My name is Allison Sattinger (CTM) and this work is my valentine to transition. I started on the path to becoming a therapeutic harpist through a stunning loss.
From a very young age, I loved music. I begged my parents for piano lessons as a second grader and I’ve never stopped learning since. I studied piano and voice in my childhood and adolescence and went to college entranced with music and stage performance, attaining my BFA in Musical Theater from Otterbein University. I spent my twenties in regional theatre productions, commercial VoiceOver studios and band gigs, living the musical life in struggle and gratitude. Eventually I married and left music behind to open SunnyRising, tooling leather and smithing silver - I hummed as I worked and sang to our child.
In July of 2017, my dear friend Kelly died from metastatic breast cancer. In my grief I reached out to my community and asked what would help someone have a good death, what would ease their crossing? Among the great responses one stuck out: music thanatologist - a combination of stringed instrument (nearly always harp) and voice meant to provide company and guidance across the divide that leads into The Mystery. I imagined how deeply that would have helped my friend and in her honor I vowed to learn. I decided to get my certification as a Therapeutic Musician, because it had many more applications, including the end of life care I wanted to provide.
Therapeutic harp can be beneficial in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, helping entrain baby’s breathing and heart rate and providing a calming environment for parents who are under stress. Harp can also be a helper in the Cardiac Recovery Unit, providing a steady rhythm and pain-relief anchor for those are coming out of surgeries and procedures. Clinically speaking, the harp is a workhorse of healing that can help body, mind and spirit.
It is my honor and my joy to play for you, to tap into the ancient spirit of the harp and let it offer its very best medicine for a world sorely in need of a deeper breath.
A therapeutic harp session is much more like a shared exploration of simple sounds than any kind of performance. The key may be major or minor, modal or recognizable depending on the needs of the patient and the energy of the session. In my blog I will explore some of the reasons that music is so important and so medicinal, and why we are affected by it in ways that are both mundane and surprising. Welcome to my practice - may you have healing and wellness all the rest of your days.
“Allison’s playing helps my nervous system feel instantly at ease. My worries evaporate, anxiety settles and bigger picture insights flow.”
— Pixie Lighthorse
“Listening to Allison play instantly relaxes my body and brings my mind into a calm, quiet space, something I find invaluable in these current times.”
— Cinnamon Rose
“Listening to Allison play her harp feels like an instant and potent medicine of peace. It’s like an angelic hug, offering deep restoration and comfort. We are all so lucky to benefit from her extraordinary offering.”
— Kelly Rae Roberts