DOLPHIN THERAPY: HOW IT IS APPLIED, BENEFITS AND CONTROVERSY - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The dolphin is a form of therapy that uses the interaction with dolphins to treat people with development problems, physical, psychological or emotional, such as autism or Down syndrome. Proponents of this discipline claim that it is very effective in improving many aspects of the lives of people affected by them.

The dolphins used in this therapy are trained to socialize with humans. Swimming with them, touching them, and watching the way they move and interact are supposed to have a positive effect on the physical, mental and emotional health of patients.

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Dolphin therapy is a variant of animal therapy that has more and more followers around the world, and you can find programs of this type in places as different as Bali, Dubai or California. However, the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of this technique is not yet conclusive.

Advocates of dolphin therapy and those patients who have tried it describe the experience as "magical." However, is it really useful for all the problems it claims to improve?

How good is it for dolphins to be used in this way? In this article we tell you everything you need to know about this therapy.

How is dolphin therapy applied?

Like most forms of animal therapy, dolphin therapy involves close collaboration between different members of a team to help improve the living conditions of people with different types of mental, physical or emotional problems.

In the case of this therapy, a trained psychologist and a dolphin keeper collaborate to train a group of dolphins to interact in a specific way with patients. There are different techniques that can be used, but all of them involve sensory and emotional stimulation of the people who use it.

Normally, dolphin therapy is used to improve the living conditions of people with disorders such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome; but it can also be used to alleviate the worst symptoms of psychological illnesses such as major depression or post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Next we will see what are the main ways in which dolphin therapy is used to help patients who use it.

Physical and emotional contact

One of the most necessary factors for human well-being is physical contact. In the case of patients with severe developmental disorders, which usually mean that the patient has all sorts of difficulties in relating normally to other people, it can be especially important.

At the same time, the feeling of closeness and support that an animal can provide is also very useful to improve the emotional state of patients. Feeling unconditionally appreciated, they tend to progress in things like their emotional intelligence and impulse control.

Dolphins are animals especially indicated to provide these two types of support. Not only are they extremely sociable, they are also highly intelligent and can therefore be trained to interact with patients in the most beneficial way possible.

Sensory stimulation

Another factor that makes dolphin therapy especially useful according to its proponents is the fact that being in the water with these animals provides patients with a series of stimuli that are otherwise very difficult for them to achieve.

Inside the water, all sensations change. In the case of patients with serious developmental disorders, such as autism, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, receiving brain stimulation is extremely important for improving their abilities and psychological states.

Thus, the sensation of floating, the interaction with rare animals that behave in unexpected ways, and the techniques developed in collaboration with psychologists and trainers, combine to provide a unique experience to patients that can give them great improvement. at the level of physical and mental health.

Effects on the nervous system

One of the most controversial parts of dolphin therapy is the supposed benefit of ultrasounds emitted by these animals on the nervous system of patients.

According to the cavitation hypothesis, dolphins emit certain waves that could have positive effects on the brains of people who interact with them.

This hypothesis was formulated by scientist David Cole after a series of investigations on the subject; but the scientific community still cannot agree on whether it is a real effect or not.

Some followers of dolphin therapy have even affirmed that the ultrasounds produced by dolphins can even modify the DNA of patients.

Others, more conservative, just claim that these waves can improve their mood and help them develop certain brain capacities.

Benefits

Depending on who is talking about it, dolphin therapy can simply be an alternative to traditional animal therapies, or on the contrary it can be an almost miraculous discipline useful for curing all kinds of ailments. Next we will see which are the most important of its supposed benefits.

Endorphin release

The mix of physical contact, emotional support, interaction with animals, and the effects of ultrasonic waves on the brain supposedly help the patient to produce more endorphins and other substances that improve their mood.

According to some scientists, this could even help alleviate pain related to certain diseases, since endorphins are natural pain relievers. In addition, it could also be useful to eliminate psychological problems such as depression or anxiety.

Brain development

Some proponents of dolphin therapy say that it not only serves to improve the mood of patients, but that this discipline is even capable of stimulating the development of new neurons and fostering the connection between existing ones.

If true, this could be especially important for patients with disorders such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. However, more evidence still needs to be gathered in this regard.

Improvement of certain physical and mental abilities

Having to carry out demanding tasks in the water and in interaction with dolphins can cause patients to develop some of their bodily abilities. Among those most positively affected are balance, motor coordination and limb control.

On the other hand, some brain capacities are also positively affected. For example, the attention and impulse control of patients who attend dolphin therapy appear to improve significantly after only a few sessions.

Reduction of symptoms of various problems

According to its proponents, dolphin therapy can be helpful in treating a long list of problems and illnesses, both physical and psychological.

Supposedly, the sessions with dolphins could for example reduce the discomfort of pregnancy, relieve stress, improve the immune system, or help fight cancer.

The most extreme supporters of this form of animal therapy even claim that it could greatly reduce the effects of genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, due to the alleged effects that dolphin ultrasounds have on people's DNA.

Controversy

Despite looking extremely interesting on paper, dolphin therapy is frowned upon by all members of the scientific community. In fact, there are two issues that make it have as many critics as defenders: the lack of evidence in this regard, and its effects on dolphins.

Lack of evidence

Several groups of scientists have reviewed the few studies that supposedly demonstrated the benefits of dolphin therapy, and they have found a number of very serious problems in all of them.

According to these authors, the methodology of the studies left much to be desired. In all of them, either the samples were too small, or the variables were not defined correctly.

Almost none of the studies conducted used a control group, and in virtually all of them the researchers were far from impartial.

All this means that today there is no real evidence about the benefits of dolphin therapy, beyond those that may present the fact of performing a new activity in a relaxed environment.

For the scientific community, more data needs to be collected before this discipline can be accepted as a truly useful therapy.

Effects on dolphins

On the other hand, the use of dolphins as "therapists" has also raised many blisters among animal advocates. They are extremely intelligent creatures, with very rich social lives and brain capacities close to those of humans.

The problem is that, to carry out dolphin therapy sessions, it is necessary to capture these animals and isolate them from their group. After this, they are trained in a harsh way with rewards and punishments, and they are kept all their lives within a closed enclosure from which they cannot leave.

The negative effects this can have on such advanced creatures are obvious. There are many associations in favor of banning the use of dolphins as therapy animals; and their criticisms take on special weight due to the lack of evidence to support the true usefulness of these practices.

References

1. "Dolphin therapy" in: The Mind is Wonderful. Retrieved on: November 13, 2018 from La Mente es Maravillosa: lamenteesmaravillosa.com.
2. "Delfinoterapia" in: Physical Therapy. Retrieved on: November 13, 2018 from Physical Therapy:oterapia-fisica.com.
3. "Does dolphin therapy work?" in: Psychology Today. Retrieved on: November 13, 2018 from Psychology Today: psychologytoday.com.
4. "Dolphin assisted therapy" in: Dolphins World. Retrieved on: November 13, 2018 from Dolphins World: dolphins-world.com.
5. "Dolphin therapy benefits" in: The Dolphin Experience of a Lifetime. Retrieved on: November 13, 2018 from The Dolphin Experience of a Lifetime: thedolphinexperience.com.