Dolphin Research
Summary of a Dolphin Research paper completed in 2005 in Bunbury, WA entitled: “A dolphin discovery community: Building connectedness with self, others and the world.” By Dr Patricia Sherwood from Edith Cowan University, WA and Patricia Athena from northern NSW.
This paper focuses on the Dolphin discovery community members’ experiences of reconnecting with self and others, awakened by contact with the dolphins. It illustrates how people experience encounters with dolphins as connecting them to themselves, each other and the world. It is essentially a study in the psychosocial processes of rebuilding connectedness, that can be described metaphorically as the tapestry of community. Core to this process is the overcoming of dualism within self and between each other. Phenomenology was chosen as the most appropriate method for explicating the participant’s experience of connectedness in relation to being in a community focused upon contact with dolphins. There were 7 themes that came out of the research: 1. Persons experience healing in their bodies as a result of being close to dolphins and feeling renewed vitality and health in their lives. 2. Persons experience a movement from sadness and heaviness of feeling to joyfulness and lightness of feeling which enables then to reach out to other persons with warmth and happiness 3. Persons experience a greater sense of relaxedness after contact with dolphins which gives them a greater sense of calmness and peacefulness |
4. Persons experience a sense of excitement when being in the presence of dolphins that gives then renewed energy in their relationships with other persons.
5. Children experience the ability to move better and communicate with other persons after contact with dolphins 6. Persons experience a feeling of unconditional love when in contact with dolphins which opens their heart to all beings and to relationship with all life. 7 .Persons experience a sense of deep wisdom when being looked at by dolphins and feeling of a new connection to all persons. It seems that the experience of interacting with dolphins provides a conduit for accessing healing for the body, for repairing developmental delays particularly in gesture and speech so that new routes for communication with self and others are available, to creating a calmness resulting from being present in the present moment, for expanding the mind with new insights and wisdom that create bonds of understanding to other beings, and to opening the heart to love for self and others with a new sense of joy and delight in life. The dolphins become powerful catalysts for human reconnectedness with self and with each other, the cornerstones of vibrant community. For the complete research paper please click HERE. |
Whale Research
Human Whale Interaction Study - by Patricia Athena
2005 - 2006 Hervey Bay, Fingal Head, Australia Aims of Study was to: * increase knowledge & understanding of how whales interact with humans * record the impact of the whale interactions on humans Methodology Data was analysed using a qualitative phenomenology approach. This approach looks at the phenomena of the experience and explains it in terms of what happens to participants. 75 people were interviewed via audio tape and video tape over 2 seasons of whale interaction. Main question – What did you feel and experience when you saw the whales? Process of Analysis - Natural meaning units were extracted from the transcribed interviews - Experiences relating to self, other people and the world were extracted - Central themes were extracted Central Themes Identified Expression of joy, happiness, wonder and euphoria “I was happy and I was joyful with the whales and the waves” “My heart was just bursting with joy". |
Desire to protect the whales and fear that they may be easily harmed because of their trust.
"How do we stop them from killing the whales?” ".Wanting to weep and cry for them, a sadness pertaining to their vulnerability and defenselessness” "It’s just great!... Yes amazing and awe inspiring” Feelings of amazement, awe inspiring, awesome, overwhelming. "It was just amazing and awe inspiring” For many it was a kind of spiritual experience - a feeling of oneness - losing awareness of time - a powerful connection with nature - being totally present or in the now - gaining clarity and insight Spiritual experience "It was totally timeless…it could have been 5 minutes or 5 hours” “There is a heart connection with nature” “I got a clear message that I must stay aligned to my purpose and to get back to that” Excitement "It’s been fantastic…It was really cool and I was really excited to see one” “I was really excited….tingly all over feeling…..an adrenaline rush” “Excitement. It’s a real rush, like a real excitement rush” |
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Whales responding to the didge playing with 8 whales around the boat listening to the sound!!
Protection of Our Dolphin and Whale Friends
The improved protection of our beautiful marine environment, the natural habitat and home of whale and dolphin populations across the globe, will support the ongoing health of these amazing creatures. To ensure we continue to experience these 'life-changing' impacts on our mental, physical and emotional well being, through interaction with whales and dolphins, we share this message...
"We encourage you to be aware of your impacts within your home, recreational and work environments. Being mindful of the products you use - e.g. body products with ingredients which don't support aquatic ecosystems and the animals living within them, and the packaging in and around the products you buy to minimise the use of plastics (in order to reduce the transfer of plastics throughout the natural environment including creeks, rivers, lakes and the ocean) to prevent the spread of micro-plastics and gross plastics. These are just 2 of many ways you can make that difference, and have a positive impact from your actions on our precious natural environment".
Our sister company 'Our Sphere' is working to enhance education in our community around human impact on the natural environment, especially ocean plastics and product use. View the Our Sphere website HERE.
"We encourage you to be aware of your impacts within your home, recreational and work environments. Being mindful of the products you use - e.g. body products with ingredients which don't support aquatic ecosystems and the animals living within them, and the packaging in and around the products you buy to minimise the use of plastics (in order to reduce the transfer of plastics throughout the natural environment including creeks, rivers, lakes and the ocean) to prevent the spread of micro-plastics and gross plastics. These are just 2 of many ways you can make that difference, and have a positive impact from your actions on our precious natural environment".
Our sister company 'Our Sphere' is working to enhance education in our community around human impact on the natural environment, especially ocean plastics and product use. View the Our Sphere website HERE.