There are people who spend their entire lives searching for one profession. Madelena Algafari has chosen several paths that converge in the same place – the human being. Today, the psychotherapist, writer, translator and director turns 59.
Algafari was born on 4 November 1967 in Sofia, but grew up in Vratsa. She graduated from a French-language high school and then studied psychology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Alongside her university education, she studied directing for drama and puppet theatre in collaboration with the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov”.
Between Psychology and the Stage
Her professional journey has taken her through psychotherapy, television, writing and teaching. She specialised in psychotherapy in Germany and analytical psychotherapy in Switzerland. At the beginning of her career, she worked as an editor and presenter, and later became a familiar face on television and radio programmes dedicated to relationships, anxiety, parenting and personal development.
Theatre remains an important part of her approach to human stories. Her education in directing complements her psychological training, while her interest in language, the body and emotions also finds its way into her books.
The Books That Turn Psychology into a Story
Her first book – “I Have No Peace” – was published in 2003. It was followed by “I Have Faith”, “We Can All Fly”, “Fairy Tales for Grown-Up Children”, “Hunger for Real Things”, “How to Get Sick Properly”, “From ‘What Will People Say?’ to ‘What Do I Choose?’” and “I Feel, Therefore I Am”.
In these titles, Algafari often uses accessible language, poetry, fairy-tale imagery and everyday situations to talk about fears, anger, pain, love and the need for self-knowledge. In “I Feel, Therefore I Am”, she focuses on emotions and their place in human behaviour, while “A Make-Up Exam for Parents” addresses communication between adults and children.
“Quiet Stop” is among the books in which her personal and professional interest in the inner world come together most clearly. In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio, Algafari says: “Every word here was born from the silence in different periods of my life.” The book contains poems, fairy tales, reflections and texts about silence as an opportunity for a person to hear their own answers.
The Path to Oneself
In a conversation with the BNR, Algafari describes love, trust and freedom as three important foundations of a harmonious relationship. The themes of intimacy, personal boundaries, parenthood and responsibility for one’s own choices run through her books, lectures and public appearances.
Algafari brings together several different roles – that of a psychologist who works with human difficulties, an author who transforms them into text, and a person of the theatre for whom every story begins with the living person behind the words.
Sources: 24chasa.bg, bnr.bg, btvnovinite.bg