Antimo Chiariello

Antimo

Amateur guitarist.

I thank the Institute of Art for having helped me to save my passion and expel the demons of dystonia.

Music is a passion that has always accompanied me and it will do it forever, through its deep, authentic and varied forms, which not only hide behind a guitar…

I am neither a professional guitarist nor play at a very high level. I’ve always played for myself in the first place (I admit it selfishly), maybe trying to make my soul speak and be more constructive to its whims, and then for everyone else. This also includes the exchange and the entertainment.

I started suffering problems with the movements of the left hand while playing: the ring finger was moving badly and out of time, becoming a burden to the entire hand to the point of not being able to play even the simplest of the chords.

It was very hard for me to explain all of this to the others and, especially, to explain it to myself. I found myself in a fight against an invisible demon who was far away from my conscious part.

In Italy I was visited by several specialists: traumatologist, neurologist and hand surgeon. I didn’t get any explanation or diagnosis for my problem. Then, one day, thanks to the internet research and to some friends I knew, and whom I thank for his advice, I was able to find information about the experience of the Institute of Art. On their website, they defined all my symptoms with accuracy. I felt, right from the start, that the way to recovery was in Terrassa, at the Institute of Art.

I arranged a visit with them and was diagnosed with “focal dystonia” on the left hand. Then came the treatment. Dr Rosset, Silvia Fàbregas and all the staff of the Institute have been like sympathetic friends who help and understand the problems of their patients.

I followed the assigned treatment and the daily exercises for a year, and now I can say that I am cured. The hand has recovered a new motor program that had been “corrupted”.

Now I am back to having what I wanted: a free and relaxed hand on those six strings: the rest is an extra.

I thank the Institute of Art for having helped me to save my passion and expel the demons of dystonia. After this cycle and this experience, it seems to me that I have acquired a different and deeper “conscience”.