APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. in psychoanalysis, the article of furniture on which the patient reclines. The use of the couch is based on the theory that this posture will facilitate free association, encourage the patient to direct attention inward to their world of feeling and fantasy, and enable the patient to access their unconscious mind. The expression “on the couch” is sometimes used popularly to indicate psychoanalytic treatment. Also called analytic couch.