Often for an individual with a mental or physical disability, exercise is a challenging topic. But, swimming is not only fun and rewarding, but a great way to keep fit and healthy despite challenges you would normally find with outdoor exercise, or in a gym environment. The wonderful thing about swimming is that in many cases, mobility issues as a result of a disability are often hugely reduced, sometimes almost completely eradicated. The increased freedom of movement is a fantastic experience for anyone who struggles with mobility on solid ground.
Zwemclub Plons is a swimming pool in Brabant (the Netherlands) for people with a disability. The Dolphin Swim Club went for a visit. After we spent a happy, splashy evening in the pool with the swimmers and volunteers of Zwemclub Plons, the team of ZoominTV made this wonderful report: The medical benefits of virtual animals.
Language: Dutch | Subtitles: English
A double page feature in the Leeuwarder Courant! The Leeuwarder Courant is the oldest daily newspaper in the Netherlands. “This is the unlikely story of an artist and her husband. Together, this couple from Leeuwarden works on a project where virtual wild dolphins help patients deal with pain and anxiety. The Dolphin Swim Club is well on its way to positively touch the lives of many Europeans and Americans.”
Today was a big day for the Dolphin Swim Club because we made it to one of the most influential and wide-read magazines worldwide. We are delighted to share 
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.’
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.