The theory and methods of psychoanalysis originated with Sigmund Freud’s pioneering work in exploring the influence of unconscious processes on everyday life and on emotional difficulties. It is now recognized that no single theory accounts for the complex workings of the human mind, and no single method or technique suffices. Contemporary psychoanalysts draw on a range of theories to guide their efforts to apprehend and respond to their patients’ communications compassionately and effectively. Although psychoanalysis retains its recognition of the ways unconscious factors shape our lived experience, current approaches to psychoanalysis place an intimately engaged and mutually negotiated human relationship at the heart of therapeutic effectiveness.