What therapy encourages free association?

Free association is a technique used in psychoanalytic therapy. Psychoanalysis was initially developed by Sigmund Freud in the 1800s. The practice of free association involves the therapist encouraging the patient or client to verbalize or write out all thoughts that come to mind.

These thoughts don’t have to be sensical or connected. It can often be just a stream of words that are random and unrelated. They may jump from one event to another, one emotion to the next. The thinking behind the free association is that it reveals associations and connections that may be subconscious or unknown to both client and therapist. By not guarding and simply speaking everything that comes to mind, the therapist may help the client reveal connections that may not otherwise be apparent.

Free association was developed by Sigmund Freud as a means of exploring and communicating with the unconscious part of the mind. Freud felt that free association was helpful because it gave the patient total freedom to speak and explore their thoughts.

Free association has long been the target of critics both within the psychoanalytic community and therapists outside of it. One of the drawbacks of free association is that it requires the client to say everything that comes to mind, which may put pressure on the client. Another drawback is that some clients, may fall into simply speaking rather than actually making the associations, in order to please the therapist. This will result in wasted time and rabbit trials in treatment.

Some of the benefits of free association are that it may feel cathartic to simply say every thought or feeling or word that comes to mind, it may help you identify what you really feel or think, recognize your inner conflicts, and help you see the difference between what you say and what you really think.

Not all therapeutic tools are for everyone, and the therapist you work with will likely have a treatment plan and refer to specific interventions as needed. If you’re interested in trying free association, seek out a psychoanalytical therapist or ask your present therapist about the technique. It may be valuable to explore what you hope to gain from the use of free association, or what is appealing about it.