Posted by steve on 16/10/2008, 9:29 pm, in reply to "De-sensing advice please"

I've been on a couple of workshops and one of the things that is emphasised most is the importance of having a strong urgency, i.e. full bladder. Drink lots of water beforehand and you should find it easier. Another advantage of drinking plenty is you will need to go more often and thus get more opportunity to desense. I don't think using urinals at an empty public toilet is a step too far, even at your early stage. Even if you get that hopeless feeling, you are still desensing yourself and you will probably find using a cubicle becomes relatively less demanding as a result. I've often had that feeling standing at a urinal that it's an impossible task, but instead of focusing on that negativity I would just try to loosen my shoulders, relax my legs, hands etc. Now I feel a lot more composed when i try to pee in public even if I've still got a way to go. Another suggestion - if you do manage to get started - is to stop the flow midstream and go back and try again a bit later, again increasing the practice. I would also recommend going on a UKPTA workshop. It is daunting at first, but, there are lots of positive messages and good advice, and it was really liberating to share experiences with people who know exactly how you feel.

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