Psychoanalysis is both a theory of mind and a method of psychological help.  As a theory of mind, it was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, and it has had and continues to have an enormous impact on western culture and intellectual life. As a method of psychological help, psychoanalysis is based on the theory that early relationships with parents, the childhood experiences of sexuality, love, loss and death all lay down patterns in the mind.  These unconscious templates have enduring effects on psychological functioning and can block development.