Keyword: avoidance

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Smartphones Anxiety and the Need for Connection September 24, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Ben Starr, Giullian Gioiello, Linda Vanella, Michael Jessen
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Society, Culture & Current Events

Constant connectivity feeds anxiety rather than relieving it: Armand DiMele argues the smartphone is a modern “stick” the nervous mind uses to scan for danger. With co-hosts Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, Giullian Gioiello, and Ben Starr, plus guest Michael Jessen, the group examines phone-checking as compulsion, passive aggression, and a substitute for real presence.

The Psychology of Asking Questions January 14, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Linda Vanella
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Why do people hide the truth from their doctors, their partners, and themselves? Armand DiMele and co-host Giullian Gioiello, joined by Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, examine what questions really do: test safety, reveal love, expose fear, and build trust. Callers explore childhood silencing and emotional breakthroughs.

Addiction as Romance with Jonathan Berent July 16, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Jonathan Berent
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Anxiety & Fear

Armand DiMele reframes addiction as a romance, arguing that substances and compulsive behaviors offer the unconditional love that people fail to find elsewhere. Social anxiety specialist Jonathan Berent then joins to discuss shyness, social phobia, selective mutism, and why avoidance only deepens over time.

Phobias and Secondary Gain March 20, 2013

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Emotions & Inner Life

Phobias are never just about the feared object. Armand DiMele argues that every phobia carries a hidden secondary gain, an unconscious payoff such as withdrawal from adult responsibility, and that understanding this dynamic is the real key to treatment. The episode covers agoraphobia, paranoia, and a catalogue of named phobias.

Withdrawn Personality Types with Don Riso and Russ Hudson January 22, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Don Riso, Russ Hudson
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Why do some people retreat into an inner world and resist engagement with others? Enneagram teachers Don Riso and Russ Hudson break down three withdrawn personality types (the Investigator, the Individualist, and the Peacemaker), tracing their roots in childhood overwhelm and exploring how to reach the people who hide behind them.

The Power of Neurotic Functioning April 4, 2012

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

Why do people sabotage peace and quiet? Armand DiMele argues that neurotic behavior, from triangulation to volatile relationships, is not weakness but a disguised grab for power. Recognizing that hidden payoff, he suggests, is the first step toward finally choosing the high road.

The Shelf Life of Mental Health October 20, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lauren Sykes, Linda Vanella
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Personal Growth & Change

Old fears and bad habits you thought you conquered have a way of coming back. Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, explore why hard-won mental health gains can expire, from the AA concept of the “pink cloud” to the brain’s drive to keep aging people alert through worry, arguing that avoidance, not cure, is usually what we mistake for progress.

The Shelf Life of Mental Health September 20, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lauren Sykes, Linda Vanella
Category: Aging & Mortality, Personal Growth & Change

Why do problems we thought we solved come back? Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, examine why hard-won psychological gains fade over time, from the AA concept of the pink cloud to the body’s biological drive to reactivate old fears as we age. Callers share their own experiences of recurring fears and family estrangement.

The Psychology of Risk Taking July 20, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw, Linda Vanella
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Personal Growth & Change

Why do some people seek danger while others avoid any uncertainty? Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, examine how risk perception forms in infancy, shapes adult behavior, and shifts with age. They trace the brain chemistry of thrill-seeking, the trap of compulsive avoidance, and why the mind is often the biggest obstacle to living freely.

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.