The use of hypnosis and paradox in the treatment of a case of chronic urinary retention/"bashful bladder".

Abstract

Abstract The “bashful bladder” is a problem of urinary retention of psychogenic origin which has been identified as being a “much neglected syndrome” (Kroger, 1977). The present paper describes the treatment of a woman with a “bashful bladder” of 40 years duration which included the use of self-hypnosis and paradoxical instruction within the context of her psychotherapy to deal with her problem of urinary retention. The treatment rationale and interventions used are discussed in terms of the need to respect individual dynamic characteristics of the patient when developing treatment strategies.