Dolphin Healing
Or Alpha Therapy & Endorphins

DOLPHIN HEALING

Alpha Therapy

Some theories on how dolphin therapy or dolphin assisted therapy (dat)work focus on alpha therapy. This comes from the term alpha brain waves, which is a brain wave state focused on for therapy.

What are alpha brain waves?

When you are in a alpha brain wave state that means you are relaxed. There are 4 main brain wave states including: beta, alpha, theta and delta.

Beta: This is where you are awake and alert.

Alpha: You are resting or relaxed.

Theta: You are now getting sleepy.

Delta: You are asleep, and this is where dreaming takes place.

Dolphins spend most of their time in alpha state because they can never go completely unconscious, since they are conscious breathers. This alpha state could have a healing effect. You have probably read about stress management or relaxation techniques before and how they can be beneficial. There is actually a type of therapy called biofeedback that teaches people how to control their brain waves, among many other physiological functions. Being able to access and experience the alpha state is something that can be done with dolphins. There has been research that in just swimming with dolphins a person's brain waves begin to match those of the dolphins. There could be something to say about just swimming in a beautiful waters to bring the brain wave to a relaxed state.

But, there was one research study done (Webb & Drummond) that took two groups of people, one that swam in the ocean without dolphins and one group that swam in the ocean with dolphins. Both groups experienced increased well-being. But only the group that swam with the dolphins had lower levels of anxiety reported. So something else could be occurring that taps into the healing processes of the dolphin and perhaps the alpha state.

Have you ever heard about those feel good chemicals that are released in the brain called endorphins? There is research that shows high levels of these feel good chemicals are released in the brain when swimming with dolphins. Good bye Prozac, I'll just take a swim with a dolphin prescription!

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