There are many reasons that a psychoanalyst uses a couch in his or her office; it is one of the many tools used to uncover and decode unconscious content during a psychotherapeutic session.

The use of a couch helps the analyst remain a "blank slate" during the session, which is very important in psychoanalytic theory. The client/patient is supposed to lie down on the couch, clear their mind, and begin free-associating (saying whatever comes to mind). The psychoanalyst actually sits behind the patient's head, when this free-associating process is occurring, so that the patient cannot see the analyst's expressions, and is less concerned with what he or she is thinking or feeling about the patient's verbalizations. If the patient were to see the analyst's facial expressions, it would contaminate the associations arising from the unconscious, and therefore appropriate interpretation, and clear insight into the patient's unconscious conflict(s) would not be possible.

The couch is also thought to help relax the patient, for as the body relaxes, so does the mind. When the mind is able to relax, there is less resistance, and therefore, unconscious content is allowed to trickle into consciousness, where it is analyzed and interpreted for the patient.

In spite of those who view psychoanalysis in a less than favorable light, the couch is not a tool of power, used to place the patient in a "one-down" position to the analyst. In fact, if this was the case, patients would not drop their defenses enough to let unconscious material flow to the consciousness for analysis. Instead, the couch is used to help the patient lower their conscious censor, and share deeply personal information with the analyst, which requires trust; such trust would not occur if the analyst was involved in a power play with the client.

While many psychotherapists today use a face to face disclosure technique, with both the therapist and patient in chairs, there are psychoanalysts, especially practicing in Europe (closer to the home of Sigmund Freud), that still utilize the couch with great success.

Learn more about this author, Kim Schlievert.
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