The word Sophrology derives from ancient Greek (sôs : harmony; phren : spirit/conscience logos : science) = the science of the harmonious conscience.  It is both a therapeutic and a personal development method. It was created by a neuropsychiatrist named Alfonso Caycedo in 1960 who sought to improve the well-being of his patients moving away from traditional treatment methods. He combined scientific concepts developed by his peers (hypnosis,neurology, relaxation, psychoanalysis, to name a few) with eastern techniques and wisdom (Yoga, medicatio, Zen) to develop sophrology.