The silent abreaction

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Abstract
The cathartic release of bound affect is a psychotherapeutic technique whose value has been proved over the years. Although Freud abandoned hypnotic abreactions, it was while working with this approach, in collaboration with Breuer, that he discovered unconscious processes (Breuer & Freud, 1895/1957). In spite of criticisms about the permanence of therapeutic results achieved through abreactions, the procedure continues to be employed in such differing approaches as hyp-noanalysis, narcosynthesis, flooding, implosive therapy, primal scream, and gestalt therapy. A considerable limitation to the use of cathartic release lies in the fact that the violent release of powerful emotions is usually accompanied by screams, howling, cursing, or shrieks of fright. Practitioners who conduct their therapeutic sessions within most professional office buildings are often loath to initiate and work through such affective releases, even when therapeutically indicated, because of the sound disturbance to colleagues and other patients in the waiting room. The “silent abreaction” was developed as a procedure for releasing strong angers through perceptual and experiential, but not verbal, channels. It is a hypnotic visualization technique which can be adapted to the patient and to the circumstances in which the abreaction is to be conducted. While no data is yet available comparing its effectiveness with more vocal methods, the technique has been used successfully with a number of treatment cases. The silent abreaction offers an opportunity for the therapist to employ this valuable approach when the treatment setting would not normally accept a loud release of violent angers. The theory, specific techniques for its induction, and clinical case examples are presented.

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