How Parents Can Use the Movie Dune to Help Kids With Fear
When our children are afraid, parents will do whatever they can to help them feel better. If children struggle with fear in an ongoing way, it can create a problem for the whole family. Parents want to both comfort their child and make sure that they gain the skills to manage in the world. But how?
The popular movie Dune holds a surprising answer: the content of the famous Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear. The litany may be fiction, but it’s packed with solid psychological advice. If parents use Dune, they can engage their child’s imagination and teach them how to overcome fear.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
For kids who are in late elementary school or older, the litany against fear is a great breakdown of the psychology around emotional regulation. In Dune, the Bene Gesserit are an ancient order of wise women who have obtained near-magical powers. A key foundation of their power is their ability to manage their fear. Dune’s main character Paul Atreides is…
