Dancing with dolphins

by Barbra Williams Cosentino RN, CSW

Dancing with dolphins Research has shown that interacting with dolphins may improve mood, boost immunity, and act as an effective therapy for several physical and mental disorders.

They are ocean ballerinas and acrobats—gentle, warm-blooded creatures with brains as large and complex as our own. They are gifted communicators who embrace life with the energetic joie de vivre seen in human toddlers and people in love. Spinning, twirling, gliding in temperate and tropical waters around the world, dolphins have an almost magical ability to induce feelings of relaxation, serenity and intense pleasure in most who come into contact with them. Dolphins possess an uncommon ability to open our hearts and facilitate the process of biophilia—the deepening of our connection with nature.

More than with any other animal, human interactions with dolphins invite us to experience the pure joy and beauty of life, according to the Human Dolphin Institute. As we bask in the bliss of this unconditional love, were left with a profound inner peace and \"an enduring affectionate communion for all living beings, including our fellow humans.\"

Besides inducing feelings of relaxation and serenity, the interaction between dolphins and humans (preferably in the wild, but effective also in more controlled captive settings) has a powerful ability to promote healing for people who suffer from a number of psychologic and physical ailments.

As a result of research that has been ongoing since the 1970s, resorts and organizations in places such as Florida, the Bahamas, Hawaii, New Zealand and Mexico have set up structured programs that allow humans the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Some of these programs are geared toward personal growth seekers interested in discovering new transformational tools to enhance the self-development process, while others specialize in assisting people with depression, autism or a whole range of developmental, neurologic or physical disabilities.

Dolphins, who use their sonar to scan the water around them and locate their prey, produce an intense amount of energy that resonates in the bones of the skull, sternum and spine of the people around them. Researchers believe that the dolphins biofield—their electromagnetic or energy force field—is responsible in part for dolphins healing abilities.

Others theorize that the high vibrational transmissions emitted by dolphins, heard by the human ear as a series of clicks and whistles, have the power to synchronize the electromagnetic forces of both brain hemispheres. The ultrasonic frequencies appear to have a biologic effect, triggering the production of certain neurochemicals. In fact, recent studies at the Florida Back Institute have demonstrated that dolphin encounters have a dramatic effect on the production and uptake of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and may also affect the entire endocrine system.

Brain waves measured by EEG show that dolphin encounters cause an increase in alpha and theta waves, indications of deeply peaceful states similar to those achieved by meditation.

Dr. John Lilly, the creator of flotation tanks, was one of the first researchers to study the ways in which dolphins interact with humans. As a result of Lillys research, we now know that many of the reported effects of flotation, such as lowered heart rate and oxygen consumption, decreased levels of stress-related hormones, and an increase in endorphin levels, reflect the effects of human-dolphin interaction.

Experts in psychoneuroiummunology believe that dolphins also appear to reawaken the limbic system, a group of nervous system structures within the midbrain that appear to be linked with positive and negative emotions, such as pleasure, sexual arousal, and fear. The complex neurologic stimulation provided by close interaction with dolphins is a primary research focus of the AquaThought Foundation, which has cosponsored several international symposiums on dolphin healing and dolphin-assisted therapy.

The compassionate nature of dolphins seems to invoke feelings of acceptance and love in all who interact with them and also appears to have a dramatic healing effect. Dr. Bernie Siegel, surgeon and author of numerous best-selling books on health and healing, suggests that unconditional love stimulates the bodys disease-fighting mechanisms by boosting levels of immunoglobulins and T- killer cells.

Researchers hypothesize that dolphins may trigger the healing process in humans by enhancing the bodys immune system. This has profoundly important ramifications for people living with cancer, AIDS and other potentially life-threatening illnesses.

Internationally renowned dolphin expert Horace Dobbs, PhD, is the author of the newly released book Dolphin Healing. Hes alsothe founder of Operation Sunflower, a project established in 1986 that studies the therapeutic effects of human/dolphin interaction on people with severe depression and other psychiatric disorders.

Dobbs, whose clinical trials seem to confirm that dolphin encounters significantly enhance mood and lead to increased self-esteem and a more positive outlook on life, has since developed the "Dolphin Dreamtime" (produced in Australia and available on cassette and CD), which captures the essence of dolphin healing by taking listeners on an imaginary journey into the world of the dolphin. This "audio pill" can be used as an adjunct to complementary therapies, such as Reiki and aromatherapy, says Dr. Dobbs, who is now investigating dolphin-inspired sound therapy as a means of promoting relaxation in pregnant women and during childbirth.

In the early 1970s, educational anthropologist Betsy Smith, PhD, began her pioneering work in the use of dolphin-assisted therapy as means of enhancing communication skills with autistic children. She later established an organization called the Dolphins Plus Study in Key Largo, Florida.

In 1978, psychologist David Nathanson, PhD, created "Dolphin Human Therapy" at Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nathansons program focused on interaction with dolphins as part of a behavior modification program to increase focus, attention span and learning in children with Down syndrome and other forms of mental retardation. His discovery that the learning abilities of children increased by as much as 500% after interaction with the dolphins led to the recognition of dolphin-assisted therapy as an effective means of enhancing physical, cognitive and emotional functioning.

Several treatment programs in the United States and abroad now exist (such as Island Dolphin Care, Inc., part of the Dolphins Plus Program, and the Child Empowerment Program at the Human Dolphin Institute) and serve special-needs children who have a wide range of developmental, neurologic and neuromuscular disorders.

No matter what your personal circumstances, theres a good chance your life could be enhanced by swimming, communicating, and dancing with dolphins.