• Little Elian has been in the news and our thoughts as family members and governments quarrel over where he will live.
• But the bigger story according to Bobbie Sandoz, Honolulu therapist with two graduate degrees in education and social work and author of Parachutes for Parents and Listening to Wild Dolphins, is that Elian was surrounded by dolphins during his ordeal in the ocean following his mother’s death.
• Sandoz who is the Jane Goodall of dolphins, believes their presence explains why Elian lacked the kind of sunburn and other medical problems that would normally go with this kind of exposure. This view not only matches the accounts of numerous other dolphin rescue stories but aligns with the research that suggests their healing abilities are related to their ability to direct their energy in ways that go far beyond our own understanding of this new field of study.
• Sandoz, who has swum with dolphins throughout the world for the past decade, also believes it is why Elian has not demonstrated the usual symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that would be expected from a child taken abruptly from his father in order to ride uncharted seas to America, then forced to watch helplessly as his mother drowned, followed by days alone in the open ocean before being rescued off a Florida beach.
• Sandoz, a veteran therapist skilled in the new “energy psychology” that employs tapping specific points on the body to effectively release old trauma and pain, much like the dolphins pinging us with their sonar, believes the dolphins’ well documented capacity for healing contributed to this unexpected outcome for Elian, whose fellow adult survivors required hospitalization to recover from their lesser traumas, while 12 other adults did not survive at all.

NOTE:

• Children such as Elian who have experienced trauma, even to a lesser degree, may display signs of post traumatic stress. Other children who have simply heard about violent events in their community or on television or other incidents that make them feel unsafe may also display these signs.
• Symptoms might include such things as anxious feelings and hypervigilence, obsessive worrying or behaviors, withdrawing from social contact, fear of going to school and other places, daydreaming, difficulty falling or staying asleep, nightmares, and impaired concentration or memory. If these symptoms persist beyond a few weeks, seek the help of a therapist, preferably one trained in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), TFT (Thought Field Therapy) or in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

EFT and Healing with Children and Adults
If you want to find more ways to apply EFT with children and adults consult Parachutes for Parents and Listening to Wild Dolphins. Those interested in EFT may check http://www.emofree.com. Those interested in TFT can contact Victoria Danzig, spokesperson for TFT. Those interested in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can phone 831-372-3900.

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