abreact

American

[ab-ree-akt] / ˌæb riˈækt /

verb (used with object)

Psychoanalysis.

to remove by abreaction.

abreact British

/ ˌæbrɪˈækt /

verb

(tr) psychoanal to alleviate (emotional tension) through abreaction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of abreact

1910–15; ab- + react, on the model of German abreagieren

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The whole doctrine of repentance really hinges on this question of abreacting painful or wrongful experience instead of repressing it.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023