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
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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
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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
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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