Catharsis

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  katharsis \katharsis\ n.
     purging of emotional tensions; -- usually spelled
     {catharsis}.
  
     Syn: catharsis, abreaction.
          [WordNet 1.5]



From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Catharsis \Ca*thar"sis\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?. See {Cathartic}.]
     (Med.)
     1. A natural or artificial purgation of any passage, as of
        the mouth, bowels, etc.
  
     2. (Psychotherapy) The process of relieving an abnormal
        excitement by re["e]stablishing the association of the
        emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first
        caused it, and of eliminating it by complete expression
        (called the abreaction).
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.] Cathartic

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  catharsis
       n 1: (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions [syn: {katharsis},
             {abreaction}]
       2: purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate
          evacuation of the bowels [syn: {katharsis}, {purgation}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  51 Moby Thesaurus words for "catharsis":
     BM, abreaction, abstersion, acting-out, bloody flux,
     bowdlerization, bowel movement, cleaning, cleansing, crap,
     defecation, dejection, deliverance, detersion, diarrhea, discharge,
     dry cleaning, dysentery, emotional release, evacuation,
     expurgation, flux, freeing, intermission, lientery, loose bowels,
     lustration, motor abreaction, movement, outlet, psychocatharsis,
     psychodrama, purgation, purge, purging, purification, release,
     release therapy, removal, reprieve, respite, runs, shit, shits,
     steam cleaning, stool, surcease, suspension, trots, turistas,
     voidance