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INFO: AquaThought Foundation

Sunil Gupta sunilg at access.digex.net
Thu Sep 9 12:05:01 EST 1993


    AquaThought Foundation
    22321 Susana Ave
    Torrance, CA 90505
    310-316-4563

    (All material contained herein Copyright (C) 1993 by AquaThought.
    All rights reserved. AquaThought and the AquaThought logo are
    trademarks of the AquaThought Foundation.)

    AquaThought Foundation Electronic Briefing - Revision 1.8, 9-6-93

    I. Introduction
    ---------------
    The AquaThought Foundation is a privately funded research
    organization dedicated to the exploration of human - dolphin
    interaction. Since 1989, AquaThought has studied the neurological
    impact of close contact with dolphins on human subjects, and the
    related healing phenomena. Our research in neurological imaging has
    led to the development of MindSet, a low-cost neuro-mapping
    electroencephalograph which makes advanced EEG research affordable.
    In partnership with the Cancun Convention Center, a new virtual
    reality theme park, we are developing the "Dolphin Encounter
    Immersive Simulator" which will bring virtual dolphin contact to a
    massive audience.

    AquaThought, in conjunction with Dolphin Discovery and Dolphin
    Assisted Therapy Association (DATA), is now developing a permanent
    Dolphin Interaction and Neurotechnology research facility near
    Cancun, Mexico. Chartered as the Yucatan InterSpecies Research
    Foundation, this non-profit organization will offer dolphin
    assisted therapy to special needs individuals from around the world.
    Early next year, AquaThought will host the first International
    Symposium on Dolphin Assisted Healing, a conference focused on the
    exchange of research, methodologies, and ideas and the application
    of neurotechnology and virtual reality in dolphin assisted healing.

    II. Background
    --------------
    AquaThought's Mission - "To advance humanity's understanding of
    consciousness and its relationship to healing and wellness"

    AquaThought serves to inform and educate through the publishing of
    newsletters, the submission of papers and articles to various
    institutions, lecturing, and the utilization of electronic forms of
    information distribution. AquaThought's research focuses are
    established by the foundation's Board of Directors in cooperation
    with various affiliated organizations and participating researchers.
    While no current membership drive is underway, future plans include
    expanding the supporting membership base by soliciting members from
    diverse fields of interest. This will expand the scope of
    disciplines, talents, and resources which comprise AquaThought.

    The AquaThought Foundation exists solely on funds donated by its
    directors, participating researchers, and supporting members and
    proceeds from any commercial activities.

    Board Of Directors:

    David M. Cole, Chairman
    David Cole founded AquaThought in May of 1991. He currently serves
    as Director of Research and Development for Chinon America and was
    President and founder of Studiotronics, Inc.

    Steven E. Gorney, Executive Director
    Steve Gorney co-founded AquaThought and currently serves as National
    Sales Manager for Chinon America. He formerly served as Vice
    President of Studiotronics, Inc. and was a primary member of the
    Studiotronics Neurological Research Project.

    Kathi Rogers, Director
    Kathi Rogers began facilitating wellness workshops in association
    with the Dolphin Research Center in 1989. In 1988, she served as a
    delegate to the Soviet-American Citizens Summit in Washington, D.C.,
    where she became involved with the human-dolphin interaction field
    of study. She traveled to Russia, in 1987, to research dolphins and
    underwater birthing in the Black Sea. Kathi is an active member of
    the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and has assisted in many whale
    stranding rescues.

    Sunil Gupta, Director
    Sunil Gupta is President of Monsoon Software, a software engineering
    firm in Baltimore, Maryland. He has served as senior software
    developer for many commercial and large-scale industrial software
    projects and has an expert knowledge of object-oriented programming,
    3D graphic rendering, neural networks, and digital signal processing.
    Sunil is currently acting as senior software developer and software
    project manager for AquaThought's MindSet EEG product.

    III. Dolphin Research
    ---------------------
    The emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology focuses on the
    relationship between the central nervous system and immunity.
    Stress, proved to be a major culprit in the etiology of disease
    states, is the target of psychoneuroimmunology research. Biofeedback,
    guided visualization, and meditation have become common tools used
    to battle stress. The exploration of other methods of stress
    reduction, by specialists in alternative cancer treatment, has lead
    the way to current dolphin-human interaction research.

    Organizations such as Living from The Heart, based in Morrison,
    Colorado, and The Dolphin Child Project, based in Miami, Florida
    have shed much light on the medical and therapeutic applications of
    dolphin interaction. These organizations regularly report direct
    improvements to the well-being of their patients as a result of
    participation in their interaction programs. Missing from this
    research, however, is the underlying how and why of dolphin
    interaction. The study of the complex neurological stimulation
    provided by close interaction with dolphins is the primary research
    focus of AquaThought (all other research activities are ancillary).
    A true phenomena is being uncovered in this ongoing exploration,
    with human wellness as a beneficiary.

    Goals:

        I. "To quantify the phenomenological effect of dolphin
        interaction on humans"

        II. "To understand why and how dolphins cause such changes in
        humans"

        III. "To construct a methodology of electronically reproducing
        the dolphin effect for widespread distribution" (see
        Neurotechnology)

    AquaThought is currently conducting an expansive effort to collect
    electroencephalographic data from a diverse group of subjects.
    Methods of data collection and analysis must be invented, where
    none exist. Specialists in many disciplines of neuroscience are
    required for consultation and collaboration.

    Much of the electroencephalographic testing takes place at three of
    the four dolphin swim facilities licensed to operate in the United
    States and at Dolphin Discovery in Mexico. Although the process
    involved in conducting the electroencephalographic testing varies,
    the following general procedure is followed:

        I. Collect baseline data - This takes place at the swim
        facility, prior to any interaction.

        II. Place subject in direct contact with dolphins - This
        involves diving, touching, free swimming, and playing.

        III. Collect post-interaction data - This also takes place at
        the swim facility, immediately following interaction.

    While the analysis of the data obtained so far is not complete,
    several trends are emerging. The subject's dominate brain frequency
    drops significantly after the dolphin interaction. Also observable
    is a period of hemispheric synchronization (the brainwaves emitted
    from both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are in phase
    and of similar frequency) which is an uncommon neurological state.
    The statistics that follow are representative of both healthy and
    ill subjects with no segregation of sex, age, or physical condition.

    Baseline measures in dominate beta 92%
    Post-interaction measures in dominate alpha 81%
    Post-interaction measures in dominate theta 10%
    Post-interaction measures in dominate beta 9%
    Hemispheric synchronization was detected 5%

    In order to understand the early results of this research, it is
    necessary to look at how this neurological data might correlate
    with reported wellness benefits. The induced alpha brain state may
    be, as psychoneuroimmunology dictates, responsible for
    strengthening the human immune system. This serves as the current
    operating hypothesis for the alternative cancer treatment successes.
    But the question of how dolphin interaction can have such a profound
    effect on the wellness of human subjects is not answered in such
    simple terms. Many reported instances of human benefit do not fit
    neatly into the psychoneuroimmunology hypothesis. Further study of
    the neurological data may expose an entirely new process at work.
    The AquaThought 


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