Robin Russell Gaiser is a certified music practitioner (CMP), a trained specialist who provides therapeutic music to the ill, the elderly, and the dying in hospital, nursing homes, and hospice settings; her music offers respite for them, their families, and friends from the pain, fear, and confusion that frequently accompany the complicated process of dying. The title of her new book, Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time, reflects Gaiser's encounters with a young woman in constant pain. Nothing helped until Gaiser brought her small harp into the room and began to play. Then the staff, seeing the remarkable effects of the musical intervention, nicknamed Gaiser the "musical morphine".

Gaiser describes a CMP as "an agent of holistic healing" for the way music taps into our most profound and often unrecognized physiological, psychological, and emotional places. Medical professionals and writers have written that the book "takes the reader on a positive and sometimes very emotional journey of dedication, hope, and warmth" and is "a moving, inspiring, and hope-giving book for individuals and hospital administrators alike".

Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time speaks not only to those approaching the end of life but also, more importantly, to their caregivers, adult children, and other loved ones.