When compared to hypnosis, Sigmund Freud found **free association** to be a more gradual method of breaking through the walls of defense that block a client's insight into unconscious processes. Free association is a psychoanalytic technique where a patient freely expresses thoughts, feelings, and associations that come to mind without censorship or judgment. Freud believed that this method allowed for a deeper exploration of the unconscious mind over time, as opposed to the more immediate and direct approach of hypnosis.