The Health Benefits of Assisted Physiotherapy Using Dolphins

For many years now, animals are used to help with physical therapy. There are some medical practitioners that bring their patients to petting zoos or small farms for interaction. Horses are especially famous with handicapped kids. Recently, therapists and researchers are breaking new ground by using dolphin-assisted therapy or DAT to assist sick people.

The trend for physiotherapy is letting ailing individuals swim with trained dolphins. This is due to observations that these creatures interact well with people who have particular needs. A dolphin is naturally sociable and curious. They are also patient and they have a good sense of their habitat. Physiotherapists have noticed that they appear to show a great degree of tenderness towards persons that are physically handicapped. These animals are also affectionate towards pregnant women.

The effects of interacting with dolphins differ for every patient. Some non-verbal people speak their first words after communicating with these marine mammals. On the other hand, uncaring individuals slowly learned to show affection and coped with their emotions through constant exposure with dolphins. For patients who lack motor skills, introduction to DAT enables them to develop their potential. Individuals suffering from cancer find comfort from their emotional isolation through handling the mammals. People with autism and multiple sclerosis are showing positive responses when exposed to these animals.

Practitioners of DAT are usually assisted by marine biologists. They let the patient perform common physical exercises. At the same time, the sick individual are allowed to interact with a trained dolphin. According to theories, the seemingly "healing" powers of this animal is attributed to its high tolerance for interaction and its affectionate characteristic. These personalities are the factors that lead to positive results in sick people.