Mood: Bad

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Fathers as Dark Matter with Dr. Scott Baum August 3, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Scott Baum
Category: Family & Parenting, Identity & The Self

Fathers exert enormous psychological force even through absence, argues Dr. Scott Baum, PhD, Psychologist, who calls them the dark matter of the psychic universe. Armand DiMele and Baum dig into male shame, competitive rage, and the hidden damage fathers inflict without ever raising a hand, drawing on Baum’s own story and calls from listeners navigating estranged sons.

Authority Figures and the Father Wound with Shreya Mundal August 2, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Shreya Mundal
Category: Communication & Conflict, Identity & The Self

Why do some people clash with every boss, landlord, or police officer they encounter? Armand DiMele and Shreya Mundal, a forensic social worker and mitigation specialist at the Legal Aid Society, trace recurring authority conflicts back to early parental relationships, arguing that unresolved powerlessness keeps people locked in the same losing dynamic.

The Social Power of Reputation July 26, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Identity & The Self, Society, Culture & Current Events

Why does reputation matter so deeply? Armand DiMele traces the primal need for social acceptance from tribal survival through modern credit scores and gendered slurs, arguing that obsession with how others see us can hollow out intimacy and drive social phobia. Callers share their own struggles with image and belonging.

The Psychology of Thinness with Roberta Maria July 5, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Acchi
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

Thinness is socially prized but psychologically understudied. Armand DiMele and nutritionist Roberta Maria dig into the BMI research linking low body weight to higher suicide risk and lower serotonin, then argue that extreme thinness is a ‘being disorder’ as much as an eating disorder, one that rarely gets the clinical attention it deserves.

The Fear of Being Punished June 22, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Emotions & Inner Life

A deep fear of punishment lurks beneath nearly every psychological disorder, Armand argues. From hypochondria to phobias to infidelity secrets, the expectation of being punished shapes behavior in ways most people never examine. Callers raised in alcoholic homes illustrate how childhood chaos instills this fear early.

The Weight of Secrets June 21, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Trauma & Healing

Secrets shape us from childhood onward, and keeping them can quietly corrode a life. Armand DiMele invites listeners to call in and unburden themselves on air, drawing out stories of sexual abuse, infidelity, addiction, and shame, and exploring why telling the truth, even to a stranger, brings relief.

Your Brain on Fear and the Synaptic Self June 7, 2006

Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Why can’t you think your way out of an emotion? Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti dig into how the amygdala dominates the brain’s fear circuitry, why emotional states resist rational override, and how synaptic buildup (“neuro-gunk”) may underlie compulsion, addiction, and depression. Practical tips on hydration, nutrition, and movement close the episode.

What Normal Actually Looks Like June 6, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Most people mistake loudness, generosity, or relentless positivity for psychological health. Armand DiMele maps a spectrum from the quietly content ordinary person outward in both directions, arguing that extremes on either end, whether manic joy, compulsive giving, cold stoicism, or rage, all signal unmet needs rather than genuine wellbeing.

The Human Body and Its Plant Connections May 3, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Atti
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

The body produces its own cannabis-like chemicals, and plants seem to have evolved to mimic them. Armand and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace the endocannabinoid system through appetite, addiction, and the way opiates, alcohol, and tobacco all exploit receptors the nervous system built for itself, before landing on the idea that self-love is the original inner supply we keep outsourcing.

Truth, Innocence and Self-Deception April 27, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Anne O'Connell, Kent Robertshaw, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Identity & The Self

Why do people lie to themselves, and what does that cost them? Armand DiMele and guests Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW explore how shame, unmet needs, and fear of self-examination keep people stuck in dysfunctional patterns, and why honest self-reflection is the foundation of real change.