Strings of a harp can deliver pure tone and accompanying harmonics that promote healing.

At the bedside, in waiting rooms, and hospital corridors, I play a 26 string harp to create an atmosphere of emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Harp therapy is addition to other therapies a patient may experience, such as physical/occupational therapy, healing touch/Reiki, pharmaceutical support, pet visits, aromatherapy, psychological counseling. etc.

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All matter is energy. Vibrational energy emanates from matter as flavor, aroma, audible sound, ultrasound, radio wave, color, infrared, microwave, and other constituent parts. Some people would also include "spirit energy" as one of these energies.

One of the modalities a therapeutic musician might employ is finding a patient's "resonant tone" or resonant frequency through close observation and experimentation. The musician then reflects a musical offering in that frequency to support and strengthen the patient, with the hope that the body uses the increased energy from the sound source to add to the healing process.

Any object that vibrates can cause other objects to vibrate. For example, a low tone outside can rattle object inside a house. This is known as "sympathetic vibration." Stated another way - energy is increased when one frequency sympathetically vibrates with the same frequency emenating from a second source. Surgeons use sound to break up large kidney stones into smaller ones so they can be passed through the urinary tract in a procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

International Harp Therapy practitioners believe that within each physical object in the universe (rocks, trees, the human body) lies a fundamental resonance tone. If we can access the resonant tone, we can attempt to make a change and to gently support and strengthen a person's fundamental resonance, by playing on-the-fly improvisations of familiar and unfamiliar music.

Tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and other musical elements are shaped through the practice of "Inclusive Attention." A person's alert or resting state, heart and respiration rates, eye flutter, hand movements, and other physical indicators are closely observed. We learn to "follow what we find" and create a musical product, combining improvisation, and when appropriate, familiar tunes thta align with the person's musical preferences, including, but not limited to classical, rock and roll, country-western, Broadway, world and others. Our intent is to reflect back the resonance of the person in the form of a music offering to create a nurturing 'cradle of sound' to support and augment healing.