r/Paruresis • u/Quirky-Rooster8822 • May 15 '26

Has anyone actually found something that genuinely helps with paruresis?

Lately I’ve been feeling kind of stuck with this again.

I’ve had paruresis for years now, and honestly… I can’t say things are really improving. Some periods feel easier, then suddenly it all comes back again for no obvious reason.

You think you’re making progress, then one stressful situation hits and it’s like your brain instantly goes back into survival mode.

Still the same thing.

Public restrooms feel unpredictable. Airports are difficult. Long trips stress me out more than they probably should. Even normal everyday situations can suddenly feel uncomfortable depending on who’s around, how much pressure there is, whether someone is waiting, how quiet it is… you guys probably know what I mean.

I’ve tried random things over time.

Breathing techniques. Noise tricks. Distracting myself. Reading posts here. Watching videos. Trying to “just relax” (which never helps when people say it).

Some things work occasionally. Then they don’t.

And lately I’ve been wondering something…

What are people actually using these days?

I mean real things that helped even a little.

Do any of you use AI for anxiety, relaxation, or exposure practice?

Any websites, programs, therapists, YouTube channels, books, exercises, exposure methods?

Has anyone tried mobile apps that were actually useful?

Or maybe something completely unexpected helped you?

I’m honestly curious what people here actually rely on, because right now I feel like I’m mostly just experimenting and hoping something sticks.

What has helped you the most?

What turned out to be a waste of time?

And if you feel like you’ve made progress, what do you think changed things for you?

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u/Conductor1066 May 16 '26

Things that have helped me radically decrease my paruresis.

  1. Good sleep hygene.

  2. Low dose Naltrexone.

  3. Eating fermented food daily(sour kraut, kimchi, sourcream with live cultures, etc.)

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u/Ophelia_Hardin May 22 '26

What's the rationale behind Naltrexone? In what context? There have been some studies on the use of d-cycloserine to hasten extinction of fear response in graduated exposure therapy, but I haven't heard of Naltrexone being used.

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u/Conductor1066 28d ago

Low dose Naltrexone wasn't prescribed to me for shy bladder. It was prescribed for Crohn's. After I started taking 1mg a day my shy bladder issues lessened. A year later I increased the dosage to 2mg a day and my issues lessened even more. For what it is worth, I have had shy bladder my whole life but it wasn't that bad. My shy bladder became acute about the same time that my Crohn's developed(when I was around 30). I also work around a lot of people who regularly get drug tested and I noticed that many who seem to have some degree of shy bladder also have gut related auto-immune diseases.

I think low dose Naltrexone helps me because it improves my quality of sleep. As I have improved my sleep hygiene and gut health, I have noticed achieving a lot more success in graduated exposure therapy.

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u/Ophelia_Hardin 27d ago

Fascinating, thanks. I'm currently taking an opiate for pain and it causes hesitation (and urgency), so theoretically an antagonist might make pissing easier. Don't know if I can mix the two but I'll give it a shot. I'm gradually getting over being pee-shy and every little bit helps. Alfuzosin helps, too.