Attempts on the part of the writer to record his own associations a t the close of the therapeutic hour have often produced interesting parallels with the patient's associations. Especially evident has been the recurrence of themes in the therapist's associations which indicate his special sensitivities in areas brought out by the patient.
From the standpoint of clinical research, it would seem valuable to build up a sequence of associations on the part of both patients and therapists. These raw productions might well add to our knowledge of the continuous interaction between patient and therapist throughout the treatment procedure. Such a technique is particularly promising in the therapeutic training of clinical students where it is necessary to develop in the student a growing awareness of his own personal involvement in the therapeutic enterprise. Comparison of patient-therapist associations over a period of many sessions affords a rather striking picture of the dynamic interaction involved. SUMMARY A free association technique has been described in which the patient writes his associations as an adjunct to therapy. Illustrative associations produced by a thirty year old female patient and an eighteen year old male adolescent are presented. It is suggested that the technique may be valuable as a research tool as well as in the therapeutic training of clinical students.
'The writer wishes to express his appreciation to Mr. Benjamin Lerner who has tabulated and computed some of the statistical data.