Close your eyes and picture a sandy shore with a bright tropical sun shining overhead. Are you relaxed? Then, imagine that some playful dolphins come to share your private cove. The water is refreshing your body. Are you relaxing even more? In that cove, visualize your favorite Float Aquatic Therapy Practitioner facilitating an aquatic therapy with the dolphins. This may sound like a dream, but in our Dolphin Assisted Therapy Program, this is a reality!
Float’s Dolphin Assisted Therapy Program is part of the Aquatic Alliance, a non-profit organization in Puerto Rico and the first organization of its kind that focuses on the development and application of different modalities in water with the assessment of professionals in the health field.
More than that, the Aquatic Alliance is a passion-driven corps of volunteers who have felt the call to work with clients with special needs and conditions in the water. Dolphin Assisted Therapy has been the Alliance’s main project for over 9 years. Our Dolphin Assisted Therapy Program was developed by Debbie Torrellas and it combines the dolphin’s natural healing capabilities with the administration of the KinAqua Flow® technique to treat the client's holistic need for healing. Our therapies are powerful enough to have an impact on chronic conditions and empower the body’s natural healing ability, yet gentle enough that they are suitable for the elderly, persons with acute pain conditions, and infants.
The program is a four-day weekend to a dolphin center in the Caribbean (this year we are going to Cancún, Mexico!). For four days, participants receive passive aquatic therapies with and without dolphins, exercises in water, yoga, meditations, and other services depending on the participants’ ages and needs. This program is open for individuals of all ages and their caregivers, allowing time for families to come together in a restorative place.
The synergy between the practitioners and the dolphins allows for physical improvement and emotional recharge; dolphins are very sensitive and compassionate therapy animals! The result is a life-changing experience. Benefits include: lowered levels of anxiety, stress, and depression; better attention and focus, increased coordination of motor skills, better sleep habits, and increased self-regulation. For children on the Autism Spectrum specifically, we have documented a decrease in flapping and repetitive motion behaviors, reduced instances of bedwetting, and an increase in the ability to follow verbal instructions.
As the dolphins and our team continue to work with our clients, a therapeutic bond is created and the whole group breathes wellness and feels happy! Call us today at (787) 246-8261 to learn more about the benefits that an intensive weekend of our Dolphin-Assisted Therapy Program can bring to you and your family.