The sauna and sauna bathing habits--a psychoanalytic point of view.

Abstract

Sauna bathing is a pleasant and relaxing experience that combines psychic, physical and social pleasures. A person's inner feelings about sauna bathing, its essential components are mainly unconscious. The sauna bath reduces the aggressive behaviour and enables bathers to forget the commonplace pressures of everyday life. The sauna evokes memories of childhood development, awakening feelings of maternal warmth and paternal power in the bather. The sauna is a positive mental health resource, even though its effects are transitory.