The emotional wounds that are generated throughout our lives can generate different impacts and reactions in people. If the emotions that we have experienced in the most painful moments in our history do not have space to be expressed, they will remain encapsulated in our body and ours.
Many physical problems for which no organic explanation can be found are related to those events that, apparently, were buried in the past. The same happens with various emotional difficulties and mental pathologies. Abreaction allows you to release those emotions that have been repressed for long periods of time.
In this article we will talk about what abreaction is, what its benefits are and the risks it entails. In addition, we will see how it is approached from different therapeutic approaches. Finally, we will also talk about the importance of the therapist’s role in managing abreaction during therapy sessions.
The abreaction is defined as the emotional process through which a person can download and “free themselves” from the emotions and affects linked to traumatic or emotionally overwhelming experiences that were experienced in the past and were repressed for long periods of time.
It is a term that was coined and popularized by psychoanalytic authors Sigmund Freud and Breuer, who proposed that after experiencing traumatic events that cannot be faced at the moment, the defense mechanism of repression appears. Through abreaction, the opportunity is provided to bring these situations to consciousness in order to work on them.
It is considered that, in this way, the release of emotional burden and affection occurs and, therefore, A catharsis occurs when all the contained and repressed emotions are released. This emotional discharge can manifest itself in different ways and is usually experienced intensely. We can find everything from crying to trembling, screaming or other emotional expressions.
It is important to keep in mind that abreaction can occur in a guided manner during the psychotherapy session, although it can also occur spontaneously. In the latter case, it could also take place during the intervention of the therapeutic process, but it could also occur outside of it.
Benefits and risks of abreaction
On a therapeutic level, it is considered that abreaction can provide multiple benefits to the process. Among them, greater self-knowledge, the resolution of internal conflicts and the integration of trauma with the corresponding reduction of symptoms stand out.
In this sense, it is considered that one of the main benefits is the emotional release of repressed emotions and the feeling of relief and integration that this produces. However, it is necessary to provide good professional support due to the strong intensity of the physical and emotional responses that occur during it.
From the trauma approach, it is important to understand that being able to attend to everything that had not been seen or felt allows for an integration of the experience. When this happens, a decrease in the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress is usually observed. The integration of the experience allows, in turn, a reformulation of it within the person’s life history.
If we talk about risks, it is crucial to keep in mind that The person must be prepared to be able to sustain the physical, emotional and mental intensity of the abreaction. If it occurs without the person feeling ready, we run the serious risk of falling into retraumatization. This could worsen your symptoms. Furthermore, if the person does not feel properly accompanied, they can also be retraumatized and collapse emotionally.
Abreaction in different therapeutic approaches
Below we briefly mention the differences that exist in relation to abreaction between some of the existing therapeutic approaches.
Psychoanalytic therapy
We have already seen that the term abreaction appeared with the proposal of Freud and Breuer in a psychoanalytic context. From this approach, it is considered a key aspect for healing repressed traumas. Tools such as free association were used so that people could make the necessary connections until the repressed memories spontaneously emerge into consciousness.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
In cognitive-behavioral therapy, unlike others, abreaction is not sought since the main objective is the change of thought patterns and behaviors that affect the person in the present. That is, if these types of emotional responses occur in a CBT process, they are usually addressed through cognitive restructuring and symptom management.
Body-centered therapy
The approaches in which a main role is given to the body, it is understood that the trauma was entrenched in the organism and, therefore, the abreaction is accompanied from this more physical side as well. Emotions are produced in the body and must be navigated to be able to integrate them. The work focuses mainly on the bodily sensations, blockages and tensions that are generated as a result of the traumatic experience and it is not considered necessary to relive the event in order to integrate it.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy
EMDR therapy, based on desensitization and trauma reprocessing through eye movements and bilateral stimulation, is not primarily aimed at producing abreaction. Consider that these emotional responses can happen, but the goal is to reprocess the traumatic experience in a more adaptive way for the brain. In this sense, the person does not relive the experience with the same intensity as the moment it happened, but instead works on reprocessing it until it is no longer overwhelming or disturbing for the person.
The therapist’s role in managing abreaction
As has been mentioned in the previous points, the role of the therapist is key to ensuring that abreaction occurs only when the person is prepared and in the safest way possible. So, It is important to analyze the suitability of abreaction in each case and each specific situation.
Because abreaction involves a strong emotional discharge, which can also be accompanied by intense physiological responses, the therapist must be able to accompany, guide, sustain and contain these responses. In addition to creating a safe environment in which to preserve the person’s well-being, the incorporation of anchoring or rooting tools can be useful.
