Free association is a tool of psychoanalysis created by the very father of this clinical field, Sigmund Freud, which consists of inviting the patient to express everything that happens to him during a therapy session, with the intention of having as few filters as possible or prejudge between what the patient thinks and what he tells the therapist.
Free association has its theoretical foundations, as well as a whole technique, there are specific forms of application and also objectives, this is the primary technique of psychoanalysis used in different contexts, one of them is the application of projective tests, such as the Rorschach Test and Thematic Perception Test (TAT).
- Sigmund Freud has been developing and perfecting this concept over time.
- This happened between 1892 and 1898; Freud gradually replaced the method of hypnosis and cathartic method.
- Which you used in your early stages.
- By free association.
- This development was motivated by a very concrete goal: to prevent it from being suggested to the patient.
After an intervention with one of her patients, Ms. Emmy Von N, in 1982, Freud began creating the free association method. This patient asked Freud directly to stop intervening in her speech and to let her speak freely.
Later, in his work?From 1904, he explained the reasons why he would have given up hypnosis. From the work of Breuer, another psychoanalyst, Freud realizes that hypnosis has produced only partial and transient results.
On the contrary, the free association method suppressed the resistance of the patient, in this way access to unconscious material, such as memories, affections and representations, was much more reliable, in addition, the effects obtained by the free association were permanent, with the advantage of not subjecting anyone to the effect of hypnosis. Thus, the cathartic and hypnotic method has been definitively replaced by free association, becoming the fundamental rule and preferred means of access and investigation of the unconscious.
When a person speaks, they make a selection of the words they want to use to create a meaning that is coherent with the message they want to share. Despite this more or less rapid selection process, there are often flaws in the language. Some examples are language. failures, forgetfulness, repetition, etc. These failures in conversations outside the therapeutic context are generally not analyzed, but in the analytical context, they are nonetheless of enormous importance.
“The unconscious is structured as a language. -Jacques Lacan-
Precisely, in the analytical context, these failures are understood as a manifestation of the unconscious, it is as if the content somehow crosses the defensive barrier of the person’s unconscious, something similar happens with free association.
When the patient is freed by the therapist from all control, from the need for discipline and to give a logical sense to his ideas, he falls into the perfect scenario to get carried away by the unconscious, he acquires strength, reaches the mind and expresses himself. in language, the defensive barrier, resistance, weakens and then it is possible to access the unconscious content.
“The voice of the unconscious is subtle, but it never ceases to be heard. -Sigmund Freud-
For Freud, exposing the resistances and then analyzing them is absolutely essential to reach the unconscious and heal, this only happens by free association. With free association, the interpretation of dreams and the analysis of other defective acts are the three essential techniques of the analytical clinic, so free association becomes essential, so much so that for Freud it is the technique that most identifies psychoanalysis. technique that distinguishes it more from other therapeutic approaches.
Free association can arise spontaneously or be induced by a dream, a fantasy or any other thought, but for it to happen, and for it to actually be configured as a free association, certain conditions are necessary.
The first is that there is confidence in the relationship with the analyst, in psychoanalysis this trust is called transfer. Another condition is that it has been understood that analytical discourse is in a place other than a simple usual conversation outside the context of the consultation, nothing said in a session will be judged, nothing is true or false, everything that is said is valid.
The moment the patient gets carried away by his thoughts and is able to express them openly with his analyst, the unconscious expresses himself, unconscious representations arise, are allowed and then can be analyzed, interpreted and worked. it is possible to develop it consciously. The purpose of this development is that content is no longer a source of discomfort or conflict.
“There are desires in every human being who do not want to be communicated to others, and desires that do not even want to confess their existence. -Sigmund Freud-
It can be concluded that the free association will appear more easily if the patient is comfortable both in the analytical space and with his analyst, there must also be as little stimulation as possible of the surrounding environment, classically the sofa is used for this purpose. In this, the patient leans over and the analyst stays out of his field of view, thus preventing the patient from feeling observed, judged and then being able to concentrate entirely on their associations.
The statement the analyst gives to the patient is very simple. For example: “Say something”. Or: “Say everything you can think of, such as an image or a memory that comes your way. ” Subsequently, the patient has the absolute freedom to express everything that goes through his head. You don’t have to worry about making an elaborate speech or pleasing your analyst. Finally, the practice of a good free association will allow an analysis that bears many fruits and, ultimately, a subjective improvement in the patient’s condition.
With hypnosis, the unconscious material was reached. The problem was that, most of the time, when the patient left the hypnotic state, he did not consciously remember what he had said, in this way they returned to the game of resistance, the result was the analyst’s speech against the patient’s word. , creating a conflict.
On the other hand, as the free association occurred in full consciousness, this confrontation was not generated, the patient had no choice but to incorporate what was said and try to deal with what he had said and that had caught the attention of the analyst.
Under the hypnotic state, the unconscious material was accessed, but again repressed after the end of hypnosis, and the patient could doubt the analyst; with back-to-action resistance, this would probably happen, making the analyst’s job very difficult and compromising the transfer. between the patient and the therapist.