Definitions for abreactionˌæb riˈæk ʃən
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Random House Webster's College Dictionary
ab•re•ac•tionˌæb riˈæk ʃən(n.)
the release of emotional tension achieved through recalling a repressed traumatic experience, esp. during psychoanalysis.
Category: Psychiatry
Origin of abreaction:
1910–15
ab`re•ac′tive(adj.)
Princeton's WordNet
catharsis, katharsis, abreaction(noun)
(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
Wiktionary
abreaction(Noun)
The re-living of an experience with a view to purging its emotional dross.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Abreaction
A process in psychotherapy in which the patient is "desensitized" to emotionally painful, often forgotten (repressed) memories by recalling and reacting to them in the "safety" of the treatment setting.
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