A strategy known as dolphin-assisted therapy claims that brief exposure to dolphins is so rewarding that it produces positive benefits to or “jump-starts” a human patient’s receptiveness to more conventional physical therapies.

More than 100 organizations worldwide offer therapy with dolphins to patients. According to a 2007 study by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, fees for such sessions average $2,600 for five 40-minute sessions. Organizations that offer such therapy sessions include conservative nonprofits and other more business-oriented operations. The dolphin-therapy business has been booming due to the growth in diagnoses of childhood mental disorders such as autism.

Researchers and marine animal conservationists, however, criticize dolphin therapy, saying that it is no more effective than conventional treatments, while considerably more expensive and potentially harmful to both the humans and the animals involved. Dolphin therapy is unregulated and there are no safety standards currently in place.