I contend that free association, far from being outdated, is a most central feature of the method of psychoanalysis, as it operates an essential reopening of the process of translation/repression. Free association sinks its roots in a Helmholtzian model of the mind and is, therefore, also congruent with modern neuroscience. Through the notion of surprise, logical and practical connections can be established between free association, seduction, trauma, and transference. A well-conceived concept of free association is, therefore, an indispensable tool for the practice of psychoanalysis.