Biographical Sketch for Sue Raimond
Sue Raimond, considered a pioneer of harp
enrichment/therapy for pets and people, is among the
world experts in the field of cytocymatics and
vibroacoustics pertaining to the harp. She was educated
at the University of Maryland (Wiesbaden, Germany
extension), and later at California State University, Long
Beach. Sue is an adjunct lecturer specializing in pain
management at UC San Diego at both Thornton and
Hillcrest hospitals and also serves on the International
Harp Therapy Faculty in Richmond, Virginia. Tufts
University Veterinary School has hosted Sue as a speaker for its International
Animal Expo as has the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) in
Baltimore, Maryland. Veterinarians from UC Davis recognize and recommend her
CDs for pets with separation anxiety, thunder phobia and various behavior
modification needs.
Sue’s most recent work includes establishing a harp enrichment program for the
San Diego Wild Animal Park (for African and Asian elephants); the San Diego
Zoo (for primates); and the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts (for
gorillas zebras and giraffes). Veterinarians, ranchers and animal shelter
personnel in Dallas, Texas, also use harp enrichment at their facilities to calm
residents, eliminate negative behaviors (such as cribbing), and facilitate easier
birthing. Rescue facilities such as “Lions, Tigers and Bears” have also invited
Sue to work with their tiger and larger breed cats as prescribed enrichment.
Recent publications featuring Sue’s work include: Hallmark magazine, Country
Living magazine, The New York Post, MSNBC.com, YahooNews.com, Tufts
University’s Your Dog and Catnip magazines, The Goldsteins’ Wellness and
Longevity book, Julia Szabo’s The Underdog, Grace magazine, The International
Harp Therapy Journal, the Alpine Sun newspaper, the San Diego Union Tribune,
Arden Moore’s The Cat Behavior Answer Book, and Love of Animals magazine.
Disney’s Animal Planet; Petsburg, USA; and You Lie Like a Dog, along with ABC
Radio Australia round out some of the media adventures. The field trials of harp
enrichment for twenty undomesticated Alaskan wolves continues to provide
education and enlightenment to viewers on Animal Planet.
The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
consulted with Sue regarding the use of the harp as enrichment for animals. In
April 2007, the ensuing results of a study on African green monkeys appeared in
the Journal of Medical Primatology with Sue as co-author.
Balancing her schedule, Sue is now in her twenty-first year as a firefighter/EMT
and continues her work as an author, filmmaker and composer with over thirteen
CDs, books and films to her credit. Recently, she accepted the position of
consultant for the National Standard Board for Therapeutic Musicians, with work
to begin in 2008.
Abstract for Sue Raimond
Title of Presentation: Music to Soothe the Savage Beast
The presentation will focus on harp music designed to provide
enrichment/complementary therapy for the animal kingdom. The science of
cytocymatics (how sound affects cellular material) will be defined and explained.
Specific modes in music with their resulting tones, harmonics, overtones and all
associated frequencies are defined, explained and demonstrated. The presenter
will discuss potential outcomes, benefits, and identification of individual
responses to harp enrichment as a simple, cost-effective and reusable tool for
stress reduction, separation anxiety, thunder phobia, behavior modifications, and
veterinary hospice care.