Mood: Sad

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How Breathing Controls Our Emotions June 14, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Neil Schachter, Roberta Maria Atti
Category: Depression & Mood, Emotions & Inner Life

Shallow breathing is not a flaw but a learned survival tool: we suppress emotions by constricting breath, and chronic shallow breathing can deaden sensation, deepen depression, and fuel psychosomatic illness. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti caution against the easy advice to “just breathe deeper,” explaining why opening the breath can flood the body with overwhelming feeling.

Why Opposite Energies Attract June 1, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Love & Romantic Relationships

High-energy and low-energy people are drawn together because each supplies what the other lacks, but that same imbalance can doom the relationship over time. Armand DiMele traces the psychology and almost physics of this dynamic, from falling in love as an energy exchange to the depression that follows breakups.

The Genetics of Resilience May 2, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kevin O'Donoghue
Category: Depression & Mood, The Mind & Neuroscience

Why do some people bounce back from trauma while others stay broken? Armand DiMele traces resilience to genetics, specifically the 5-HTTLPR serotonin transporter gene, exploring how allele variations shape depression risk across individuals and racial groups, with callers sharing their own struggles to recover.

Hormones as Neurotransmitters with Roberta Maria Achi April 26, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Achi
Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Estrogen isn’t just a reproductive hormone but a neurotransmitter shaping mood, pain, memory, and brain health. Nutritionist Roberta Maria Achi joins Armand DiMele to explain why carelessly manipulating hormone levels, through drugs or surgery, can have far-reaching consequences, and what diet can do instead.

Hidden Anger as the Stealth Saboteur April 25, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Hidden anger quietly poisons relationships, careers, and daily life without anyone naming it. Armand DiMele argues that unexpressed anger drives people to switch doctors, quit therapy, ghost friends, and shut down emotionally, and that welcoming honest feedback is the antidote. Calls explore workplace frustration and depression rooted in self-directed anger.

Psychiatric Medication with Dr. Kent Robertshaw April 20, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Depression & Mood

Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, walk through the landscape of psychiatric medications, from why Prozac reshaped treatment to how a psychiatrist actually chooses between antidepressants based on symptoms. They cover OCD, paranoia, psychosis, and the tension between medication and talk therapy.

Creativity and Human Evolution April 19, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Ante
Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Creativity may be the defining trait that separates humans from other animals, and modern research suggests it has been actively selected for through both natural and sexual selection. Armand DiMele and Roberta Maria Ante argue that suppressed creativity could be a root cause of depression, and that beauty and artistic expression hold untapped healing potential.

Why Teenagers Drop Out April 18, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw, Stacy Nunez
Category: Personal Growth & Change, Society, Culture & Current Events

One in three American teenagers quits high school, and Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, trace why: boredom, family poverty, drug money, and a school system that mistakes college-prep drilling for real education. The conversation broadens into adult avoidance and the pharmaceutical industry’s role in suppressing discomfort rather than addressing its roots.

Why Depressives Respond to Pain Not Pleasure April 6, 2006

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

Depression is not a benign mood but an active, brain-damaging condition, and cheering someone up is the wrong approach. Armand DiMele explains why depressed people respond to pain and negativity rather than pleasure, and how validating rather than contradicting a depressed person can open a way through.

The Evolutionary Roots of Depression with Roberta Maria Acchi April 5, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Acchi
Category: Depression & Mood, The Mind & Neuroscience

Depression may be a biological strategy shaped by evolution, not merely a pathology. Armand DiMele and guest Roberta Maria Acchi examine rank theory, the biochemistry of winning and losing, why men hide depression, how oppressed groups are kept docile, and how blocked creative potential rewires the nervous system toward low mood.