Abreaction is the revivification of past memory with the release of bound emotion and the recovery of repressed or dissociated aspects of a remembered event. While abreaction is an integral part of most psychotherapeutic work, it is essential with sexual abuse survivors. It provides a psychic reworking of the trauma that identifies, releases, and assimilates the unresolved aspects of the abuse, allowing resolution and integration on both psychological and physiological levels. This chapter focuses on the specific type of abreactive work involved in the recovery and healing of dissociated memories of childhood sexual abuse.
His History, Her Story is the first book to explore the impact of male childhood sexual abuse on adult relationships. Aimed at helping both the partners of trauma survivors and mental health professionals, the book is written from the unique perspective of Dr. Debra Warner, the leading American forensic psychologist in the field of male trauma who is married to a trauma survivor.
