Sigmund Freud's couch is one of the most iconic pieces of furniture in the world.
Given to the founder of psychoanalysis by one of his patients, Madame Benvenisti, about 1890, Freud's couch - covered with oriental rugs and chenille cushion - was used in his psychoanalytic sessions in Vienna.
Here Freud's patients would recall and speak of their traumas, or say whatever came to mind before he interpreted their unconscious messages and memories.
While the patient was lying on the couch, Freud sat out of sight next to it: "I cannot let myself be stared at for eight hours daily", he exclaimed to Hanns Sachs.
Some of the famous cases treated on the couch are the 'Wolf Man', 'Dora' and the 'Rat Man'; today it can be visited at the Freud Museum in Hampstead.
Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Couch
Contributed by Freud Museum London
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Comments
Can anyone tell me details about Freuds sofa? Specifically, where it was manufactured and whether there are more by the same manufacterer?