Mood: Sad

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Complicated Grief with Nicole Alston January 4, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella, Nicole Alston
Category: Grief & Loss, Trauma & Healing

Prolonged grief can quietly hollow out a life for decades. Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, describes her group work helping bereaved parents move a lost child from unconscious suppression into conscious memory. Nicole Alston, LMSW, shares her own stillbirth loss, two-year withdrawal from life, and how that experience led her to found the Sky Foundation and produce a documentary on infant death in the African-American community.

Why We Lose Touch with Friends and Family December 30, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

The most common New Year’s resolution, spending more time with family and friends, reveals a quiet seasonal depression and a fear of disconnection. Armand DiMele examines why friendships fade over time, how divorce, aging, shame, and shifting priorities pull people apart, and what it actually takes to stay connected.

Feelings Impulses and Behaviors December 14, 2010

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

Armand DiMele draws a sharp line between thinking and feeling, arguing that most people use thoughts as escape hatches from uncomfortable emotions. He introduces his FIB framework (feelings, impulses, behaviors) and explains how expanding your emotional range reduces obsessions, phobias, and depression.

The Many Faces of Loneliness December 8, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Loneliness is not a feeling but a perception, Armand DiMele argues, shaped by how many connections we hold and whether we feel truly heard. With Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, he maps the spectrum from highly connected people to those who isolate as self-protection, and examines how shopping, affairs, and caretaking often mask the ache of disconnection.

The Secrets We Keep December 7, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Family & Parenting

Secrets shape every layer of life, from the truths we hide from ourselves to the ones buried inside families for generations. Armand DiMele examines why some secrets protect and others destroy, when revealing them heals, and when it causes further harm. Callers share their own long-held burdens.

How Attachment Styles Shape Our Love Lives December 5, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, trace adult romantic patterns back to Mary Ainsworth’s infant attachment research, mapping secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized styles onto grown-up love. Callers share fresh breakups and repeating patterns, revealing how hard it is to outgrow the attachment wounds of childhood.

The Antidepressant Effects of Semen December 2, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Sexuality & Desire

Research by evolutionary psychologists Gordon Gallup and Rebecca Baruch reveals that semen contains over 50 compounds including cortisol, serotonin, oxytocin, and prolactin. Armand DiMele walks through studies showing women who have condomless sex report significantly lower depression and suicide rates, and considers the ethical weight of publicizing the findings.

Gratitude and the Holiday Season November 1, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Society, Culture & Current Events

Gratitude is not automatic, Armand argues, and it depends on cost, intention, and empathy. He walks through the psychology of why we feel it, when we don’t, and how giving to others can unlock it. Callers share their own experiences of being alone during the holidays and finding meaning through volunteering.

Trauma and Depression After 9/11 September 14, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Depression & Mood, Trauma & Healing

Witnessing 9/11 left measurable changes in survivors’ brains four years later. Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW discuss Cornell MRI research on hyperactive amygdala responses, how trauma becomes consolidated in memory, and emerging interventions ranging from video games to medication that may interrupt that process. The second half covers depression’s physical and cognitive toll.

The Illusion of Power September 1, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

Power is mostly illusion, Armand argues, and refusing to accept powerlessness is a fast road to depression, rigidity, and compulsion. Through caller conversations, he examines where the hunger for control really comes from, including how unmet childhood needs quietly drive adult behavior.