Urge Suppression Instructions

• Do you rush to the bathroom for fear of losing urine?
• Do you ever dribble urine on your way to the bathroom?

The feeling of urgency to get to the bathroom is most likely caused by bladder spasms. Rushing to the bathroom during spasms or urge causes your bladder to bounce. This causes more bladder spasms. Learning urge suppression may help you control and/or eliminate these spasms so that you can stop the feeling of urgency and walk to the bathroom calmly.

To stop the feeling of urgency to urinate:

1. Remain in the same position in which you began having the feeling to urinate. If you are sitting, remain seated.
2. Tighten your rectum, then let go a little, tighten again and let go a little. Keep doing this until the urge feeling has passed (about 15-30 seconds). By tightening and letting go of your rectum, you stimulate a nerve in the pelvic muscles which cause the bladder to relax. This stops the strong feeling to urinate.
3. Tell yourself that you are in control of your bladder-not the other way around.
4. Once the urge is over, take a deep breath and relax. Then walk to the bathroom calmly.