunity and urge the Melbourne participants to practice with the support group as often as possible. I would also highly recommend to anyone thinking of participating in a workshop to do so. I found the hardest step on the road to recovery was the first one and for me that was attending the first workshop.
Good luck to all and keep up the pratice.
Kind regards
Drew