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Excitatory Abreaction: With Special Reference to Its Mechanism and the Use of Ether

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2018

H. J. Shorvon  and
William Sargant
H. J. Shorvon
Affiliation:
From the Neuropsychiatric Unit, Sutton Emergency Hospital
William Sargant
Affiliation:
From the Neuropsychiatric Unit, Sutton Emergency Hospital
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Extract

The origin of the term abreaction dates from the time of Breuer and Freud's (1) early studies in hysteria, when they observed that patients were helped by “just talking it out.” Later their technique was employed under hypnosis (2). Sadler (3) defined abreaction as “a process of reviving the memory of a repressed unpleasant experience and expressing in speech and action the emotions related to it, thereby relieving the personality of its influence.” Miller (4) quotes Freud as holding that experiences shall be recalled with emotional vividness. “Affectless memories are almost useless,” said Freud.

Type
Part I.—Original Articles
Information
Journal of Mental Science , Volume 93 , Issue 393 , October 1947 , pp. 709 - 732
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1947 

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