The therapeutic effects of the free-associative state of consciousness.
John Rosegrant
The Psychoanalytic Quarterly July 2005 DOI: 10.1002/j.2167-4086.2005.tb00225.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that free association facilitates the regulation of states of consciousness by enabling patients to integrate and shift flexibly between subjective and objective self-awareness and between disregard for and adherence to reality, with the interplay between free association and analyst intervention also contributing to this regulation. |
Abstract
Free association is therapeutically helpful in the regulation of states of consciousness. A person who free-associates enters a particular state of consciousness characterized by increased subjective self-awareness and disregard for reality, together with implicit pulls for objective self-awareness and reality adherence. Free association facilitates the patient's learning to integrate and to shift flexibly among points on these dimensions. Tensions existing in the free-associative state are embedded in a similar tension between free associating and reacting to the analyst's interventions, so interplay between free association and intervention also facilitates regulation of states of consciousness.