What is Free Association?

We all have problems, and life isn’t same for all. The intensity and severity of problems ranges from a daily to-do list of tasks that are racing through our minds or a massive problem gnawing away at us all the time. If you were given a chance to just freely rant non-stop about anything and everything without any kind of inhibition and judgement, would you take that chance? We’ve all done that knowingly or unknowingly with our friends or with our loved ones. That’s what psychologists refer to as free association.

Roots of ‘Free Association’

In early 1890’s Sigmund Freud was very busily employing hypnosis with his patients until he realised that they showed resistance to retrieving some repressed painful memories. When his client Elisabeth openly conveyed her inconvenience when he interrupted her flow of thought. That’s when it dawned on him, that giving a patient a complete freedom to express can provide more deeper insights into their mind. So this technique has its origin from psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy.

How does Free Association work?

In free association Freud asked the patients to relax and share whatever thoughts, words, images, memories that come up in their mind without excluding things on the ground that it is too disagreeable or indiscreet or unimportant or irrelevant or nonsensical to be said out loud. A person in therapy is encouraged to verbalise or write down whatever comes to their mind without censoring their thoughts.

Its basically a therapeutic method that allows the patient to express freely without much prompting from the therapist. Not much importance is given to coherency as Freud believed a non-linear way of expressing which could lead to the unconscious mind. One quick example of free association:

Therapist- “Tell me the things that come to your mind when I say, school.”

Client- “marks, failure, bullying, favouritism, punishment, competition, playground, lunch box, trees, holidays, blackboard, strict teacher, shoes…”

Read More: 7 Signs You Should Dump Your Therapist, According to Experts

Goals of Free Association

Mostly the result of such a session would be a jumbled mess of thoughts and words resembling a collage. The therapist later analyses them to see how a patient’s mind makes connections between two ideas or memories. The primary goal of free association is not to uncover hidden or suppressed memories but to probe into their genuine thoughts and feelings. The aim is to initiate a journey of co-discovery which helps a patient to integrate their thoughts, feelings and selfhood.

Why Freud believed in free association?

Freud believed that, free association could prevent 3 main complications.

• Resistance: the psychological resistance is when a patient opposes the therapy process and rejects the suggestions made by a psychologist. The client is unwilling to grow or change with therapy.
• Transference: During a therapy session, a patient transfers feelings towards someone onto their therapist.
• Projection: When the therapist attributes their personal characteristics onto the client.

Freud also believed that the therapist must create an atmosphere of non-judgemental curiosity and acceptance. He supposed that the analyst must be in a state of ‘free floating attention’ while the patient is free associating.

Critic’s perspective

Sandor Ferenczi psychoanalyst and a close associate of Freud criticised with his ideas that a person is not cured by free association, he is cured when he can free- associate. The main criticism is that patients may overproduce association just for the sake of a session. Beyond all the criticisms, until people are willing to understand and address their psychological challenges, free association will continue to play a vital role in therapies.

Free Association in 21st century

Unlike Freud, therapists today use free association not just in psychoanalysis but in all kinds of therapies to gain better understanding. And Freud did not include the patient while interpreting whereas the new age psychologists involve the patient more and ask questions to clarify. They might even
ask the patient what surprised them during free association.

Benefits of Free Association

• It helps to know more about your feelings surrounding an incident.
• All the emotions you swept under the rug come out to surprise you.
• It helps you build an empathic relation and helps you open up more with your therapist.
• It gives you a chance to examine and understand your past and the way it impacts you presently.
• It enables you to develop awareness of your emotions and to work on bringing harmony in your relationships.
• It can help the therapist and client to untie knots in the past that no longer serve the client.
• Free association can aid in long term self- understanding.
• It provides enough space for an emotional release. Facilitates in letting the steam off that has been building up inside you. It releases anger and emotions that are locked up.
• Free association will ultimately help in processing grief, unresolved traumatic experiences and also opens gates for forgiveness of self and others.
• It guides you to spot unhealthy patterns in your thinking and behaviour.

Free association can also be a tool that you can use on yourself often. Journal your thoughts now and then to freely associate with yourself. Journaling has been proven to benefit mental health. If you’re willing to explore more about yourself and gain a holistic understanding then
free association therapy could work well for you. Find a suitable therapist who’ll provide the safe space to you for free association.

So, are you ready to free associate?