Dolphin Assisted Therapy: A New Treatment for PTSD?

1. Dolphin Assisted Therapy: A New Treatment for PTSD? Elizabeth A. Cantwell New York University

2. Acknowledgements • A special thanks to: • The staff at Dolphin Research Center, especially Mandy Rodriguez, Joan Mehew, Julie Bradford, Megan Mertsock, and Molly McCarthy. • Gigliana Melzi, Adina Schick, and the Applied Psychology Class of ‘07 for all of their support. • Fred Muench, Director of Clinical Research and Development at Helicor, Inc. • This proposal and presentation is in memory of Shawn Rodriguez.

3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder • PTSD is defined by the DSM-IV-R as a psychiatric disorder following the experience of or witnessing of a traumatic event which fulfills three main components: • Re-experiencing the traumatic event. • Avoidance of stimuli which trigger memories of the event. • Increase in physiological arousal. • PTSD was originally coined “battle fatigue” and was related only to war veterans.

4. Gender and PTSD • Women are diagnosed with PTSD twice as much as men (PTSD Alliance, 2001). • According to recent trends in research, this does not mean that they are more susceptible to PTSD than men. • Women and men experience PTSD differently. • Women show signs of numbing and avoidance as compared to men who show signs of irritability and impulsiveness. • Women are more likely to be co-morbid with mood and anxiety disorders as compared to men who are more likely to be co-morbid with substance abuse disorders.

5. Treatments for PTSD • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy have been the most researched treatments, and are the most popular forms of treatment. • However, many other treatments have been found to be just as successful (e.g., Group Therapy, Anxiety Management, Crisis Intervention). • Group therapy is effective in helping the patient come out from isolation, in releasing anger, and in building trusting relationships. • Animal Assisted Therapy has been found to have similar outcomes.

6. Dolphin Assisted Therapy • Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has been found to help children learn two to ten times faster than in their regular treatment programs. • DAT also increases attention, speech and language, and fine and gross motor skills for children with mental and/or physical disabilities. • Researchers found that long-term effects in children exposed to DAT included: • More motivation. • More participation in activities. • Initiated conversations. • Displayed more risk-taking behaviors. (Nathanson, 1989; Nathanson, de Castro, Friend & McMahon, 1997; Nathanson & de Faria, 1993; Nathanson, 1998)

7. Dolphin Research Center and PTSD • Dolphin Research Center (DRC) is a not-for-profit educational and research facility which is located in the Florida Keys. • DRC is home to nineteen Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions. • At DRC, a one-time, twelve-week program was implemented for Vietnam War Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. • Motivated. • Sociable. • Felt welcomed home from the war for the first time.

8. DRC and PTSD

9. DRC and PTSD

10. Dolphin Assisted Therapy • DAT will be defined as a group therapy treatment with the involvement of dolphins. • Psycho-educational approach helps the group members learn about the symptoms of their disorder. • The present-centered approach has participants learn how the symptoms affect their lives presently, and how they can cope with these symptoms. • In creating a DAT program, some points need to be addressed, such as: • Which dolphins the program would use. • The therapy versus intuition debate within the field of DAT. • The use of time at the facility.

11. Research Questions • Does DAT reduce the symptoms of PTSD in young adults? • Does severity influence the effect of the therapy? • Does gender influence the effect of the therapy? • The specific aim of the study is to implement a PTSD program at DRC which will not only enhance the knowledge of Dolphin Assisted Therapy, but also of PTSD.

12. Participants and Group Composition • 80 participants from the South Florida area. • Participants will include men and women, between the ages of 25 and 35, with either mild or moderate PTSD. • Participants will be divided into two separate groups: • Dolphin Assisted Therapy • Group Therapy in conjunction with Aqua Therapy • Within each group, participants will be divided into four separate therapy groups.

13. Participants and Group Composition DAT = Dolphin Assisted Therapy AT = Group Therapy in conjunction with Aqua Therapy

14. Measures • Post-Traumatic Diagnosis Scale (PDS) • This 49-item scale measures the diagnoses of PTSD and the severity of symptoms, as well as how these experiences disrupt the patient’s life (Foa, Cashman, Jaycox & Perry, 1997). • Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) • This 100-item questionnaire measures impairment of social skills in addition to the severity of PTSD symptoms (Briere, Elliott, Harris & Cotman, 1995).

15. Methods DAT = Dolphin Assisted Therapy AT = Aqua Therapy in conjunction with Group Therapy

16. Sample Schedule

17. Conclusion and Implications • Results of the study will inform the field of Dolphin Assisted Therapy, as well as expand and contribute to our current understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. • DAT is a small, limited field. • Research. • Locations. • Populations. • PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that researchers are still trying to understand fully.

18. Questions?“Future man will be compelled to turn to nature and the animal world to recapture some sense of unity with a world that otherwise will seem chaotic and meaningless” (Levinson, 1975).