The Hinton Voice

Hinton has a new form of therapy available to those in need, but it comes in a surprisingly unconventional form: a harp. The Hinton Healthcare Foundation was the recipient of a Quality of Life grant this June, and the money has been directed to Marilyn Bulger to provide harp therapy at various locales around town.

"It's different than playing music for entertainment," Bulger said. "It's emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual, for total health and well-being."

Bulger, who has been playing the harp for about 10 years, became interested in the therapeutic side of her instrument when learning about the International Harp Therapy program based in San Diego, California.

"It's about learning to play the harp as a therapeutic instrument," said Bulger. "Part of the course was available (in British Columbia), and over the course of five years I completed it and an 80-hour practicum at a San Diego Hospice." Bulger, who uses her own harp, has since been providing therapy to residents of Hinton on a volunteer basis, but funding was needed to bring it out on a larger scale. "I asked the Hinton Healthcare Foundation if they would support this, and they were happy to do that," she said. "The idea is that it's available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, and the hope is that (further) support will come from individuals and companies." Harp therapy begins by matching the music to the patient's emotional state. "If I'm with a patient experiencing anxiety, if they're breathing fast and anxious, that's how I play, I match that," said Bulger.

Once the music and the patient's mood are similar, the harpist can then slowly change the flow of the music. The idea is that the emotional frame of the patient then changes with it, allowing the harpist to bring them to a calmer, more relaxed state. According to Bulger, harp therapy can benefit a wide range of patients. She lists expectant mothers, newborn and premature babies, Alzheimer patients, chemotherapy patients, pre-surgery patients, and even health care workers who need to unwind as candidates.

"Palliative care is another area where harp therapy is really effective," she said. "By the type of music you provide you actually give patients permission to leave when they're kind of holding back or a little bit too grounded to leave the earth, and it also provides care and comfort to loved ones who may be in the room." Harp therapy is new to Hinton, although there are a few other communities around the country where it is offered.

"In Canada, Edmonton has two harp therapists working part time," said Bulger, "and a few in Ontario as well."

The reception to harp therapy in Hinton since its inception several weeks ago has been nothing but positive, according to Bulger. "It's great, I don't think I've had a negative experience ever. Sometimes it takes longer to see the effects of the harp, but they're always positive effects. Nobody's ever said they don't like the sound of a harp, it seems to be something the human body just loves." "We would like to make it a sustainable program in Hinton, and it's always reliant on grants and donations," said Bulger. Anyone who wishes to support the program can make donations to the Hinton Healthcare Foundation.