U.K. PARURESIS TRUST: Re: Just back from the Follow Up workshop in Manchester July 2011

I have also just come back from the same follow-up workshop as Mike and hope that everyone else got back ok in the end. It was indeed a rainy weekend in Manchester but we were all situated very well there in the town. This time it was a great bunch of all male participants at this workshop but I know from past experience that women often sign up too. So to start a massive big ‘Thanks’ to Andrew for making it possible and I hope my brief synopsis will encourage others who may have been thinking about attending a workshop before to really give it a go.

One of the questions posed at the work shop was ‘I wonder what we would all be like now if this was actually held over the course of one week’? Our workshop just like all the others was held over the period of just over two and half days where within that time you get a truly a monumental and pivotal amount of time to invest in yourself. In just over a weekend you get an un-describable experience that no amount of other therapy could ever hope to achieve for you. My own experience is coming into the workshop with my usual limited beliefs and hang ups about myself leading me to constantly think and evaluate where and when it would normally be possible for me to safely take a pee in every day life - to coming out at the end of the work shop having just been successful in situations that I would have before never thought possible.

Perhaps it’s fair to say that the reason why the workshops are not run any longer then the time allotted is mainly because that's is all you need to get your on the way to a recovery where you come away from the workshop armed with all the material as well as an arsenal of ‘useful tools’ to help you a long the way. You are yourself the proof of what you have achieved at the end and you go back with the responsibility to maintain your own recovery from that point onwards. That said being aware of your hierarchy is vital and will help lead your recovery which is something I realise now more than ever. There’s still probably going to be good and bad days on the road in ahead but this time you have all the coping mechanisms at your side to help you with the wealth of support and encouragement from the others posting on here too.

Paruresis can be seen as and perceived as many things and it has been likened almost to use people as it’s ‘host’ where it hopes they will just keep quiet and not squeal about it too anyone. Don’t let it stay anymore – Go on a workshop and make the start to banish it for good!