Free Association, the invention of the Great Grandpa of therapy, Sigmund Freud, is viewed as 'old hat' by many. Yet, used properly within the hypnotic state, its effects can be extraordinarily far-reaching and permanent, especially where there is a strongly physical content in the symptoms, like bulemia or excessive sweating, for example.

The drawbacks are:

1. It can take longer than the Regression to Cause model (though does not necessarily do so)

2. There is not always an immediate improvement in the symptoms (though there often is)

The specific advantages are:

1. Therapeutic effects are far wider-reaching than with most other methods.

2. It is not necessary for our client to follow a specific train of thought (in fact, there will quite often be several in evidence at any one time).

3. They will 'clear up' all sorts of unfinished childhood business during therapy, in addition to resolving their main symptom, reducing the potential to become psychologically ill again.

4. Useful 'side effects' of increased self-confidence, self worth/esteem.

We seek the same end result as with direct regression work, that is, abreaction (see last month) and subsequent catharsis allowing our client to let go of the psychological burden(s) that have beset them. The therapist's major contribution at the beginning is to teach the client how to free associate in the first place, encourage them in their early efforts, and to watch for resistance and attempts to evade issues (more about that later), gently guiding them back on course should they do so. The main problem with this method, though, is that it is just too easy... so easy that it can sometimes be difficult to convince the client that they are actually doing the right thing; they will sometimes complain that their mind is 'jumping about all over the place' - which is exactly what we want!

Free association simply means allowing the subconscious mind to make links between ideas and concepts with as little interference as possible from conscious thought processes. Once in hypnosis, we ask our client to cast their mind back to their earliest years (we work almost exclusively in the childhood years during free association) and tell us the first thing they think of, without analysing it, without questioning it in any way. Then, without trying to make any connection at all in the conscious mind, tell us the next thing that comes to mind. Then the next... and the next, and so on. As simple as that. Well, very nearly; we need to make sure that what we teach our client to do is not simply to tell us memories, but psychological experiences. The mind's tendency to focus on discomfort will do the rest.

The difference between a memory and a psychological experience is that the former may well comprise just the physical details of an event, whilst the latter will access the emotional responses as well. The majority of people will do this automatically but some, especially those who have been subject to repeated abuse (not necessarily sexual), will seek to avoid confronting those emotional states. You will have to work harder with those individuals, maybe asking them to go back over something that seems as if there should be more of an emotional response than is apparent, and getting them to imagine it more vividly.

After one or two sessions of reminding your client what you want him/her to do, you should find that they will be silent for no more than a few seconds between recalls - indeed they MUST NOT be silent for more than a few seconds, for this would mean they were being selective in relating their thoughts - the exact opposite of what is supposed to happen. We must have the very first thought each time, if our work is to be effective.

Certain criteria are of importance:

1. Recalls need to be of actual events, rather than vague descriptions of the way things used to be, the daily journey to school, aimless wandering around the area where they lived, etc.

2. Sequential or chronological recalls are not free association and won't get your client to where they want to be. Example: "I remember a holiday... we're getting into the car... now we're driving along the road... now we're stopping for a picnic... " and so on.

3. Diversion along the lines of: "I thought this was where I lived when I was five but now I'm not certain, because I can remember a tree in the garden and we didn't have a tree in the garden of that house, so I'm not sure..."

4. Not admitting a memory. A bio-feedback meter will reveal this by a sudden sharp increase in the reading. Body language will often show it, too, in sudden 'waggling' movements of the feet (an urge to run away) or in other sudden movements, especially turning the head away from you.

5. Deletion. This is shown by disconnected statements like: "My father was a good man." Why have they said that? Are they justifying something? Something is missing, deleted. Maybe there should be a "but..." at the end of that statement. "I'd have loved to have piano lessons..." So why didn't they? Something missing again. The therapist needs to explore these areas. A good way to do this is to rephrase the statement if necessary and put a question at the end of it: "And you didn't have piano lessons, because...?" (Always use 'because?' rather than 'why?' - it begs a far more direct answer).

This brief article merely outlines the way that free association is used and, as you may now realise, it can be a more difficult discipline for the therapist than direct regression. But it is one well worth learning, and an extremely powerful healing tool.