Abreacts

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To release pent-up emotional tension by expressing feelings, often in therapy or cathartic situations
2. To alleviate psychological stress by openly expressing repressed emotions or memories
3. To discharge built-up emotional energy by bringing unconscious feelings to the surface through verbal or physical expression

Etymology: "Abreacts" is the third-person singular present form of "abreact", which means to release pent-up emotional tension by voicing feelings, often in therapy. The verb was formed in English as a partial translation of German "abreagieren", built from "ab", meaning "away" or "off", and "reagieren", meaning "to react". Its root idea is therefore a discharge: a reaction that carries something away. The German original is the key to the sense. Within the verb's psychological use, the notion is that an emotional charge is worked off through a reaction rather than kept inside, which is why the English word has come to describe a cathartic outpouring.

Synonyms: cathart, release