Drawing on relaxation techniques from spiritual practices around the world, the method was developed by professor of psychiatry and neurology, Alfonso Caycedo, in 1960 as a response to his concern around the use of electric shock therapy on depressed and traumatized clients during his early medical career.

Its influences include clinical hypnosis, raja yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, Japanese Zen meditation, psychology, neurology and the philosophical field of phenomenology.

Sophrology is in equal parts a philosophy, a way of life, a therapy and a personal development technique. Combining gentle movement, tension-releasing exercises, mindfulness, body-based meditation, breathwork and creative visualization, Caycedo described it as “learning to live.”