Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Overcoming Paruresis (Paperback)

~ Steven Soifer (Author), (Author), Joseph Himle (Author), Nancy L. Pickering (Author) "A silent medical menace plagues millions of people every day, but no one talks about it..." (more)
Key Phrases: graduated exposure therapy, most paruretics, bashful bladder syndrome, International Paruresis Association, Causes of Bashful Bladder Syndrome, Step Five (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Shy Bladder Syndrome takes a cognitive-behavioral therapy approach, shown to help in most cases, to an embarrassing and often life-disrupting disorder. Simple strategies and exercises help sufferers overcome their fear of using public restrooms. Supporting materials discuss the therapeutic effects of disclosing the condition.

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: 8.7 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #154,624 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 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

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 !!!

15 of 15 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

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.

13 of 13 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

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.