Category: The Mind & Neuroscience

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Alcohol Withdrawal and the Body with Dr. Kent Robertshaw September 8, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Alcohol dependence does something specific to the brain’s stress response, and sudden quitting can be medically dangerous. Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, psychiatrist, explains how cortisol and adrenaline surge during withdrawal, why tolerance builds, and how outpatient medication can safely bring someone down from heavy drinking. The conversation extends to chronic pain and fibromyalgia.

The Chemistry of Falling in Love September 2, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Love & Romantic Relationships, The Mind & Neuroscience

Why do we bond so powerfully with other people? Armand DiMele walks through the neuroscience of love, from lust and adrenaline to dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin, then argues that the chemistry of bonding extends beyond couples to explain PMS, depression, ADD, and chronic illness as shared phenomena of the bonded pair.

The Power of Rest with Matthew Edlund July 29, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Matthew Edlund
Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Rest is as essential as food, yet radically undervalued. Dr. Matthew Edlund, author of The Power of Rest, joins Armand DiMele to explain how strategic rest rebuilds memory, why late-night eating harms the body, and how paradoxical relaxation, music, and rhythm can transform daily life. Callers share their own sleep struggles.

How Technology Rewires the Brain July 22, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Family & Parenting, The Mind & Neuroscience

Every ping and notification triggers a dopamine hit, and Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW argue this makes smartphones and computers genuinely addictive. They examine how constant multitasking fragments focus, why kids now know more about technology than their parents, and how adults can close that gap by letting children teach them.

The Chemistry of Anger July 15, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Anger is not just emotional but biochemical: cortisol drops, testosterone rises, and the left brain activates when we rage. Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW discuss how anger functions as the body’s shortcut out of depression, why blaming others is an addiction, and what the latest neurochemical research reveals about rage, closeness, and self.

Irritability and the Weather July 8, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Bernie Starr, Dr. Maria Grace, Karen, Patricia Miranda, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Irritability turns out to be closer to fear than anger, and closer to tears than most people realize. Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, trace how weather, hormones, serotonin, fatigue, and vitamin D deprivation all converge to push the nervous system toward that hair-trigger state, and callers weigh in with their own experiences.

The Psychology and Physiology of Heat July 7, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

Heat does more than make you uncomfortable. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. break down how extreme heat triggers irritability and violence, why common medications like Benadryl and Coumadin become dangerous in high temperatures, and how the body loses its ability to cool itself with age.

What Drives Us June 23, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lauren Sykes, Sherri Siegel
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

What separates the person who pursues degree after degree from one who is content to sit still? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. trace motivation from hypothalamic hormones like ghrelin and leptin to subconscious drives rooted in early experience, drawing on theorists Steven Reiss and Daniel Pink along the way.

The Gifts of Neurodiversity with Dr. Thomas Armstrong June 22, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Thomas Armstrong, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Identity & The Self, The Mind & Neuroscience

What if autism, depression, anxiety, and ADHD carry genuine strengths alongside their challenges? Dr. Thomas Armstrong argues that reframing these conditions as brain differences rather than disorders reveals hidden gifts, and Armand and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW explore how safe relationships and tailored environments help neurodiverse people thrive.

Depression as Brain Overload June 17, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, The Mind & Neuroscience

Depression is not weakness but a physical stress reaction triggered when the brain exhausts its supply of neurotransmitters. Armand DiMele explains the neurochemistry of collapse, the narcissistic wounds that drive suicide, and why a depressed person genuinely cannot imagine a way out. Callers share personal recoveries, including one with an MAO inhibitor.