Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Overcoming Paruresis [Paperback]

Steven Soifer (Author), George D. Zgourides (Author), Joseph Himle (Author), Nancy L. Pickering (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2001

Paruresis is a condition that prevents people from urinating in public, sometimes even in their own homes if others are in adjacent rooms. The good news is that this anxiety disorder is highly treatable. Shy Bladder Syndrome offer strategies and easy-to-follow exercises to help you desensitize yourself to fear-producing situations and feel comfortable in public restrooms. Graduated exposure will help get you to the point where you can tolerate the anxiety of relieving yourself in a public washroom or other shared space.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Yes, you can overcome shy bladder and the authors show you how with step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for your own program of recovery. The authors have more experience with paruresis than anyone else on the planet, and they have put it all together in this book. A valuable reference for professional as well as for persons with paruesis and their families. Bravo!”
—Richard G. Heimberg, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Director of Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

“The inability to comfortably use a public restroom has halted travel plans, promotions, and job changed. It has caused endless daily suffering for millions worldwide who have hidden a shaming, debilitating disorder from even their closest friends. Recovery is not easy, but it is simple. The instructions within these pages can guide you to that long sought freedom.”
—R.Reid Wilson, Ph.D., author, Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks

“This book provides a comprehensive overview of paruesis (shy bladder) and explains what it is, how to diagnose it, an dhow to treat it. It is a must read for anyone who suspects they suffer from paruesis as well as physicians who may be called upon to diagnose, treat, and advise paruretics.”
—Richard L. Ziprin, Ph.D.

“Finally someone has written a serious and comprehensive book about a common, embarrassing, and usually hidden human affliction. For those who have suffered alone, this book will be a comfort and a lifeline.”
—Sally Winston, Psy.D., Coordinator, Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland

“The coauthors of Shy Bladder Syndrome have given sufferers of paruresis a tremendous light of hope in their thorough discussion of the understanding and treatment of this little talked about disability. It is a breakthough contribution that willhelp free millions whose lives are restricted by this condition.”
—Christopher McCullough, Ph.D., therapist and author of Managing Your Anxiety

"Drs. Soifer and Himle write with clarity and authority. This book will be of tremendous benefit to those men and women who are burdened by paruresis.”
—Murray B. Stein, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego

“The authors are to be congratulated: a readable book on this very significant but hidden disorder is long overdue. There is none like it! Their multidimensional discussions of this syndrome and it therapeutic options are excellent. The information they provide has the potential to improve the quality of life for thousands of sufferers.”
—John marshall, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic, University of Wisconsin, and author of Social Phobia: From Shyness to Stage Fright

“This is a superb treatment of an embarrassing topic that afflicts millions throughout the world. The authors deserve credit for their efforts to take the mystery out of this common anxiety disorder.”
—Howards Liebgold, M.D., Chief of Kaiser’s Phobease Clinics

About the Author

Steven Soifer, M.S.W., Ph.D., is President and Cofounder of the International Paruresis Association and a recovering paruetic. He conducts workshops around the world to help others who suffer form paruresis. He is also Associate Professor at University of Maryland School of Social Work

George D. Zgourides, Psy.D., is the foremost academic expert on paruresis and has written numerous peer-reviewed journal articles on the subject. He is a clinical psychologist who has specialized in treating this problem and other anxiety disorders. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Harold Abel School of Psychology at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Joseph Himle, M.S.W., Ph.D., has extensive experience in treating paruetics and developed a treatment manual on which this book is based. He is Associate Director of the Anxiety Disorders Program and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry.

Nancy L. Pickering has served as a board member for the International Paruresis Association for two years and is currently serving as Secretary of the organization. She is a published author in the medical and spiritual fields.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572242272
• ISBN-13: 978-1572242272
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I Could Give it 6 Stars, February 25, 2001

By 

Eric (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Overcoming Paruresis (Paperback)

Raise a gallon jug of Spring Water and toast the best (and only?) book on Shy Bladder Syndrome to ever hit the shelves!!!

If you ever thought that you were alone and that no one else in the world suffered from a shy bladder - or paruresis, this book is for you. After living with this problem since junior high, I was amazed at how much information this book book contained on how to finally get your life back to normal.

The nine chapters contained in this book are well written in easy to understand language that is a must read for anyone that suffers from paruresis. Starting with a brief overview of how the mind and bladder work (or don't work), this book leads you down a carefully laid path that shows how to regain control of your life.

Filled with true stories and first hand accounts from real life paruretic's, this book puts a very human face on something that is usually shrouded in secrecy and shame. If nothing else, simply reading this book will make anyone living with paruresis feel human again -- and not so alone. Thousands of people will read these stories only to be amazed at how similar their situation is to those in the book.

The best part, however, is that this book offers a successful plan to overcome paruresis that has been tested and successfully used in workshops around the world. After using the methods in this book, I've seen a dramatic improvement in my ability to use public restrooms with success.

If you're reading this review, you probably need this book or know someone that could benefit greatly from its priceless advice. Get this book...get it now...get on with life!

Looks like a plan !!!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are Pee Shy, this is a Must Have., April 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Overcoming Paruresis (Paperback)

For those who are pee shy, it has always been this invisible syndrome, never discussed, never addressed, never revealed. Always hidden. Finally, these writers have brought it into the light of day. And what a relief it is. As someone who has experienced Shy Bladder Syndrome for as long as I can remember, I consider this book to be a revelation. On several levels. First, it is great to know that I'm not the only one and great to read about other people's experiences and triumphs. Second, the writers fully explain the physiological process of urinating, which has given me a greater understanding of what's happening when I can't pee. And most importantly, this book offers specific exercises to overcome this condition. I am in the process of doing these exercises, and I am finding them thoroughly empowering.

I unconditionally recommend this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitively Breaking Silence, June 19, 2001

By 

judith barrett, ma, msw (baltimore, md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Overcoming Paruresis (Paperback)

In 1996, an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Social Work co-founded the International Paruresis Association (IPA). That professor, Steve Soifer, is also a co-author of this book. It is the first monograph on Paruresis or Shy Bladder Syndrome: the inability to urinate in a public restroom or in the presence of others....Classified as a social phobia in DSM-IV-TR (300.23), it is associated with impairment in multiple functional domains: employment, education, and social relationships. This debilitating condition thrives in a climate of shame and secrecy (on the part of paruretics) and ignorance (by health and mental health care providers). This deceptively slim book may help you identify paruresis in yourself, a loved one, or a client/patient. One section helps the reader rule out other conditions (pp.16-18). The brain-body connection is clearly described in Chapter Two, and includes both a diagram of the human urinary system and a chart of the human nervous system. The authors present a ten-step approach for Graduated Exposure Therapy, the treatment of choice at present. Appendices include a literature review, a synopsis of "the evolution of the bathroom and its impact on paruresis", and resources. A seven page bibliography is included. There is no index, and it is hoped that future editions will remedy this. This thoughtful, sensitive book breaks the silence which has hitherto dominated the subject. For that, and for the prospect of relief it holds for over 17 million sufferers, we may all be grateful.