abreaction
noun
ab·re·ac·tion
ˌa-brē-ˈak-shən 
: the expression and emotional discharge of unconscious material (such as a repressed idea or emotion) by verbalization especially in the presence of a therapist
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All must be resolved now by collective abreaction, whereby literary critics will be the handmaidens of a sort of universal truth-and-reconciliation event: cathartic Rapture.
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Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
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Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
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“Abreaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abreaction. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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abreaction
noun
ab·re·ac·tion
ˌab-rē-ˈak-shən
: the expression and emotional discharge of unconscious material (as a repressed idea or emotion) by verbalization especially in the presence of a therapist compare catharsis sense 2
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