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Losing Your Mind to Find Resilience November 6, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Yo-Yo Ma
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Reality is hard, and humans escape it through sex, rage, drugs, romance, and lies. Armand DiMele argues this is understandable but costly, then pivots to Hurricane Sandy as a case study in forced clarity. Co-host Giullian Gioiello shares his firsthand experience as an NYU student in the East Village during the storm, grounding a practical discussion of how to build resilience through pain rather than around it.

Personality Types Along the Continuum October 23, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Erin Oberlander, John Valerio, Lisa Arnone
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

We are all born with slightly more of one trait than another, and under stress that trait gets exaggerated into what we call a personality disorder. Armand explores this continuum with Lisa Arnone, LCSW, and Dr. Erin Oberlander, examining projection, borderline dynamics, and why blame, whether of self or others, keeps people stuck.

Self-Knowledge and the Patterns We Repeat in Love October 10, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: John Valerio, Lisa Arnone
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Why do we keep choosing the same partners and recreating the same dynamics? Armand DiMele argues that relationship problems are never really about the other person but about unexamined childhood wounds. With co-therapist Lisa Arnone, LCSW, he traces how early needs for attractiveness, desirability, and parental attention shape adult love patterns.

Exasperation in Close Relationships September 25, 2012

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

Exasperation quietly poisons relationships, and Armand DiMele argues it signals a timing mismatch between feeling and expression. He traces how suppressed frustration leads to stonewalling, and proposes practical resets including conscious pausing, the smile technique, and ending every conversation with “I love you.” Callers share stories about estranged children and grandchildren.

The Id the Ego and Falling in Love August 21, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lisa Arnone
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Why do people fall in love, and why do they stop? Armand DiMele, joined in the studio by Lisa Arnone, LCSW, uses Freud’s id and ego to explain romantic longing as an inner drive, exploring how unmet needs pull us toward love and how self-sufficiency can quiet that pull entirely.

The Art of Self-Inquiry July 31, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lisa Arnone
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Most people ask the wrong questions about themselves. Armand DiMele and Lisa Arnone, LCSW walk through a structured framework for deeper self-inquiry, moving from surface-level complaints through feelings, causality, and self-acceptance, with caller conversations illustrating each step live.

Signs of a Toxic Relationship July 24, 2012

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Love & Romantic Relationships

Armand DiMele and co-host Lisa work through 25 warning signs of a toxic relationship, from verbal put-downs and jealous isolation to emotional dependency and manipulation. A story about a mentor’s muscle-pressure test frames how people differ in their tolerance for pain, and why some stay far too long.

The Fear of Being Loved July 11, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Audrey Clark, Lisa Arnone
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

What if part of you refuses to be loved? Armand DiMele and studio guests Lisa Arnone, LCSW, and Audrey Clark dig into the paradox of lovability: how people unconsciously push away love, choose cruel or unavailable partners, and replay childhood wounds in adult relationships. A listener letter about borderline personality anchors the discussion.

Dopamine Interdependence and Independence Day July 4, 2012

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

True independence is a myth, Armand argues on the Fourth of July: the body runs on interdependence, and so do we. He draws on Buddhist philosophy, fireworks neuroscience, and callers sharing family wounds to make the case that admitting need is not weakness but biological reality.

How Talking Changes Feeling July 3, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lisa Arnone
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Mundane complaints hide deeper wounds, and Armand DiMele shows how to find them. Working live with Lisa Arnone, LCSW, he demonstrates how a throwaway statement like “I hate people who buy lottery tickets” can be guided, step by step, into a genuine first-person admission about fear, disappointment, and unmet need.