Any other nerds use Dune's "Litany Against Fear" to manage thoughts?

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Will preface by, obnoxiously, saying I read Dune before the Villeneuve movies, so I'm a hipster who liked Dune before it was cool (the films are wonderful, 9/10).

I read the books (the sequels weren't my cup of tea, but Dune is a masterpiece) when I was first exploring OCD as a diagnosis and always found The Litany Against Fear a pretty perfect ERP guide. In the book, The Litany Against Fear is a mantra some characters use to stay calm during moments of extreme duress, fear, pain, or stress:

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.

I love this for sitting with anxiety and accepting its discomfort until it passes and you have clarity about your specific OCD themes.

Posted Jul 2, 2024, 5:17 AM UTC

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