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These days, Virtual Reality is used more and more for medical purposes. An example of one of these applications is to relieve pain. Due to the immersive power of virtual reality, patients experience less pain. This may lead to less use of medication and thus improve patient well-being. And of course, a drug-free medicine has no environmental impact! Which is great news for our wild dolphin friends. We are excited that Dutch newspaper NRC once again mentioned us in this article about the use of VR in the medical world.
Lauren Schneider, clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, is exploring the impact of VR therapy in a pilot study called 
Recently, the psychiatric patients admitted to the University Medical Hospital in Groningen (UMCG), can swim with “wild” dolphins. The footage of the Dolphin Swim Club is used in their treatment of depression, psychosis and anxiety disorders. Psychiatrist Wim Veling: ‘Patients with psychological problems often have difficulties to relax. Stress enhances a lot of these psychological problems. This VR experience helps to reduce stress by immersing patients in a serene underwater environment surrounded by dolphins.’
Last September, we flew to Los Angeles to present our project at a conference about Virtual Reality in pain management. The conference was organised by the MayDay Fund in collaboration with Stanford University. “PCMag got a quick live demo before they went onstage, and it’s beautiful. After a sudden immersion into cool waters, wild dolphins swim so close you feel as if you could touch them. A few moments amongst the palliative soothing melange of sonar clicks from the dolphins and sensuous deep seascape sounds, and dopamine and serotonin levels do rise significantly. You can see why this is gathering traction with Nordic healthcare professionals like the Norwegian Cancer Society.”
Swimming with wild dolphins in Virtual Reality as a therapy for patients suffering from, for example, autism or depression. The idea comes from the artist Marijke Sjollema, from Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. She set off to film wild dolphins in Egypt in 2015. The University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) embraced the project immediately. The hospital starts with a study of the effects of this new drug free medicine.
The hospital UMCG in Groningen shows interest in the Virtual Reality project of the Dolphin Swim Club. They have developed a programme that makes it possible to actually swim with dolphins. The art project also has a scientific impact. Swimming with dolphins is sometimes used as a form of therapy, especially for autism and depression. The content of the Dolphin Swim Club is filmed so realistically, patients feel as if they truly swim with the dolphins and that should have a positive effect on the treatment. The UMGC will investigate the results of the programme over the next two years.
Swimming with wild dolphins. This activity tops the bucket list of many people. The Dolphin Swim Club developed Virtual Reality goggles to make this possible from the comfort of your own home. The project helps fund scientific research into Virtual Reality applications in healthcare.