Mental Health and Healthy Longevity: The Role of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Hi, I’m Vessy!
I’m a psychotherapist based in Sofia, Bulgaria, offering psychoanalytic psychotherapy to adults. Before establishing my practice in Sofia, I worked in Dublin, Ireland.
Mental Health as a Pillar of Healthy Longevity
Healthy longevity is about more than living longer. It is about maintaining physical, mental and social wellbeing throughout life, and being able to continue living with a sense of connection, purpose and quality of life.
Our mental health is an essential part of this picture. How we understand ourselves, experience our emotions, navigate relationships and adapt to change all influence how we experience life over time.
Yet mental health is sometimes overlooked in conversations about longevity, which tend to focus on physical health, nutrition, exercise, sleep and cognitive performance.
I believe there is another important dimension: understanding the mind and emotional life.
How Can Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Support Mental Wellbeing?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy offers a space to explore your emotional experiences, relationships, thoughts and patterns of behaviour in greater depth.
Rather than focusing only on immediate symptoms, it can help you become curious about what may lie beneath them: experiences that have shaped you, familiar ways of relating to others, conflicting feelings and patterns that may be difficult to recognise on your own.
Through this process, you may develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your emotional responses and your relationships. Therapy can also support you in making sense of difficult experiences and navigating periods of change.
Research on psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapies has found benefits for a range of psychological difficulties. However, psychotherapy should not be understood as a treatment proven to extend lifespan or prevent biological ageing. Its value lies in supporting psychological wellbeing and quality of life.
Healthy Longevity Needs a Psychological Dimension
Alongside physical health, cognitive function and preventive medicine, our emotional lives matter.
Our capacity to understand ourselves, navigate uncertainty, sustain meaningful relationships and remain curious about our experiences contributes to how we live and experience life over time.
Longevity programmes increasingly discuss cognitive performance, stress management, emotional wellbeing and social connection. But there is a distinction between optimising the brain and understanding the mind.
Some questions worth exploring are:
How do we make sense of the experiences that have shaped us?
How do we adapt psychologically to major life and personal transitions?
How do our early relationships influence the relationships we build later in life?
How do we live with uncertainty, loss, ageing and change?
How can we develop a richer understanding of ourselves throughout life?
These are some of the questions that psychoanalytic psychotherapy can help us explore.
Beyond living longer, there is the question of how we want to experience the life we have.
Who I Work With
I work individually with adults aged 18–60, of all genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.
I have a particular interest in supporting:
You might be experiencing anxiety, depression, panic attacks, insomnia, loneliness or other difficulties. You may also be going through a period of change, questioning aspects of your identity or relationships, or simply wanting to understand yourself more deeply.
Together, we make sense of what is happening, explore who you are becoming, and follow your need, desire and curiosity towards a deeper understanding of yourself.
What Might Bring You to Therapy?
Life experiences and transitions
Major life changes and life crises
Reproductive and family transitions
Ageing and changing life circumstances
Loss, uncertainty and loneliness
Emotional and psychological difficulties
Anxiety and persistent worry
Depression and low mood
Panic attacks
Insomnia and sleep difficulties
Relationships and identity
Relationship difficulties
Family relationships
Workplace issues
Identity and questions of belonging
Exploring your sense of self
You do not need to have a specific diagnosis or be in crisis to consider psychotherapy. You may simply feel that something is difficult to understand, that familiar patterns keep repeating, or that you would like to know yourself better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the connection between mental health and healthy longevity?
Healthy longevity involves more than physical health and lifespan. Mental and social wellbeing are also important dimensions of how people experience life over time. Emotional wellbeing, meaningful relationships and the ability to adapt to change can all contribute to quality of life.
Can psychotherapy be part of a healthy longevity journey?
Yes. Psychotherapy can be one way of investing in psychological wellbeing throughout adulthood. It offers an opportunity to explore emotional experiences, relationships, recurring patterns and life transitions. It is not a proven method of extending lifespan, but it can support aspects of mental health and quality of life.
How can psychoanalytic psychotherapy help with emotional wellbeing?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy explores the relationship between present difficulties and the experiences, feelings and patterns that may contribute to them. Through reflection and the therapeutic relationship, people can develop greater self-understanding and explore different ways of relating to themselves and others.
Is psychoanalytic psychotherapy only for people with mental health conditions?
No. People may seek psychotherapy when experiencing anxiety, depression or other psychological difficulties, but they may also come because they are navigating a life transition, struggling with relationships, questioning their identity or wanting a deeper understanding of themselves.
Where can I find psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Sofia?
I offer psychotherapy in Sofia, Bulgaria, with in-person sessions available in the heart of Sofia, Bulgaria. The address of my clinic is ul. "Fridtjof Nansen" 31.
Let’s talk
If you are curious about psychoanalytic psychotherapy and would like to explore whether it might be helpful for you, you are welcome to arrange a 15-minute introductory conversation.