Last weekend, we watched Luca, one of the latest Pixar films. The main character, Luca, befriends another boy named Alberto, who inspires Luca to become more adventurous. Luca, however, is an anxious child, full of fear and self-doubt.
Luckily, Alberto has a trick to overcome these issues, which he teaches to Luca (click here to watch a brief clip of the scene):
Alberto: “Hey, hey, hey. I know your problem. You’ve got a Bruno in your head.”
Luca: “A Bruno?”
Alberto: “Yeah. I get one, too, sometimes. ‘Alberto, you can’t.’ ‘Alberto, you’re gonna die.’ ‘Alberto, don’t put that in your mouth.’ Luca, it’s simple. Don’t listen to stupid Bruno.”
Luca: “Why is his name Bruno?”
Alberto: “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. Call him whatever you want. Shut him up. Say, ‘Silenzio, Bruno.’”
Luca: (hesitantly) “Silenzio, Bruno.”
Alberto: “Louder! ‘Silenzio, Bruno!’”
Luca: (more forcefully) “Silenzio, Bruno.”
Alberto: “‘Silenzio, Bruno!’”
Luca: (shouting) “Silenzio, Bruno!”
In the film, “Silenzio Bruno!” becomes a mantra the characters use to overcome fear and self-doubt. They even use it to help each other get out of negative thought spirals.
This is useful for us because we all have automatic negative thoughts – most of which are irrational, unhelpful, or both. “Silenzio Bruno!” is another tool we can use to reject those thoughts. So when you find yourself having a bunch of thoughts you don’t want to have, play thought bouncer and tell them to shut up. Saying “Silenzio Bruno!” is a lighthearted way to do that.
One of the reasons this technique is so effective is distancing. We all have a tendency to both believe and embody our negative thoughts, so it helps to put some space between them and you. Pretending the thoughts are coming from someone else is a great way to do that. If I doubt or criticize myself, I’m inclined to believe my negative thoughts. But if I imagine the thoughts are coming from some jackass named Bruno, it’s easier to let them go.
So the next time your mind starts generating unhelpful thoughts of self-doubt and anxiety, say to yourself, “Silenzio Bruno!” and go for it.
P.S. I wasn’t the only one inspired by this mantra. Meredith Rusu and Giovanni Rigano created a children’s book titled Luca: Silenzio, Bruno!: When in Doubt, Shout It Out! It’s an excellent book for any child who struggles with anxiety.