History Main / FreudianCouch

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Elliot imagines/dreams himself in one when he [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2013-03-07 decides to get introspective about what motivates him]].

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Blondie}}'' when the title character is looking for a cargo van for her catering business, one van was formerly owned by a psychiatrist who went to people's homes. And had the Freudian Couch set up in the van.

-->-- '''Pro. Ian Duncan''', ''{{Series/Community}}''

* The comedy ''Film/WhatAWayToGo'' features a version mounted on a pole that can be lifted high in the air. This inevitably leads to slapstick complications.

* ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'': In "The Clampetts Get Psychoanalyzed", Mr. Drysdale's Freudeian psychiatrist tries to psychoanalyze Jethro Bodine and Cousin Pearl. The psychiatrist is very faithful to Freudian methods, not only having a couch in his office but closing his curtains so as to conduct psychoanalysis in semidarkness.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary''. Despite a natural reluctance (being a mercenary captain) to discuss his issues, Reverend Fobius is able to coax Tagon onto his [[SpaceX hover-couch]]. He responds by falling asleep.

A famous StockPose originating in Freudian tradition of psychiatry. As short hand for therapy, someone lies on their back on a couch and stares at the ceiling while avoiding eye-contact with their therapist. This is not very common nowadays, as not even the classical psychoanalysts were unanimous in its usage, but some therapists (even non-Freudian ones) still have one in their room, at least as an option. It is sometimes due to a certain measure of TheCoconutEffect: as people often fully believe AllPsychologyIsFreudian, some patients relax more and open up with their problems in a position they expect due to its omnipresence in pop culture.

* In one comedy routine, David Hyde-Pierce (Niles in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'') does a PatterSong about being a psychiatrist, called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSeyZK-U8TI The Therapist Song]]", in which the chorus is "Hit the couch!"

** In the 10th anniversary retrospective, Larson said he considered the device a cliché. He also described how having an animal visiting a human psychiatrist would frequently break his own WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief and cause him to start questioning ''everything'' about his comic.
** One particular comic embarrassingly backfired when Gary Larson thought it would be funny to draw a creature who had to see a psychiatrist because of his severe anger-management problems over having been born as ''nothing but a disembodied eyeball''. Most readers either missed the eyeball entirely or thought it was just one of the buttons sewed onto the couch. In his 10th anniversary retrospective, Larson briefly tried to defend the cartoon before admitting that, yes, it sucked. To those who have read ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'', it becomes a reference.

* Nick in ''Film/WhatWomenWant'' lies on the couch when he meets his former marriage counsellor to asks her about his inexplicably gained mind-reading problem.
* The comedy ''Film/WhatAWayToGo'' features a version mounted on a pole which can be lifted high in the air. This inevitably leads to slapstick complications.

** James is in a therapy session. They have a slightly weird little dialogue which goes something like this:

* In ''Literature/{{Dreamcatcher}}'', Henry briefly ponders his patients' choices between the couch or a chair when they come into his office.
* In Book One of ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'', During her first visit in Livia's office, Lauren notes the presence of a couch under the giant portrait of what is assumed to be a {{Valkyrie|s}}. She only gets to sit on the chair though.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "Conversations With Dead People", Buffy goes to stake a newly-resurrected vampire in a graveyard who turns out to be a psych major who went to high school with her. In between trying to kill each other, he helps Buffy talk through her issues, and one scene has Buffy lying on a couch-like sarcophagus in tongue-in-cheek reference to this trope.

* Played with in ''Series/{{Graduados}}''. Vicky does not use a couch with her patients, in fact she is not Freudian at all, and criticized the couch thing sometime. But each time that Tuca has a crisis and need her help, he storms uninvited into her consulting room, heads directly to the couch and lies down in it... even when nobody ever told him to do that.

* Inverted in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Latent Image", the Emergency Medical Hologram suffers a LogicBomb after having to make a SadisticChoice in triage. As reprogramming has failed and ''Voyager'' doesn't have a Ship's Counselor, Captain Janeway and other crewman act as a sounding board while the EMH works through his issues. Janeway is shown on the holodeck, half-asleep on the couch while the Doctor sits on a chair and rambles on. Eventually he realizes the captain is running a fever and convinces her to take a break. After she leaves, the Doctor goes and sits on the couch, quoting from the book she was reading, implying that he is getting over his HeroicBSOD.
* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}''. Lucifer's psychiatrist Linda assumes that all his talk about being the Devil is just a metaphor for his issues, until he finally shows her his NightmareFace. Naturally Linda freaks out on discovering that the supernatural is real, and one episode has her lying down on her own sofa trying to absorb what Lucifer is telling her, in an obvious reference to this trope. Lucifer cuts short the session, griping that he's having to do his own therapy. Averted for her typical sessions with Lucifer and later Maze, who both sit up facing her in a more typical modern set up.

* In ''Webcomic/MenageA3'', trainee psychotherapist and mistress of HollywoodPsych Kiley naturally expects to employ a couch. In the June 13, 2013 strip (#753, NSFW), the trope is played with and perhaps lampshaded. It looks like a Freudian therapy session at first, but there's more than one sort of therapy, and more than one use for a couch.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has a whole episode dedicated to Helga explaining her life-story to a child psychiatrist - and partially {{inverted}}, as part of the psychiatrist's tactic to help Helga open up is to let ''Helga'' analyze ''her'' first.

** It's been used as a CouchGag, when Homer rushes in the door, lies on the couch, and begins confessing to his psychotherapist.

** In the episode "The Monster from Id", it's revealed that Baljeet went to pyschology camp. Cut to a flashback of a hundred kids talking to other kids on couches, all saying "And how did that make you ''feel''?"
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Pictured above: this is used with a bench (and complete with reading glasses and a notepad) by Twilight Sparkle in episode "Lesson Zero", in an attempt to alleviate her friend Rainbow Dash's [[spoiler:mistakenly perceived]] anger issues. [[{{Irony}} Twilight would have needed a therapist a lot more than Rainbow in this episode.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'': A ClipShow has the little guy with the big nose Pink is always annoying go to a therapist (actually Pink in disguise) and lay down on the couch.

** The short "Hare Brush" has Bugs Bunny take Elmer's place in a mental institute. One scene has Bugs briefly lay on a couch while the doctor talks to him. Bugs soon turns tables.
** "WesternAnimation/PunchTrunk" has a scene where a woman is on one of these couches while talking about her life. The tiny elephant featured in this short soon appears, and drinks the psychiatrist's water. The psychiatrist, assuming that he himself is going crazy, promptly swaps positions with the woman, and begins talking about his own life on the couch, while the woman sits at the desk dumbfounded.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MonsterFarm'' episode "7 Year Stench" has Frankenswine recline on a couch while talking about his problems with Dr. Woolly.

* Some psychotherapists [[TruthInTelevision really do have chaises longues in their offices]], especially psychoanalysts (or those who like the nod to tradition), but this is otherwise somewhat of a DeadHorseTrope in modern times. It's more likely they'll have armchairs, or at the outside, regular sofas that the clients will usually sit rather than recline on.

* The promotional art for the documentary ''Confessions of a Superhero'' features [[spoiler:a performer dressed as]] Superman lying on a couch.

* Used in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' when Stan visits a therapist to talk about Roger's death. It turns out he's being set up for a prank and all his colleagues are watching him from behind a teo=way mirror.

* Used in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' when Stan visits a therapist to talk about Roger's death.

* One makes several appearances in ''WebVideo/{{Awkward}}'', in Alex's therapy sessions with Henry.

* ''Videogame/Heavyrain'': One of the main characters, Ethan, goes to a therapist in one of the first scenes of the game. He's seen lying down on a bed in the therapist's office while taking an inkblot test.

* When Ethan, one of the main characters of ''VideoGame/Heavyrain'', goes to a therapist after the tragic death of his son he's seen lying down on a bed in the therapist's office while taking an inkblot test.

* ''VideoGame/ThemeHospital'' has a couch as a required item for the psychiatric treatment room. SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/TwoPointHospital'' has a similar requirement.

* ComicStrip/{{Elvie}}: Elvie lies on a couch facing the ceiling in virtual reality therapy.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4474 Slick appears on one recounting how he didn't recognize himself in the mirror (world).]]

->''"Once again, you don't have to lay on the couch like it's a Creator/WoodyAllen movie."''

* Undercover Elephant, a character from Hanna-Barbera's 1977 show ''WesternAnimation/CBBears'', is after a bodybuilder/psychiatrist villain named Pretty Boy Freud. He tricks Undercover into thinking he needs psychiatric help, usi g a park bench as a makeshift couch.

-->--Pro. Ian Duncan, '''{{Series/Community}}'''

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}''. In "Murder, A Self-Portrait", Colombo has to interview a psychiatrist during his murder investigation. The psychiatrist is tired after a long day of work and the recent murder of his friend, so he lies down on his own couch while Colombo interviews him from a chair.