ca·thar·sis (ke-thärsis)
n. pl. ca·thar·ses (-sehz)

1. The purging of emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through a work of art.
2. A psychological discharge of repressed or pent-up emotions resulting in the alleviation of symptoms or the elimination of the condition.
3. The therapeutic result of this process; abreaction.

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