Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to abreact

to abreact

1 9.9
To release strong feelings kept inside by talking about past events
  • verb
  • /ˌæbriˈækt/
  • Specialized
: abreactar
  • After years of silence, he finally abreacted and shared his painful memories with a friend.

Examples

  • During therapy, she was able to abreact her childhood traumas, which helped her heal.

  • I'd like you to abreact for me now.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The psychologist encouraged him to abreact by discussing his feelings about the incident.

Antonyms

to suppress
48 5.8

To hold back feelings or reactions

How Intense

to break down
117 3.9
to abreact
  • Specialized
1 9.9
to vent
67 4.1
to express
∞ 2.3
to talk about
∞ 1.3
to mention
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

abreact infinitive
abreacted past
abreacted past participle
abreacting present participle
abreacts third person singular

Morphology

abreact = react (semi-transparent) = ab + react

Formally analyzable as 'ab-' + 'react', but the technical psychoanalytic meaning ('to discharge repressed emotion') is specialized and not fully predictable from 'react' alone.

Etymology

The word abreact comes from the parts ab- meaning 'away' and react meaning 'to act'. So, to abreact is to 'act away' strong or hidden feelings — you let them come out, often in therapy, to feel relief.