Internal Family Systems (IFS):

Internal Family Systems, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is an evidence-based therapy that focuses on learning to listen to the different parts of our psyche. Often these different parts of ourselves are in conflict with one another due to wounds from past experiences. For example, part of us really wants to be able to use the bathroom, and another part of us may be terrified of letting go enough to be able to go. This is often a major cause contributing to shy bladder symptoms. When using IFS, we discover that these parts of ourselves contain insight on how to heal when we learn to listen to them. This can lead to the passing of our shy bladder symptoms and a greater sense of unity within.

Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Work (SE®):

Shy Bladder symptoms are often caused by past wounds or traumas. Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented approach to healing trauma and other stress-related symptoms. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, SE® focuses on helping us to release trauma that has gotten stuck in the body. When these traumatic energies are able to let go, it helps our shy bladder symptoms to pass through. The experiential process focuses on safety and going at a pace that is not overwhelming to the individual. The modality also helps allow the exposure process spoken about on the home page to go at a safe and effective pace.

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC):

When we’re not able to use the bathroom when we want to, most of us have a tendency to be very hard on ourselves. This tends to make our shy bladder symptoms worse over time. Mindful Self-Compassion is an empirically-supported modality designed to help us find the inner strength of self-compassion for personal growth and self-acceptance. Developed by doctors Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, MSC helps us learn to respond to our shy bladder experience with self-kindness, care, and understanding. This goes a long way toward helping the body learn to feel safe to let go and use the bathroom comfortably when we wish.