Mood: Scared

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How the Brain Evolved Emotions with Dr. Joe Ledoux June 16, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Joe Ledoux, Sherry Segal
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Fear is not just a feeling but a hardwired survival circuit, and the brain acts on danger before the conscious mind even knows what is happening. Neuroscientist Dr. Joe Ledoux walks Armand through the amygdala’s two pathways, why emotional memories feel vivid but are often inaccurate, and why it is far easier for emotions to hijack thought than the other way around.

The Good and Bad of Venting May 6, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Trauma & Healing

Venting feels like relief, but does it actually help? Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW examine research showing that rehashing trauma can deepen it neurologically, that cortisol surges from repeated venting damage the body, and that silence after trauma is often healthier than we assume.

In Pursuit of Silence with George Prochnik May 5, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: George Prochnik, Lauren Sykes, Sherri Siegel
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

Noise is everywhere, but what does silence actually mean? Author George Prochnik joins Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. to explore how mechanical noise damages us cognitively and physically, why people fill quiet with sound out of fear, and how the pursuit of genuine silence can expand attention and deepen connection.

Exit Strategies in Love and Relationships April 29, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Most people enter relationships with an unconscious escape plan already in place. Armand DiMele argues that children, debt, sexual withdrawal, hobbies, and infidelity all serve as built-in exit strategies, and that the people who suffer most after a breakup are those who never had one.

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.

Surviving Extreme Environments with Emily Anthes April 22, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

What happens to the human mind when you’re trapped with strangers in Antarctica or a Mars simulation capsule for months? Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, to examine how extreme isolation, cold, and darkness disrupt mood, hormones, and group cohesion in ways that mirror everyday life under pressure.

Hormones and Female Addiction with Emily Anthes April 13, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Estrogen makes drugs feel better, and progesterone can counteract that effect. Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand to explain why female addicts are biologically distinct from male addicts, why teenage girls now use drugs as often as boys, and how hormone-based treatments might one day help women quit.

The Paradox of Choice with Barry Schwartz April 7, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Barry Schwartz, Sherri Siegel
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

More options should mean more happiness, but psychologist Barry Schwartz argues the opposite: abundant choice produces paralysis, regret, and rising expectations that guarantee disappointment. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. discuss how committing to a path, rather than endlessly searching for a better one, may be the actual route to fulfillment.

Sexual Predators and the Abuse of Power April 1, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, Trauma & Healing

Organized religion shields predators while condemning the vulnerable. Armand DiMele examines clergy sexual abuse across Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam, walking through research on who actually offends and why, dismantling myths about celibacy and homosexuality, and asking what draws people to religious authority in the first place.

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.