Rome, 29 December. (Adnkronos Salute) – The snow season has begun and the mountains are once again the protagonist, also in view of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics starting in a few weeks. But the peaks and landscapes have a beneficial effect not only on ski lovers. The mountain fascinates and can create a real internal metamorphosis.
What really happens inside us when we leave the valley for the summit? “The feeling of well-being that invades us is not a romantic illusion, but a biological and psychic phenomenon deeply rooted in our nature. Today neuroscience is able to map the ‘chemistry of happiness’ that is released during a descent, revealing how altitude and physical activity act as a powerful reset for our brain. At the same time, psychoanalysis explains to us how the comparison with the immensity of the peaks and the symbolic gesture of skiing allow us to reconnect with a more authentic self.” Adelia Lucattini, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, member of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society and of the International Psychoanalytical Association, explains the link between mountains and inner well-being.
“The mountain, with its silence and its vastness, activates profound dimensions of psychic life: it reduces defenses, facilitates contact with the internal world and allows intense and regenerative emotional experiences”, observes Lucattini. But why is the mountain the best gym for the developmental age? What beneficial effects can it offer in particular in children and adolescents? “Skiing simultaneously involves body and mind – continues the expert – improving proprioception, balance and the ability to modulate movements based on the terrain and speed. The technical progression, the control acquired in the descents and the possibility of exploring places that can only be reached on skis strengthen self-esteem and a sense of competence. In psychoanalysis this process is connected to the function of the observing ego, or rather to the subject’s ability to perceive himself while he acts”.
Mountain sports have recently been associated with significant stress reduction and improved emotional regulation, as indicated by a study in ‘Frontiers of Public Health’ (2025) on outdoor activities in natural environments. What specific teachings does skiing transmit from a psychological and psychoanalytic point of view? “Skiing trains concentration, mental presence and the ability to progressively evaluate the difficulty. Each descent – Lucattini points out – is configured as an emotional micro-laboratory in which fear, physiological activation and control are faced. Skiing mobilizes higher mental functions, stimulates thinking and sensory impressions through snow, wind, speed, vibrations and cold which can be transformed into thoughts while making operational decisions (getting to the valley)”.
“Furthermore, the relationship between solitude and the presence of the other recalls the concept of being alone while having someone in the heart, fundamental for emotional autonomy. In this dynamic, the athlete experiences what psychoanalysis defines as ‘continuity of being’, that is, the ability to maintain one’s core identity even in conditions of challenge in movement, consolidating internal security and trust in one’s own potential. According to research in ‘Narrative Review’ (2025) on mountain sports, alpine disciplines improve sustained attention, regulation emotional and planning, intellectual and emotional functions which are also essential in relationships and in school and work application”, continues Lucattini.
Why is it important to introduce children to the discipline of skiing from an early age? “For children, skiing combines play, adventure and bodily learning. Their natural plasticity allows the intuitive acquisition of motor patterns: a true physical and emotional imprinting that persists over time – explains the psychiatrist – The primary sensory experiences (sun, wind, snow, controlled speed) are fixed in the implicit memory, as described by Spitz, constituting the basis of future psycho-emotional regulations. On the snow, the stable presence of an adult – parent or teacher – consolidates the secure internal base and in this process the child experiences an ‘affective continuity’, that is, a condition in which the bodily experience is intertwined with the adult’s reassurance, favoring the construction of a firm ego capable of tolerating frustration”.
Can skiing be considered an antidote to stress? How does it affect the mind and body? “Absolutely yes. From a physical point of view, skiing improves muscle tone, elasticity, cardiovascular and respiratory capacity and oxygenation. Altitude increases red blood cells, with beneficial effects that persist even after returning. The mountain promotes true sensory detoxification: silence, clean air, absence of digital stimuli and detachment from routine. This allows children and adults to escape from daily sensory overload. Silence in psychoanalysis has a transformative function, it allows the emergence of thought and emotional processing. Skiing it offers an ‘environmental containment function’, an open-air setting that supports the psychic system, allowing it to metabolise tensions and find internal balance”, concludes the expert.
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