Keyword: childhood trauma

Sexual Predators and the Abuse of Power April 1, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele

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.

Growing Up with a Troubled Parent September 10, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele

Children raised by mentally ill or incapacitated parents face invisible burdens that quietly shape their adult choices. Armand DiMele draws on the double bind theory, a case of psychosomatic snow blindness, and research on children of psychotic parents to show how early caretaking roles become lifelong patterns.

When Pain Gets Locked Away August 30, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw

Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, examine why people lock away unbearable pain rather than face it, how children assign themselves blame for disasters and abuse, and why denial of death costs us empathy for suffering near and far.

The Fear of Being Punished June 22, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele

A deep fear of punishment lurks beneath nearly every psychological disorder, Armand argues. From hypochondria to phobias to infidelity secrets, the expectation of being punished shapes behavior in ways most people never examine. Callers raised in alcoholic homes illustrate how childhood chaos instills this fear early.

The Weight of Secrets June 21, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele

Secrets shape us from childhood onward, and keeping them can quietly corrode a life. Armand DiMele invites listeners to call in and unburden themselves on air, drawing out stories of sexual abuse, infidelity, addiction, and shame, and exploring why telling the truth, even to a stranger, brings relief.

Rough Childhoods and Impulse Control April 12, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Atti

Rough childhoods don’t just wound emotionally, they physically reshape the brain, and that is the root of impulse control problems. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace how early neglect stunts neuronal development and drives behaviors from theft and violence to binge eating and self-cutting, with a striking detour into what starvation studies reveal about compulsion.

Taming the Inner and Outer Bully with Stephen B. Rosenstein Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Stephen B. Rosenstein

Bullies are victims too, argues Stephen B. Rosenstein, author of “Taming Your Inner and Outer Bullies.” Armand DiMele and Rosenstein trace bullying behavior back to childhood victimization and unresolved guilt, showing how the same inner cruelty that drives people to harm others quietly drives self-destruction as well.