According to the most conservative estimates of sociologists, about 7% of the world's population suffer from a phobia associated with anxiety about using public toilets. Most often, problems arise in men who experience deep emotional discomfort when someone else is in the toilet while urinating. This ailment has quite serious consequences that can occur if fears are allowed to win.
Psychotherapists refer to fear of public toilets as a common type of social phobia, which consists in panic fear of performing habitual social actions. More often than not, this fear forces people to completely abandon public latrines and avoid situations that force them to use them. Not surprisingly, this has a serious impact on a person's lifestyle.
Given that the fear of public toilets often manifests itself during adolescence, it is important that parents notice the beginnings of an emerging phobia as early as possible. If a child refuses to eat and eat before school and, coming home from class, goes straight to the toilet, it is necessary to talk to the child about this problem.
If the suspicions are justified, then first of all it is necessary to contact a psychotherapist. It should be remembered that the fear of going to public toilets is often associated with an unpleasant experience in the past. It can be related to other people's attitudes or natural discomfort from using the restroom. It is important to identify the cause and explain to the child the futility of the experience.
In addition, public toilets can be uncomfortable for people with disgust. This phobia is also "treated" at receptions with psychotherapists, however, it is important that the patient himself wants to get rid of this ailment.
As for adults who suffer from a phobia in front of public restrooms, it is not uncommon for a person to stop experiencing adolescent fears at a conscious age. Gradual socialization allows you to get rid of childhood experiences, which relieves fear. Such cases of "self-healing" are typical for people who, realizing their problem with social adaptation, deliberately overcame their own fears.
Meanwhile, if with age the problem remains and even more - it gets worse, then this is a serious reason to begin to understand the nature of your own fear. The natural needs of the body are inherent to everyone, without exception, so visiting a public toilet is a given, which should not cause feelings of shame or fear. Gradually erase the edge of the phobia will allow a conscious visit to the toilet. To do this, you need to choose one of the public places: a train station, a large shopping center or a popular catering. If problems with urination occur when someone else is on the toilet, then you should deliberately choose crowded toilets. Further, overcoming fear and reluctance, you should go to the booth, repeating to yourself that this process is no different from eating or communicating - the natural need of our body requires an absolutely natural manifestation.
At first, these processes must be experienced mentally - imagining going to the toilet in great detail. It is necessary to develop a certain algorithm of actions, including washing hands, choosing a stall, making eye contact with people in the toilet and completing the process. In the process of urination, it is important to get complete relaxation not only in physiological, but also in emotional manifestation. It is necessary to compare the process of going to the toilet with what is absolutely natural for any person, and at the same time, it gives pleasure - a delicious meal, a trip to nature. It is important to find something in common in these manifestations and to achieve positive associations.
