Results of using Afalina dolphins with a purpose
of rehabilitation, social adaptation and medical treatment of children in
the program called Dolphin Therapy.
Dr. Ludmila Lukina
Since 1986 in State Oceanarium of Ukraine, located in Sevastopol, Crimea,
a new field of research was opened by the group of scientists headed by
me, Dr. Ludmila Lukina. We devised methodology, theoretical base, and practical
recommendations for the purpose of conducting medicinal procedures with
the participation of dolphins in the Ukraine. Every year during the summer
time, children and adults that have different diseases have been receiving
sessions of dolphin therapy. For that time over one and a half thousand
people were under observation that were conducted by us. People felt improvement
of their mood, rise in capacity for work. Some of them felt disappearance
of symptoms of their diseases after swimming with dolphins. Our patients
were assigned to us by their permanent doctors in cases where traditional
ways of treatment were not successful. In particular, considerable effect
was received in the process of treatment of patients with following diagnoses:
child's neurosis including enures, phobia and stammering (60% of patients),
infantile cerebral paralysis (30% of patients), oligophrenia and others
(10% of patients). The results of the work which were connected with correction
of a functional state of patients with the participation of dolphins were
systematized and reported on Non-Traditional Medicine International Symposium
in Gurzuf (1992) and in Moscow (1995). We also submitted our work to symposiums
in Turkey (1994) and Great Britain (1995). Before the sessions, all patients
(ages among 3 and 16) received psychological consultations regarding dolphin
therapy. After the consultation, a patient had express-diagnostic test to
measure heart rhythm. After the test, he/she was swimming with one of our
three dolphins: Diana (23 years old), Candy (8 years old) and Vesta (10
years old). The session was about 8-10 minutes, during which a patient was
receiving instructions from the trained specialist. If a patient was a very
young child, he/she was required to swim with an instructor in the wate.
After the seance, a patient was required to take express-diagnostic test
to measure heart rhythm again to compare present results with previous results.
The results of treatment were entered on database for the purpose of the
future use. This procedure allowed us to retrieve information about patient
from previous seances. Each patient was assigned to take among 7 and 10
sessions total. According to our statistics, patients with child neurosis
had improvement in 60% of the cases, infantile cerebral paralysis patients
had improvement in 30% of the cases and other patients had improvement on
average in 25% of all the cases. The sessions of dolphin therapy have received
broad response with the help of mass media, in which some correspondents
have noted high efficiency and a great future of this method of treatment.
Sincerely yours,
The Head of the Program Dr. Ludmila Lukina, @turspo.sebastopl.ua
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