Mood: Glad

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Why We Are Drawn to Violence April 28, 2010

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

Why do some people crave violent spectacle while others look away? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. trace the neurochemistry behind attraction to violence, from adrenaline and cortisol surges to serotonin genetics, and propose that the real draw is not violence itself but the primal flight response and the thrill of imagined escape.

Compassionate Capitalism with Carmen Roberts April 21, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Carmen Roberts, Sherri Siegel
Category: Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy, Society, Culture & Current Events

Can a Buddhist mindset survive inside a financial newsroom? Former Bloomberg News anchor Carmen Roberts joins Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. to explore how insatiable desire drives both personal unhappiness and Wall Street excess, and how compassion and higher consciousness can redirect that drive.

The Science and History of Beauty with Deborah Chase April 15, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Deborah Chase, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Identity & The Self, Society, Culture & Current Events

What makes someone beautiful, and why does the standard keep shifting? Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW are joined by health and beauty researcher Deborah Chase, who traces beauty ideals from ancient Greece to Twiggy, explains the science behind symmetry and skin care, and challenges the commercial beauty industry’s grip on how we see ourselves.

Finding Presence with Dieter Middleston-Scheidt and Batya Schwartz March 16, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Batya Schwartz, Dieter Middleston-Scheidt
Category: Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy, Personal Growth & Change

Therapy helps, but does it free us? Psychiatrist-turned-mindfulness-teacher Dieter Middleston-Scheidt and Batya Schwartz describe leaving biographical therapy behind to build a retreat practice rooted in silence, open sensory attention, and slow motion as a path to direct aliveness.

The Chemistry of Kissing March 11, 2010

Category: Love & Romantic Relationships, The Mind & Neuroscience

Kissing turns out to be a rich biochemical event. Armand DiMele and co-host Stephanie break down how testosterone, pheromones, dopamine, oxytocin, and even carbon dioxide exchange shape attraction and pair bonding, and why a single kiss can make or break a romance.

The History and Purpose of Emotions January 19, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Every emotion has a full personal history, and the ones missing from your parents reveal as much as the ones present. Armand DiMele maps the six basic emotions, then introduces newer candidates like elevation, interest, and pride, exploring their physiological roots and social purpose. Callers from Haitian immigrant families reflect on inherited emotional suppression.

Music as a Healing Process with John Pelletieri January 7, 2010

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

Music stirs feelings that words cannot reach, and John Pelletieri, author of a textbook on music therapy, explains why. Armand and Pelletieri trace how rhythm, melody, and imagery each activate different brain regions, and how therapists use that to unlock the unconscious. Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, co-hosts.

The Heart Is Not Just a Pump January 6, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel, Teresa Palmer
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Neurocardiology is upending the old idea that the heart is merely a pump. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. examine how extreme stress and emotional loss can literally stop the heart, where serotonin is actually stored in the body, and why fragmented specialist care leaves patients powerless.

How Was Your Year December 31, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Akilah, Alex, Debbie, Joanne, Juana, Lauren Sykes, Lynn, Tony Thomas
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Armand DiMele opens the phones and asks listeners to rate their year on a scale of zero to ten and name three things that shaped it. Callers share stories of job hope, health crises, death, financial collapse, and hard-won perspective, turning the show into a candid collective inventory of 2009.

Sobriety as Being Present December 29, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Armand DiMele reframes sobriety not as abstinence but as full presence in the moment, arguing that most of us are “drunk” on distraction, worry, and longing nearly all the time. Drawing on a candid conversation with a group of men, he explores why being truly present is so rare and so difficult, and how tears, non-judgment, and even the word “yes” can open a doorway to it.