Rejected or Not - Reconsidered

Sure, Freud began treating the patient differently--in ways that pre-supposed mental causes of physical and psychological issues. Did he begin a new trajectory for psychology and therapy? Sure! Are his methods truly used today? Not a lot. Can we seem reminiscences of them? Absolutely! Rather than wikipedia, Freud's free association method used in psychoanalysis is best described when he says, This [technique of free association] involves some psychological preparation of the patient. We must aim at bringing about two changes in him: an increase in the attention he pays to his own physical perceptions and the elimination of the criticism by which he normally sifts the thoughts that occur to him. In order that he may not be able to concentrate his attention on his self-observation [,] it is an advantage for him to lie in a restful attitude and to shut his eyes. It is necessary to insist explicitly on his renouncing all criticism of the thoughts that he perceives. We therefore tell him that the success of the psychoanalysis depends on his noticing and reporting whatever comes into his head and not being misled, for instance, into suppressing an idea because it strikes him as unimportant or irrelevant or because it seems to him meaningless. He must adopt a completely impartial attitude to what occurs to him, since it is precisely his critical attitude which is responsible for his being unable, in the ordinary course of things, to achieve the desired unraveling of his dream or obsessional idea or whatever it may be. –Sigmund Freud

Free association, in it's true and original form, is not just talk therapy. In fact, free association is ONLY used in psychoanalysis today which IS DIFFERENT than psychoanalytic psychotherapy. When I found this out a few years ago I was confused. Aren't psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy the same thing? Nope! It's actually a hot debate in the field right now. Psychoanalysis is free association on the couch, with the analyst sitting behind them. This method, as freud describes above, allows for the patient to disregard the social other, and as a result disregard the criticism and judgment that usually strengthens the individuals "Censor". This allows for a better "breeding ground" for associations and those deep dark secrets we cannot admit to, but cause our psychological issues.On the flip side, psychoanalytic psychotherapy uses some freudian techniques but you are facing each other, like you would in most therapy sessions you go to now a days.

Says, "I go to therapy" is like saying "I am religious". It is extremely broad. "Are you Christian? Catholic?Muslim? Jewish? etc.?" Therapy includes a multiplicity of facets--and not all involve what is described above. For starters, there are psychologists and psychiatrists. The former you talk to, the latter you get prescriptions from. Psychiatrists have medical degrees and know about medications. Psychologists do not. Insurance is another issue. Modern insurance companies will hardly pay for a psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis you meet 4 times a week (on average) for the 50 minute hour. Psychoanalytic therapy you meet less (it varies). Other therapies will vary as well, form once a month, to once a week. Therefore, insurance covers those therapies which are quick and easy and do not take 5 years to finish (this is an exaggeration, but can be true). Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy does deep into the patients life. Other therapies will treat the surface symptom--a bandaid. The goal being to make people functional in society again.

The range of other therapies consist of cognitive-behavioral therapy, rational therapy, play/art//music therapy, logotherapy, person/client-centered therapy, and the list goes on and on. However, although they may include some sort of talking, they do not use methods such as transference/counter-transerence, analyst-analysand dynamics, oedipus complex, sexual theories, etc. that are spelled out in freudian literature. Rejected in main stream? Yes. Still alive in psychoanalytic circles? yes, but psychoanalysis today has come a long way since freud 100 years ago.