Increasing of the vitality of children becomes a universal purpose nowadays. This requires new methods and modern technologies in medicine and psychology. As the influence of the negative sides of our life is a complex one, so the correctional, therapeutic and recovery actions should be composed as a medical-psychological complex. The method of the dolphin therapy meets all these requirements.
The method of the dolphin therapy is a system of physical and mental influence on the patient using dolphins.The purpose of the dolphin therapy is to remove diseases, to change patient’s self-perception and attitude toward himself, his state and surroundings. The complex medicinal effect on patient’s emotions, thoughts and self-consciousness can be done directly or indirectly. Even within its definition the dolphin-therapy is closely connected both with psychotherapy and physical therapy. Our variant of the method contains a complex of positive effects, which are achieved with the help of following components:
psychology of contacts;
psychotherapy;
hydrokinetic therapy;
ultrasound therapy;
thalassotherapy;
This is also confirmed by a range of specialists taking part in interaction «dolphin-patient», such as: neuropathologist, psychotherapist, medical psychologist, speech therapist, defectologist and others.
The dolphin therapy allows to achieve general effects, which endure the patient in his struggle against the disease (relationship between the doctor and the patient, an optimal psychological climate during curative and post-curative periods, excluding psychical traumatism and disfunctions, prevention and opportune removal of repeated neurotic complications, which may be caused by the disease itself or the hospitalism).
In addition to all mentioned above the method can be used during purposeful treatment of the patients with so called boundary forms of neuropsychic disorders (neuroses etc.), posttraumatic stressful disfunctions, delays in speech and mental development, premature infantile autism etc.
The dolphin therapy is also well complimentary for medicament and therapeutic treatment, it can be used combined with other curative methods. It, like psychotherapy, is unrealizable without positive emotional contact with the patient. In all these cases «the balance wheel effect» takes place. The usage of dolphins is determined by their unique natural features: the absence of cultural restrictions concerning dolphins (in temporal and geographical aspects), the combination of high intelligence and unique physical peculiarities, by a specific relationship between humans and dolphins, which are one of the symbols of initial beginning of the being; the dolphin is archetypical. All this gives a strong positive purpose (effect of «positive cultural shock»).
The principle of synergism should be fully realized in new curative technologies. Its usage allows increasing the efficiency of correctional and therapeutic methods. Its main point is, that most of the risk factors by psychosomatic diseases act synergetically i.e. increase the general effect of their influence repeatedly, and there is not a composition of negative influence, but a multiplication of the factors. The same effect can be noted within therapeutic-correctional influence, when the positive effect increases greatly under the influence of the psychological correction. This is the way to a multifactoral influencing therapy, to a multifunctional orientation of used methods. Therapeutic influence within the dolphin therapy can be explained by a sonophoretic model, when a specially trained dolphin acts by the curative interactions as a natural ultrasonic sonar and locates (produces an acoustic emission upon) the patient.
We composed this method using traditions laid by respected leaders of the physical therapy as Bogolubov, Ulashik and others. The basis of the therapeutic method by the dolphin therapy is composed of familiar to any pediatrician curative effects as resonance effect and activation of not only the organism, but also of its systems.
It allows to realize well-known curative effects of ultrasonic therapy, such as: antiphlogistic, analgesical, spasmolythic, metabolic, defibrosing, bactericidal.Simultaneous marine inhalations and bathing, synergetically endured by a powerful and well chosen psychotherapy, have a great impact. The functional examinations (EEG, EKG monitoring) allow to control the curative process.
A special modular subprogram was worked out for children with polytraumas. We have a unique experience in rehabilitation of children with crush syndrome and cerebrum hypoxia, who were treated with the dolphin therapy under constant EEG-control, carried out directly in the dolphinarium before and after treatment seances.
Treatment of such children in the context of the Congress will be discussed at the 10-th symposium.
Positive changes in the bioelectrical activity of the cerebrum were registered in each case and were of strongly pronounced individual nature. But also were noted two general tendencies:
The clearest and noted even without deep analysis indication is the improvement of interhemispheric symmetry of electrical activity and the clear synchronization of oscillation in both hemispheres.
A process of normalization of main EEG rhythms’ allocation took place.
After each seance the average capacity of beta-rhythm and slow waves of delta-range were reduced.
The absolute capacity of the alpha-rhythm was increased and its topical distribution was improved.
That’s why we know, that it’s quite comfortable for children to be with dolphins not only from mental, but also from physical point of view.
During our research practice we also defined contra-indications, such as: acute infective diseases, epilepsy and episyndrome, oncological diseases (although such patients are treated in the USA at the last stages of the disease).
The leading countries in dolphin therapy are the USA and Mexico. According to contents and efficacy of the method we achieved the level of the Florida Institute of Dolphin Assisted Therapy and its leading specialist Dr. D. Natanson. (The single point which we will never achieve is the price of 5 thousand dollars for a week of treatment).
The method of dolphin therapy may be conducted in two ways:
free interaction of the patient with the dolphin with minimal interference of specialists (L. Lukina). During this «free style» interaction the patient builds relationship with the dolphin and physical manipulations on his own.
structured interaction of the patient with the dolphin..
A specialist solving the problems of interaction (a psychologist by D. Natanson) acts as the connector. The tasks are posed according to specialists’ skills to use components of the method (psychological, psychotherapeutic or physiotherapeutic). Often occurs the limitation of efficacy of the method; D. Natanson, for instance, stimulates an ill child for curative actions.
The second way of the method’s usage allowed to develop and modify the method itself. Our therapeutic metaphor is, that the dolphin is like a needle piercing through patient’s pathological barriers and allowing to use other therapy methods, like threads stretching after this «needle».
The dolphin becomes a co-therapist. We use the fact, that the dolphin belongs to animals with allelomimetic behavior. Such animals have a mutual interest for communication. As the dolphins are very sociable, this is used for solving problems of encapsulation and further socialization of the patients. The task of the therapist is to modulate these contacts.
Before using a dolphin in this therapy, it’s trained according to a special program, during which a dolphin is prepared to a controlled ultrasonic sonar emission.The interaction with the dolphin becomes productive if it is not a spontaneous one, but is made for development and strengthening of new skills of psychomotor functioning. As the patient is observed by a range of specialists, the procedure itself becomes a dialectical one (i.e. includes diagnostics and treatment), that allows to intensify the process.
On the 1-st stage of the dolphin therapy we find the activation of the cerebrum, caused by a great patient’s motivation. The child begins integrating sensor information from all the organs of sense, i.e. — tactile, visual and auditory.
On the 2-nd stage, after setting the mutual contact between the patient and the dolphin and after patient’s entering the communicative resonance, appears the stage of joint psychical and motor functioning. The therapist proposes the patient to accomplish a structured complex of exercises together with the dolphin. An active interaction with the dolphin takes place during this exercise complex. Then follows the development of movements in water by achieving antigravity effect (the sense of weightlessness). At this stage we can solve the tasks of remedial gymnastics specialists, especially with the children suffering from cerebral spastic infantile paralysis, plexitis, scoliosis etc.
Simultaneously, this process is closely connected with constant verbal and non-verbal interaction with the dolphin. Each element of the exercises is explained and demonstrated to the patient by the therapist, which is in water with the patient.
The channel of non-verbal communication is used very largely. On account of the fact, that 70% of information about the partner we gain from non-verbal communication, so the whole arsenal of that kind is used during the interaction: the speech of poses and gestures, mimicry, distant speech (the distance is always intimate — about 0.5 m).
Among the psychotherapeutic effects of the dolphin therapy we can name the main ones:
increasing of vitality and recovery motivation;
sensor stimulation (fixed by electroencephalographic sensors);
increasing of self-estimation;
overcoming of the encapsulation and deficiency of positive emotions;
increasing of communicative production.
The therapeutic effects were mentioned above, the dolphin therapy can help the child to a full extend.
The method gives a chance to the child and his parents. The child faces miracles in the real life, not in the fairy tales. The method of the dolphin-therapy, despite its high-tech structure, is very humanistic inside.
Summaries:
In this article the method of the dolphin therapy is define and the trends of its development are given. There are positive effects which are possible to achieve during the sessions of the dolphin therapy.
Keywords:
dolphintherapy, motivation, methods, positive effects.
Literature:
Lysenko V.I., Zagoruichenko I.V., Batozsky J.K., The usage of the dolphin therapy in the rehabilitation of children // Material of the 6-th Congress of Pediatricians of Russia «Urgent states of children». — Moscow, 2000 – pp. 177-178.