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Virtual Support Group

While meeting with other sufferers in person through a local support group is ideal, we’ve found that a virtual group can be just as effective in helping sufferers connect – especially for those who don’t have a group locally. Moderated by volunteer support coordinator and IPA Board Member David Kliss, the Virtual Support Group (VSG) meets online approximately every 4 to 6 weeks on Sundays. Please join him and men and women from around the world for this worthwhile meeting. For an invite, reach out on the Contact the IPA form. Also, see our latest blog post below.

Upcoming Dates

  • Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 1 p.m. US ET | 12 CT | 11 MT | 10 PT
  • Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 1 p.m. US ET | 12 CT | 11 MT | 10 PT
 

Practicing Without Knowing It

93% of humankind does not have paruresis and has been using public bathrooms for their entire lives, from grammar school through university and then in offices/workplaces during their professional careers. These 93% have been practicing daily without knowing they were practicing.

Vienna Workshop – One Year Later

In the following I will present my personal impressions of a workshop visit and then describe how I coped with my paruresis after the workshop. Possibly it will serve as an “inspiration” for the one or the other person concerned to design a personal “training program”.

A Woman’s View – IPA Virtual Workshop

[Julia attended our Virtual Workshop on August 12, 2023, led by IPA President Dan Rocker. She shared these thoughts prior to the workshop, and kindly followed-up with her post-workshop reaction. If you are considering attending any IPA workshop, you’ll find her comments valuable.

Flying High!

Greetings fellow members. The following is an edited and expanded version of a text I had sent to two board members upon my return from a trip abroad. Given the length of the flight, weeks prior to my journey I was feeling apprehensive.

Help for Women

Ever since I was six years old and was walked in on while on the potty by a neighbor boy, who announced with exuberant laughter “I hear you peeing!”, I have had bathroom issues. These issues snowballed over the years into a full-blown case of primary and secondary paruresis. When I was in a bathroom out of my comfort zone I would often feel like I was sitting on a time bomb that could go off at any moment. I had better be ready to run if someone knocks on that bathroom door or starts jiggling the handle.

This is Oliver…

This is Oliver. Why am I sharing this picture of an adorable little kitty? Last night I went to a college friend’s house. We’re sitting around having a few drinks and I have to use the bathroom which is down around the corner from where we’re all sitting. So, I go there and the “lock” is a tiny hook-and-eye set-up that is very sketchy and leaves a small crack in the door opening.

Flight 282

You have to understand, I am not afraid of flying in an airplane. As a kid, I loved the movement and motion of flying. But for the past fifty-five years, I haven’t flown very often at all. This all started because of an incident that happened at the end of the summer of 1968. 

Virtual Support Group September Recap

Our most recent Virtual Support Group Meeting took place last evening, and we had about twenty participants from all over the US, Canada, and Europe. In the first hour each participant was invited to talk about his or her experiences, both past and present, and as each person talked the others listened with clear empathy…

Are we “weirdos”?

“I’m wondering if the people who are members in the IPA are a bunch of weirdos. I mean, they have to be, right?”

I’m sure this question has crossed your mind. 15+ years ago when I first learned about the International Paruresis Association I know I thought it.

Virtual Support Group Hits Record

The IPA Virtual Support Group is facilitated on a volunteer basis by myself and Steve Weinraub about once a month, and we hit a record on Sunday, August 28, with 31 participants. They included people from all over the United States, as well two people from the United Kingdom and one from Poland, and the age level ranged from early 20’s to late 70’s.

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HELPFUL RESOURCES

OFFICIAL IPA DONATION PORTALS

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IPA BOOK

INTERNATIONAL PARURESIS ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 21237
Catonsville, MD 21228

You Are Not Alone.
There Is Help For You!

Shy Bladder, Bashful Bladder, Pee Shy

 IPA OFFICE HOURS

Monday - Friday
10:00am - 6:00pm (ET)

844-I-CANT-PEE (422-6873)
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443-315-5250 Office

Email: getinfo@paruresis.org

This website is NOT a substitute for medical or legal advice and does not constitute the practice of law, medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work, or any other mental health profession. If you are having trouble urinating, you should always contact a physician since difficulty with voiding can be a symptom of a serious medical condition. We are a group of professional people and people who have suffered with paruresis. We have assembled a board and a board of advisors to help people cope with urinary dysfunction that has a psychological or social origin. On this website, we are NOT practicing medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work or any other mental health profession. You should have your doctor evaluate your condition before diagnosing yourself, and seek the appropriate necessary mental health counseling if warranted. IPA, Inc. disclaims any and all legal liability whatsoever.