Virtual Support Group

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. It was a feeling of being unsafe. Logically I knew that wasn’t true, but try telling that to

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. I’m having a pee and I hear the lock jiggling and this kitty has followed me and …

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...

“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…

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...

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which has become the most widely accepted treatment for Paruresis, uses a model of graduated exposure (GE) based upon public in-person practice with a “pee buddy” from a local support group or an empathetic friend or family member, a model which has shown itself to be highly effective. In March of 2020, however, that model became difficult if not impossible to use as social venues closed down and personal contact outside of immediate family became severely limited, and the idea of virtual GE practice, following the same general procedure but done over video chat from a home bathroom, came to be used as an alternative.

Thank you so much for responding back to my letter! I have to be honest with you, when I received the package and seen who it was from it almost brought me to tears. I’m almost in tears now just thinking about it. I have felt so alone and hopeless dealing with my condition since I thought I was all alone. Finally someone knows how I feel and knows the type of issues I face on a daily basis.

The IPA is celebrating 25 years of helping people with clinically shy bladders. Several very important resources (books, videos, audio recordings) created by the IPA or its friends are now out of print. That got me thinking about how to describe these valuable works.  Are they classic? Are they historic?

True story. The IPA was contacted by a municipal worker who is an eight year employee with a clean employment record. He’s always had difficulty with providing annual samples and then he failed a test. For employers who must follow Department of Transportation rules, this instance is labeled a “refusal” to provide a sample and counts as a “failure.” To maintain his employment, he was put on a program of more frequent drug testing – which, you guessed it, he failed.