What Is The Therapeutic Harp

The Therapeutic Harp is the practise of using the harp to support someones’ physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellbeing, in healthcare facilities, in the community, and more personally in private homes.

Using the distinctive sounds of the harp, the harpist provides music for calm and comfort, that will promote wellness and healing. Therapeutic music is almost exclusively passive - the client or patient is simply listening to, or receiving music that is being offered by the harpist, with no interaction expected. Often, the harpist will take “cues” from the client on what music to play, and how it should be played. There can be occasional, informal interaction, but generally, therapeutic harp music is characterized by passive listening, as if going to a musical “Harp Spa.”

The benefits of therapeutic harp music are for:

• Physical needs: Rest, relaxation and sleep! Certain types of harp music have been proven to reduce blood pressure, improve breathing and oxygenation rates, normalize heart rates, and reduce pain levels.

• Emotional needs: To reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Some may wish to hear a certain type of music to help them come to terms with an ailment or illness.

• Spiritual needs: Hearing someone play music that connects on this level can be truly healing and cathartic. In hospice, harp music can provide great comfort and reassurance to families and loved ones, at life’s end.

  Today, in the midst of our global troubles, the harp and its music can not only provide comfort and solace, but can resonant with us all - to raise our spirits, enrich our lives, and make us feel “well” with ourselves and our community, and with the world around us.

  Harp Sounds ... for relaxation ... for sleeping

(* Therapeutic Music is different from Music Therapy; the latter involves a defined interactive participation between the music therapist and the client, where music is used as a tool in a highly designed way of affecting a specific cognitive or physical behaviour, for rehabilitation and recovery.)