Kalimba Magic NEWS

The Kalimba in Addiction Recovery
Bernie's Story

I would like to share with you the benefits I have found in playing the kalimba as a tool in my journey to sobriety. I have found it to be instrumental (no pun intended) in helping me and others deal with the challenges on the path of recovery.

I grew up in California in a mostly happy family but with the burden of an alcoholic father. I experienced the tragedy of my father's inability to overcome his alcoholism despite years of struggle. He experienced some success through AA but never achieved a full year of sobriety from the age of 16 until his death at 54. In 1965 my brother died in a fall caused by excessive drinking during a summer party after his high school graduation. These experiences with alcohol led me to choose not a life of sobriety - but marijuana was my recreational drug of choice.

Fast forward to 2008 and I am living in the Midwest working in a factory, growing marijuana and smoking it every night to relax and enjoy reading books and watching TV. Although I was accustomed to this lifestyle I knew that it was self-centered and not what God had in mind for my life - but it was better than being an alcoholic and as I can see now, not much more than that. The event that helped or should I say forced me to change was the arrival of a helicopter and the police. I was "busted".

There are many trials one goes through when something like this happens; financial stress, a damaged self image, a forced change of habits and an introspective review of ones life. My mind was consumed with frustrations and anger over what had happened and one of the things that I did was order an 8 tine TM kalimba from Mark at Kalimba Magic with the idea of playing it to relieve some of the stress I was experiencing.

Although I have had some musical experience in my distant past I am by no means a "natural" musician but I found the kalimba to be comfortable and easy to get to know. My basic method was to just empty my mind and find a rhythm and "run with it". With the basic techniques that I found on the Kalimba Magic web site as a guide I was able to enjoy my playing and relax. This was very helpful as it provided me with a natural way to enjoy expressing myself. Although the kalimba is capable of expressing many moods I find it to have a happy and pleasing sound in its basic nature.

As part of probation I was required to enroll in 30 day in-house rehabilitation program. I brought my alto kalimba with me and played it on most of my breaks and every night. I found it to be a great aid in centering and relaxing. One interesting thing was the almost magnetic attraction the kalimba had to many of the other residents in the program. I found my self lending it to others many times.

I believe that for those of us with an addictive personality or addictive tendencies, the key to recovery and healing is trusting God to do the heavy lifting of recovery. In a Twelve Step program they call this trusting in a "higher power". For me this has meant learning to quiet my mind, to be still so that I am open to God's grace and guidance. The kalimba is a wonderful aid in quieting my mind and letting go.

I will sit down with one of my kalimbas or a sansula and just begin to play. I use no music or learned song (I only really know "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"). I just empty my mind choose some rhythm to start with and play. As I relax and quiet my mind the notes will come. It is prayer. It is meditation. It can even become a prayer of praise.

Mark at Kalimba Magic is very helpful and is clearly driven by more than money. He changed the direction of his life and now we have the benefit of a helpful, reliable source of kalimbas and a lot of added value that he brings to his customers.

It has been over two years since I began this journey of recovery. My mind is clearer and I am grateful to be walking closer to God. In the evening as I wind down I pick up the kalimba and play and pray.

Thank you,
Bernie