Abreaction: what is it and what effects does it have on the mind according to Freud?

Let us see what abreaction is and what implications it has according to psychoanalysis.

Traumas are hidden between layers and layers of repression, imposed by the same person who lived them to make sure that these experiences do not harm him. If he does not remember them, he believes, unconsciously, that he will not feel them again.

The problem is that not being aware of a past memory does not mean that it cannot continue to hurt us. It does, it makes it impossible for us to lead a normal life and can even cause psychological and physical problems.

Abreaction is the process by which a repressed memory is brought to the plane of consciousness, as if fishing for memories.as if it were fishing for memories.

This process can be very disturbing, in the sense that when recovering the traumatic memory also brings to light the emotions associated with it, but it is also an opportunity to confront the traumatic experience.

What is abreaction?

From the psychoanalysis, it is denominated abreaction to the discharge of emotions and affections associated with difficult memories, generally painful and traumatic infantile experiences.. In a therapeutic context, this phenomenon involves making the patient relive painful situations, bringing repressed memories to a conscious level. By means of verbalization and other behavioral or gestural expressions, the traumatic memory will be worked on and the emotional tension linked to it will be released.

The origin of the term comes from the Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and the Austrian physician Joseph Breuer. It is the translation of the neologism "Abreagieren", formed by the German words "reagieren", to react; and the prefix "ab", which in this case is the equivalent of the Spanish prefix "des".

In its most original sense, the word "abreaction" would be understood as an emotional discharge by means of which an individual is freed from emotions in reaction to a traumatic memory, which prevents it from becoming or remaining pathogenic..

It is proposed that abreaction is not only a normal mechanism in the recovery process from psychological trauma, but also a necessary one. Through this, an affect is discharged, which psychoanalysis defines as "strangled", meaning that a repressed and complex emotional state is released and brought to consciousness so that the patient can consciously work with it.

Freud and Breuer considered that recovery does not occur only when expressing or reliving emotions. That is to say, bringing the repressed memory to the conscious plane is not enough to help the patient and provide him with greater well-being and adaptation to his social life. Those who have lived through a trauma must not only know what it is, but also confront it, understand it and work on all the emotions it awakens, the same emotions that have been eating away at him, even if he himself has not been aware of it.

When a patient remembers a past trauma, that memory and the emotions it arouses must be carefully analyzed. The mental health professional must accompany the patient throughout the process, helping him/her to integrate the experiences, reasoning the ideas, thoughts and emotions so as not to further intensify the pain.

Traumas are there, always

In psychoanalysis it is considered that a trauma always leaves clues.. This traumatic memory is latent in the brain, altering the way the patient reacts to stimuli, relates to others and perceives himself. The traumatic, despite being hidden in the depths of his mind, conditions him in everything and increases the risk of suffering any health problem in adulthood.

It is no secret that people who have experienced traumatic childhood experiences are at greater risk of developing problems in adulthood ranging from chronic physical Pain to mental disorders of all kinds, including anxiety, depression and even schizophrenia.

Even if a disorder does not manifest itself, there is no doubt that having experienced extremely stressful and threatening situations in childhood will take its toll on mental health, even if they are not remembered in any way.even if they are not consciously remembered. And on top of that, the brain has the capacity to link any stimulus present with the threat that was once experienced as truly terrifying.

These stimuli can be totally harmless things, but they recall truly stressful moments. A smell, a sound or an image can take the patient back to his past, causing a repressed memory to come to light, that is, an abreaction. It is at that moment when the emotions well up, causing tears to flow, trembling, feelings of insecurity.... It can become blocked.

On the other hand, when abreaction appears during therapy, in a controlled space, this phenomenon is a real opportunity to combat the trauma to its full extent. In therapy, the patient can be helped to remember more facts and to verbalize the whole traumatic memory. Through the guidance of the psychologist, a highly disturbing and problematic memory can be transformed into a healthier and better controlled state.

Abreaction: from an obstacle to a therapeutic tool.

There are two types of abreaction: planned and spontaneous.. Spontaneous abreaction is that which arises by chance as a result of stimuli linked to the trauma, while planned abreaction is that which is induced in an organized way, usually facilitated by the psychologist in the middle of therapy. It is the latter that acquires therapeutic power, not on its own but thanks to the help of the psychologist who acts as a guide during the process and can help the patient to face the painful memory.

One of the most appropriate techniques to produce abreaction is EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). The goal of this therapeutic approach is to convert the dysfunctionally stored information into a more integrative, less pathological and emotionally manageable memory. The psychologist will take on the role of providing the patient with constant support and reassurance so that, from a professional but compassionate distance, the recipient of therapy can gain some degree of control over his or her memories, reformulating ideas, beliefs and emotions.

Two things can happen during the abreaction process. The first is that the patient carries out a dissociationactivating the psychological mechanism that makes him/her disconnect the mind from reality because the emotional pain is so great that he/she cannot handle it and makes use of this resource. The second is to carry out an exercise of catharsis, and release everything that has been repressed, gaining well-being and acquiring a powerful tool to cope with the painful emotions that have lived in the silence of his subconscious.

In fact, Freud uses the term "abreaction" as a replacement for catharsis.The word, of Greek origin, means both "purge" and "purification", referring in this case to the fact that the patient, if successful, is freed from all emotional tension, "cleansed" of bad emotions. Although the memory will still be there, the painful emotions it provoked will no longer manifest themselves and will no longer harm him/her. The problem is externalized, represented outside, which relieves the person who had it inside.

Thus, from psychoanalysis it is pointed out that abreaction can be a truly useful tool in the context of therapy, as long as it is controlled at the moment of its appearance. Patients' traumas can only be worked on when they are aware of them, identify what exactly happened, what emotions it produces in them and work on the beliefs surrounding them. Bringing the repressed to the plane of consciousness is a fundamental task in any therapeutic process, because only by getting the patient to control and understand the trauma can he or she acquire more mental health and emotional well-being.